TAFE NSW launches utility management programme with EPX

TAFE NSW has launched a utility management programme with EPX across its property portfolio, covering 153 campuses and 1,812 buildings.

The initiative is designed to improve oversight of energy and water use across an estate of about 1.64 million square metres. TAFE NSW will use the system to identify waste and operational issues.

The Active Utility Management Program combines sub-metering hardware, EPX's cloud-based software, engineering support and staff training. It will allow facilities teams to monitor electricity, water, gas and solar use, while tracking anomalies and compliance requirements.

Under the arrangement, TAFE NSW will run the programme across most campuses once staff complete training. EPX will provide a managed service at 20 priority campuses, where a dedicated engineering team will work with facilities managers to investigate issues, implement utility efficiency measures and monitor results.

The rollout reflects growing attention among large property owners to utility use across dispersed estates, particularly where ageing buildings, varied operating patterns and regional footprints make energy and water management harder to standardise.

The programme supports TAFE NSW's environmental sustainability agenda and its push to improve operational decision-making through better use of data. The organisation operates campuses in metropolitan, regional and remote parts of New South Wales.

Andrew Latimore, TAFE NSW Facilities Management Director, outlined the rationale for the project.

"Creating more sustainable campuses is an important part of our commitment to reducing our environmental impact and supporting positive learning spaces for our students and staff. Working with EPX will help us better understand where we can reduce energy and water use, cut waste and lower emissions across our campuses. It's a practical step towards achieving the goals in our Environmental Sustainability Action Plan and creating a more sustainable future for TAFE NSW and the communities we serve," Latimore said.

Managed rollout

The programme is structured so internal facilities teams can take direct control of utility management at most locations, while EPX focuses its engineering resources on the highest-priority sites. This gives TAFE NSW a mix of in-house oversight and external support across a broad estate.

The EPX platform will provide automated monitoring and reporting, portfolio dashboards and alerts designed to flag unexpected utility use. It will also support emissions tracking and compliance reporting across the campus network.

For education providers with extensive physical estates, utility costs can be a significant operating expense. Water and energy use can also be difficult to benchmark when facilities range from teaching buildings and workshops to offices and shared student spaces across multiple regions.

EPX, which focuses on building performance, said the TAFE NSW project shows how utility data can drive operational action rather than reporting alone. The company manages more than 1,000 assets globally and works across sectors including education, healthcare, retail, industrial property and commercial real estate.

Ian Robinson, Executive General Manager, Customer Experience at EPX, described the company's role in the project.

"Active Utility Management is about turning utility data into practical action. By combining technology, training and engineering expertise, we're helping TAFE NSW build capability across its facilities team while providing targeted support at its highest-consuming campuses. This creates a scalable model that enables facilities teams to identify opportunities, implement improvements and measure outcomes consistently across a large and geographically diverse portfolio," Robinson said.