See how Willow can help you cut costs, save energy, and operate your buildings more efficiently and sustainably.
In the evolving landscape of building management, organizations are increasingly seeking smarter, more resilient ways to optimize operations, reduce costs, enhance occupant experience, and move away from reactive maintenance. Imagine this real-world use case: A water leak at an airport goes undetected, leading to a burst pipe, forcing a runway out of commission and triggering a ripple effect of flight delays and rescheduling across the network. This kind of incident highlights the limitations of traditional Energy Performance Contracting EPC-driven approaches, which often lack real-time monitoring and analytics; capabilities that a software development platform can provide to detect anomalies early and prevent costly disruptions.
Let’s explore these approaches.
Energy Performance Contracting is a financing mechanism that allows building owners to implement energy-saving upgrades without upfront capital. An Energy Service Company (ESCO) guarantees energy savings, which are used to pay for improvements over time. EPC typically focuses on lighting retrofits, HVAC upgrades, building envelope improvements and energy management systems.
While EPC has proven effective in reducing energy consumption and utility costs, its scope is inherently limited. It’s a project-based model that often ends once the contracted savings are achieved. The focus is centered on energy and doesn’t address broader operational inefficiencies, occupant experience, or long-term asset management.
Willow is a software-driven platform that integrates real-time data, predictive analytics, and automation to manage multiple aspects of a facility’s performance.
Like EPC, Willow helps reduce energy use, but it does so dynamically, adjusting systems based on usage patterns. Optimizing how systems are configured and sequenced ensures that they operate only when needed. HVAC and lighting systems respond to real-time occupancy, operating only when needed. By shedding unnecessary loads and shifting energy use to off-peak hours, Willow cuts utility costs and can unlock grid incentives while maintaining comfort and performance.
Beyond energy, Willow helps extend asset life by reducing wear and tear. Continuous commissioning validation ensures that systems run as designed, avoiding overuse and extending equipment life. This proactive approach lowers maintenance costs and capital expenditure over time.
Willow provides predictive insights, enabling early detection of potential issues. Real-time alerts and notifications ensure faster incident identification, while Willow Copilot supports rapid resolution with guided diagnostics and contextual data. Continuous monitoring and telemetry offer a live view into system health, allowing teams to respond quickly and prevent disruptions. All this helps reduce equipment downtime.
Beyond direct energy savings, Willow generates outcomes the realm of optimizing operations with labor cost reduction. Willow Copilot improves technician efficiency with guided diagnostics and instant access to manuals and documentation. Insights can be configured to auto-generate work orders when thresholds are exceeded, reducing administrative overhead. Cleaning and maintenance schedules for equipment can be adjusted based on actual usage instead of relying on fixed schedules. These indirect savings are usually out of scope for EPC models.
Willow’s predictive capabilities help prevent small issues from becoming major problems. Early Detection of leaks and HVAC inefficiencies can help avoid higher repair costs down the road. By addressing problems proactively, Willow helps avoid mold remediation, water damage, and other expensive fixes. Preventing downtime or space closures further protects revenue and avoids the need for replacement facilities. Comparatively, EPC improves systems upfront but doesn’t continuously monitor for changing conditions.
Willow tracks Comfort scores for spaces by monitoring indoor air quality and temperature in real time, ensuring optimal comfort for staff, students, or tenants. Comfortable environments foster better focus and engagement, leading to measurable productivity gains. Managing air quality and temperature helps prevent health issues and supports wellness initiatives in workplaces, schools, and healthcare settings. In contrast, EPC focuses on infrastructure versus occupants.
This shift from project-based to platform-based thinking is critical for organizations that want to future-proof their facilities. Buildings are dynamic environments that must respond to changing needs, technologies, and expectations. EPC is transactional as a contract with a defined scope, timeline, and savings target. On the other hand, Willow can be transformational as a real-time platform that enables buildings to evolve into grid-interactive ecosystems that deliver value every day, going well beyond a contract period.
EPC has historically helped organizations reduce energy costs and improve sustainability. But as buildings become smarter, customer expectation rises as well. Willow offers a new paradigm that integrates energy, operations, maintenance, and occupant experience into a single, AI-driven platform.
If you’re interested in saving energy to enable enable resilience, enhance productivity, and unlock long-term value, book a demo with us and see for yourself.