Smarter HVAC Control, Lower Utility Costs: The St. Michaels Parish Story

OVERVIEW

Historic buildings often come with unique energy challenges, especially when occupancy is inconsistent. That was the case for St. Michale’s Parish in Lyons, New York, a 7,600-square-foot church facility built in 1891. After staff relocated miles away in 2009, the building was frequently left unoccupied for long periods, while still needing to support regular services and short-term events. This created an ongoing challenge: how to maintain comfort when needed without wasting energy the rest of the time

The Challenge of Managing a Historic, Irregularly Occupied Facility

Before the new system was installed, St. Michaels relied on programmable thermostats to manage heating and cooling. But in practice, staff often needed to override the schedule for events and then forgot to reset it before leaving. That meant the church could end up being heated or cooled unnecessarily, driving up energy costs and requiring extra trips to the facility just to make manual temperature adjustments.

For a historic building with four HVAC zones and varying usage patterns, that approach was simply inefficient. The parish needed a smarter solution that could adapt to changing schedules, reduce energy waste, and eliminate the burden of constant manual intervention

A Smarter HVAC Control Solution

In October 2011, Save Energy Systems installed its Demand Limiting Controller (DLC) at St. Michale’s Parish The system gave staff remote, web-based control over four HVAC zones, making it possible to monitor and adjust temperatures without traveling to the site.

It also allowed for real-time schedule changes, helping the parish condition the building only when needed.This type of control was especially valuable for a building with irregular occupancy. Instead of relying on manual overrides and hoping settings were reset correctly, the parish gained a more flexible and reliable way to manage comfort while improving efficiency

The Results

Lower Bills, Faster Payback, Better Contro

The first 12 months following installation delivered strong and measurable results. Comparing utility costs from October 2010–September 2011 to October 2011–September 2012, the parish reduced its utility expenses by $4,342.62, including a 31% reduction in electricity costs and a 35.2% reduction in gas expenses. To ensure the results accurately reflected the impact of the system, the analysis was weather-normalized, accounting for an unusually warm post-installation winter. Even after adjusting for weather conditions, the parish achieved $3,178.90 in validated annual savings. The project also demonstrated a rapid return on investment. With a system and installation cost of approximately $3,600, the investment paid for itself in just 10 months, making it both an operationally effective and financially attractive solution.

More Than Savings

Beyond the direct financial results, the DLC gave the parish something equally valuable: convenience and control. Staff no longer had to make repeated trips to the facility just to change thermostat settings. The system reduced manual overrides, supported event-based scheduling, and helped ensure the building was only heated or cooled when necessary.

For facilities with irregular schedules, these operational benefits can be just as meaningful as the utility savings. Better control means less wasted energy, less staff time spent managing HVAC, and more confidence that the building is operating efficiently.

Why It Matters

The St. Michaels Parish project demonstrates how intelligent HVAC control can deliver measurable results in older, schedule-driven facilities. Despite the challenges of managing a historic building with complex and variable occupancy patterns, the energy management solution significantly reduced utility costs, improved operational efficiency, and provided a rapid return on investment. The project serves as a strong example for churches, community centers, and other facilities with fluctuating usage schedules, showing how remote HVAC management can transform inefficiencies into measurable energy and cost savings.

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