Powering Education: Ecovolt in Schools and Campuses
Ecovolt helps schools and campuses cut energy waste through AI-powered smart plugs and its Building Management System, detecting phantom loads and unmonitored devices. Already deployed in institutions like NUS and Nanyang Junior College, Ecovolt empowers educational facilities to lower costs and model a smarter, greener future for learning.
October 2, 2025
The Challenge
Schools and campuses are one of the largest consumers of electricity in the public sector. This is mainly because of their large infrastructure, continuous operation, and specialised buildings like labs. Schools usually have higher energy use per square meter than other building types This high consumption in turn leads to significant costs and carbon emissions. Thus, energy management is of utmost importance for schools and campuses.
Many institutions also struggle with phantom energy, which is the hidden electricity consumed by devices left plugged in but not in use. For example, schools that utilise televisions for their teaching can face a huge problem hidden right under every teacher’s nose. According to Matt Malinowski, Director of the Buildings Program at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, many modern televisions are connected to the internet and include smart wake features that allow them to interact with phones and other devices. As a result, these televisions can consume up to 40 watts of energy during the hours of the day when they would normally be off. This is almost 40 times as much as a regular television, resulting in wasted energy and unnecessarily high monthly utility bills for school buildings.
The problem of irresponsible energy use in campus hostels is also an issue faced by schools. Appliances such as air conditioners and refrigerators are sometimes installed without proper approval from the school, making them “invisible” to facility managers. Because they are not officially registered in the school’s energy inventory, their power consumption goes unmonitored and unaccounted for. Over time, this leads to higher utility costs, inaccurate energy audits, and difficulty identifying the true sources of consumption.
Without real-time visibility into energy consumption data, facilities teams may not realise how much these hidden appliances contribute to the overall energy load.
The Ecovolt Difference
Ecovolt can help to tackle these problems faced by schools and campuses! Our smart plug sensors and AI-powered Building Management System help to identify and eliminate phantom loads, reducing unnecessary energy consumption. Ecovolt can also uncover this hidden usage, allowing schools to detect, monitor, and manage undeclared or high-consumption devices efficiently. This all leads to overall lower energy consumptions and thus significant costs cuts.
Ecovolt brings smart energy management to the classroom, turning data into action. Through our AI-Native Building Management System (BMS) and plug-level monitoring, schools and universities can now:
Additionally, with non-intrusive, easy-to-install plugs, Ecovolt can be deployed quickly without needing to disrupt classes or temporary shutdowns of schools.
We have already deployed our plugs to nine schools! Some of which include National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Junior College and Rosyth Primary School. For Nanyang Junior College, we have deployed our smart plugs in multiple different areas including their office commercial printer, water cooler and dispenser, TV, AV system and projector.
A Smarter, Greener Future for Learning
At Ecovolt, we believe that sustainable energy management should start where learning happens. By equipping schools and campuses with data-driven insights and AI-powered efficiency tools, we’re helping the next generation experience firsthand what it means to build a smarter, cleaner, and more sustainable future.
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