Carrier Abound won a Top Project of the Year Award in the Environmental Impact category at the 2026 Environment + Energy Leader Awards. The recognition is for driving significant energy efficiency improvements for Boot Barn, a national specialty retailer.
As Boot Barn’s network expanded, leadership identified a growing challenge – the environmental impact of operating large-format retail spaces. The operations of Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) equipment and their energy consumption were the focus areas as they contribute to Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions. To address these challenges, the retailer partnered with Carrier Abound.
Key strategies and inventions include:
- Integration of Building Management Systems (BMS): Connected 1,700+ pieces of critical equipment across stores, which enabled centralized control and consistent application of policies.
- Remote commissioning and configuration: Enabled consistent deployment, reduced installation errors, and accelerated the rollout while supporting accurate performance from day one.
- Predictive operations through the Abound Insights platform: Real-time equipment data was processed using pattern recognition to detect anomalies, optimize runtimes, and generate precise, data-backed recommendations. The platform also enabled selective autonomous actions such as sensor recalibration and supported comfort optimization during severe weather, reducing unnecessary energy usage and maintenance-related emissions.
- 24/7 remote support: A dedicated team of domain experts continuously monitored equipment health, validated platform insights, and executed critical remote interventions. By resolving issues before they escalated, the team significantly reduced downtime, avoided unnecessary truck rolls, and ensured smoother coordination across store teams, vendors, and facility managers.
Within 18 months, the project delivered measurable environmental impact achieving 26.70% (~4.5Mn kWh) cumulative reduction in energy usage, equivalent to carbon sequestered by 3,078 acres of U.S. forests in one year. In addition, 63% issues were resolved remotely resolved, resulting in approximately $74,500 in maintenance savings and reduced emissions associated with truck rolls.
The E+E Leader Product & Project Awards have recognized excellence in products, services, and corporate initiatives that drive energy and environmental improvements, for over a decade.
Here's what the judges had to say:
“A well-executed energy optimization program demonstrating substantial energy reduction across a distributed retail network. The integration of predictive analytics, centralized oversight, and operational collaboration delivers measurable sustainability benefits. Additional transparency around the retail partner and direct emissions reductions would strengthen the environmental impact narrative."
“The entry emphasizes cultural and operational integration with energy monitoring embedded into daily operations, predictive maintenance influencing asset lifecycle planning and integration into ESG reporting. This signals that the initiative is not a one-time retrofit, but an ongoing operational capability.”
“The program evolved from a 6-store pilot to full rollout, which is a strong proof-of-concept progression. This shows that the solution scales beyond pilot programs as it connects 1700+ assets with multiple stores and centralized command centers.”