Energy Efficiency: The Cornerstone of Sustainable Electrification and How CircuitMeter Is Powering the Shift

As published in the SV May 2025 Newsletter

As the world accelerates toward a carbon-free economy, energy generation—through wind, solar, and nuclear—often dominates the conversation. However, one of the most impactful, cost-effective, and scalable solutions lies in energy efficiency, particularly through retrofitting existing buildings and optimizing data centers. These legacy structures are responsible for a significant portion of global energy consumption and emissions.

Why Retrofitting and Energy Management Matter

Retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency—upgrading insulation, replacing outdated HVAC systems, and deploying smart sensors—can reduce energy consumption by 30–50%. This is especially critical in data centers and high-density buildings where electrification is increasing power density and complexity. Yet, understanding where energy is wasted is the prerequisite to solving the problem.

This is where energy auditing and continuous monitoring play a transformative role. Unlike traditional audits that offer one-time snapshots, continuous energy management ensures long-term optimization and immediate detection of inefficiencies. This model is not only effective but essential for achieving net-zero targets, complying with ESG reporting, and managing operational costs.

CircuitMeter: Real-Time Energy Intelligence

CircuitMeter is at the forefront of this transformation. Its IoT-enabled platform provides real-time, circuit-level submetering combined with advanced cloud analytics. With over 200,000 voltage samples per second and seamless integration across commercial, industrial, and residential environments, it turns energy data into actionable intelligence.

For example, CircuitMeter’s deployment in the Fairmont Royal York Hotel identified $1 million in energy savings—a 35% reduction—with an impressive 1,700% ROI. Similarly, in Canada’s first Net Zero registered commercial building, evolv1, CircuitMeter ensured the performance of renewable systems like solar and geothermal met rigorous efficiency standards. For industrial operations, such as Plexus Corp.’s global manufacturing network, CircuitMeter's continuous monitoring uncovered a 25% energy reduction opportunity during its pilot—leading to rollouts in 18 facilities globally.

Data centers are massive energy consumers, often operating at high loads 24/7. CircuitMeter enables forensic-level metering across servers, cooling systems, and power distribution units. By identifying overuse and abnormalities in real time, data centers can preempt outages, improve power quality, and reduce both costs and emissions.

For example, Walmart Logistics and Steripro Canada both leverage CircuitMeter to monitor 50–100 pieces of equipment in real time, allowing precise load management and process-specific energy optimization.

Unlike older systems that are expensive, difficult to scale, and lack real-time analytics, CircuitMeter offers secure, encrypted “data push” technology and remote firmware updates. This enables seamless scaling across thousands of buildings, aligning with policies such as New York City’s LL88/LL97 and the GHG Protocol.

In the race to net zero, retrofitting and energy efficiency are not optional—they’re foundational. CircuitMeter's platform doesn’t just measure energy use; it transforms how buildings and data centers operate, proving that sustainability and economic performance can go hand-in-hand. For a truly electrified, low-carbon future, making energy visible—and manageable—is the key.

Please contact Mitchell Hauser for more information or to arrange a meeting with Paul Mertes, CircuitMeter's CEO.