JadeTrack Helps Customers Rethink Sustainability and Reduce Costs
To JadeTrack, thne word “sustainability” isn’t just a buzz word or a marketing term. It’s a comprehensive approach to maximizing profits, engaging key stakeholders and operating more efficiently—an approach that helps its customers win in the marketplace.
“We help our customers transform complicated energy and sustainability data into usable insights and intelligence. This allows them to better allocate how they spend money on utilities and to reduce demand for those resources, creating cost savings, improved efficiency, and sustainability,” said Ryan Prestel, partner and CEO of JadeTrack.
A new approach to lowering energy costs and increasing sustainability
In today’s economic climate, the price of water and energy can define how an organization does business. These operating expenses can have a powerful impact on the company’s bottom line.
JadeTrack’s turnkey, cloud-based software platform collects and reports resource consumption in real-time. These real-time metrics enable organizations and individuals to take ownership and make better decisions based on what’s actually happening with energy consumption now.
“Think about how traditional energy projects are usually conducted,” Prestel said. “There’s an energy audit, often by a utility or consulting firm. Maybe it shows that the company needs new boilers or new lighting—equipment that will drive energy efficiency—but at a high acquisition cost. This cost often prevents the best engineered projects from getting started.”
In medium to large sized buildings—open windows, running toilets, poor insulation, or old thermostats can kill an operating budget.
The challenge for building managers is that they need a reliable, real-time way to track energy or water consumption—one that’s easy to interpret. Once usage patterns and fluctuations are clear, simple behavior modification can produce an impact
While people have many different opinions of what sustainability means, profit improvements are really clear cut.
“We help people connect the dots—time and operational savings—plus positive environmental impact,” Prestel said.
“One of the interesting things we’ve found with all this is that sustainability, energy conservation, and the environment are genuinely important to Millennials,” Prestel said. “It’s not some external thing. They really care. We help companies tap into that intrinsic motivation. It’s incredible how we’ve been able to create a unique environment.”
JadeTrack’s benefits—through the eyes of their customers.
JadeTrack shows customers how to drive profit by operating more efficiently.
“Our tag line is ‘Rethink Sustainability,’” Prestel said. “We challenge our customers to recognize that this is an investment in their business and people. Increased efficiency is business 101—using less inputs to generate more output. Why don’t we think like that with energy or water?
JadeTrack transforms this complex data into easy-to-understand information and delivers it via dashboards and reporting tools that customers rave about.
Saving Dublin City Schools money
The Dublin City School District has some challenges with energy and building efficiency. They wanted to engage everyone—faculty, students, and operational staff—to make things better. They needed tools and a realistic game plan.
JadeTrack consolidated and is tracking water, gas, and electric bills, as well as heating and cooling systems, at the 23 various Dublin City school buildings.
Scotts Miracle-Gro champions sustainability
Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE: SMG, the world’s leading provider of lawn products and services, integrated sustainability across the entire organization as a part of their strategic plan.
Scotts had used JadeTrack for its Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Social Responsibility reporting since 2011.
Scotts has reduced CO2 emission by 10 percent, diverted 2500 tons of waste from landfills, and consumed 650 less of indirect energy.
“Organizations that are committed to sustainability build stronger brands and better reputations as good corporate citizens” Prestel said. Scotts has reduced CO2 emission by 10 percent, diverted 2500 tons of waste from landfills, and consumed 650 gigajoules less of indirect energy.
Cabo Leasing Company
Using JadeTrack to track electric, water, and gas consumption, Cabo Leasing substantially cut usage (gas by 30 percent) and costs at its commercial office buildings in downtown Columbus.
Real-time alerts and notifications armed Cabo and its property managers to immediately identify and take action on building performance issues in an effort to reduce operating expenses and prevent costly repairs and breakdowns.
JadeTrack recently teamed up with Nationwide Energy Partners (NEP) to deliver an online portal with dashboards and advanced reporting capabilities for property developers and owners to analyze detailed energy and water usage for their residential communities.
Changing small things that can an incremental difference
“What’s the worst possible thing you can do in terms of sustainability?” Prestel said. “Doing nothing.”
He sees every day as a new challenge. “Everyone here at JadeTrack sees the vision,” he said. “We give people more than a job. We’re challenging everyone to think bigger.”
There are investors in the region who agree. JadeTrack has raised over $300,000 in early stage capital.
“It’s iterative,” Prestel said. “We don’t have to conquer the world in one day. We’ll make mistakes, but we just keep chipping away at it. Columbus is a great place to start a business. There’s as much talent here as in some of those tech hotspots and the culture is very supportive of entrepreneurs.”
See how JadeTrack simplifies sustainability. Request a test drive.
