Entertainment Retailer

Summary

New service delivery technology meets unique business objectives and challenges at international entertainment complexes.

Challenge

Gone are the days when a night out almost certainly included viewing the latest release on the "big screen." Consumers have more choices of where they spend their entertainment dollars today. In spite of a recent lack of blockbuster releases, the entertainment retailer sought ways to increase revenues while making the entertainment experience more satisfying for guests. Objectives were to maintain consistent comfort in their auditoriums and keep guests coming back. The shift in consumer habits from relying on movies for entertainment to enjoying a variety of free-time activities has emphasized the critical importance of cost control for the company. Rising energy rates and deregulation have created significant issues for the retailer, and the potential energy usage effects due to the digital conversion of movies in theatres are still unknown. As a result, a strong focus has been placed on reducing energy consumption.

Solution

Energy consumption and costs were benchmarked using utility bills, site metering and comparison modeling. A Trane Intelligent Services offering was utilized to help reduce energy and operating costs. Tracer Summit® building automation systems (BAS) at customer locations control HVAC equipment and lighting. BAS systems also communicate data to the Trane Intelligent Services center to maintain consistent indoor environments in accordance with customer-defined parameters. Whether the auditorium is filled to capacity or occupied by only a few, the Trane Active Monitoring service keeps temperature and humidity at optimum comfort levels. Trane technical specialists monitor critical alarms and customer-defined events 24/7 to quickly identify any issues. A specialist verifies each alarm or event, performs remote diagnostics and initiates a course of action. Trained to resolve many issues remotely, the specialists allow the entertainment retailer to avoid both interruptions in guest comfort and costly onsite service calls.

Matching load-to-need reduces energy cost

The Trane Custom Monitoring service integrates with the theater’s internal building systems and keeps costs down by reducing energy waste. Each week, when site managers publish their show schedule in the newspaper, the schedule for each auditorium is exported to the Trane Intelligent Services center where the auditorium’s HVAC is set to match.

Driving business performance with building performance

The Trane Building Performance Package aligns building performance with business objectives, such as controlling costs or retaining customers. Trane specialists analyze HVAC systems data, energy use, trends and deviations. During weekly meetings, energy and comfort reports are provided to the customer to offer insight into each building’s operational performance. The data is used to identify opportunities for energy savings and continuous, sustainable improvement.

Results

The use of Trane Intelligent Services for monitoring, alarm notification, remote service mobilization and building performance analysis has resulted in improved guest comfort and an annual energy and service cost avoidance of more than $1.9 million for the entertainment retailer.