Case Study: Video of Prototype Speeds Construction Process

Case Studies >> Meter Prototypes

A complete meter installation sequence was videotaped and made available on demand.

At a Glance
Project Owner: Saint Mary’s College of California, Moraga, CA Project: Install 48 new utility-grade energy meters Cost of video: $2,500 Money saved: Contractor, $52,000; Client, $18,000

Video of Prototype Speeds Meter Installations, Repairs

When a project was undertaken to increase energy efficiency at Saint Mary’s College of California, the first problem was that every building on campus was served by a single central gas and electrical meter, making it impossible to identify inefficient buildings.

The first step was to install 48 new energy meters — one for each building on campus — with Internet monitoring capabilities. The new meters would help Saint Mary’s to identify and fix energy inefficiencies on a building-by-building basis.

Due to scheduling requirements, the gas, electricity, and low voltage electronic controls subcontractors could not work on the meter installations in sequence.

Electricians started on some meters, gas and low voltage workers on others. Some workers were starting from scratch, while others faced assemblies at various stages of completion. It quickly became apparent that this approach was slow and error prone.

The project manager ordered custom video on demand of one correct, complete construction sequence. This video became required reference material for the project, so any worker from any of the three trades could approach a meter at any point in the sequence and successfully complete his scope of work.

As an additional layer of construction documentation, each of the completed meter installations was videotaped and catalogued to the project’s video archive.

Once the meters were operational, reports showed that several buildings had erratic power usage. Using the video archive, the project manager was able to identify improper meter installations as the source of the problem.

He referred the subcontractors to links of the installations, discussed the problems while watching video together, and set the wheels in motion to have the problems fixed. No site visits, arguments or drama.

Metering also revealed a water leak underneath the De La Salle Hall dormitory. The project manager commissioned Builder’s Eye to go under the building and videotape the length of the hot water pipe. Two leaks were discovered and detailed video of the leaks and surrounding areas was shot.

Using the video, the project manager was able to direct the plumbing contractor to the website to watch the video. The contractor was able to understand the problem and send the right materials and crew out to the job, saving both the contractor and the project manager several site visits.