Like many other universities around the country, the University of Arizona in Tucson is trying to do more with less. A burgeoning student population is straining the infrastructure of the university at the same time the state keeps cutting funding for higher education. University personnel must be creative in order to maintain the high standards expected by the students and demanded by the community.

U of A officials decided that it could decrease its overhead costs by better managing its energy. This was a difficult proposition, as the university's 450-plus buildings are spread over a wide area and employ devices and systems manufactured by over 35 different vendors. These systems utilize protocols such as ModBus, LonWorks, and Simplex, so it would not be easy to integrate all the energy meters, fire alarm panels, HVAC equipment, and other devices to the BACnet IP network used throughout the campus.