A Large Apparel Retailer Achieved 26% Annual Energy Savings with Abound™ Managed Services
Across 180+ stores, the retailer improved uptime, reduced maintenance costs, and saved over 4.5 million kWh annually.
The Customer
A leading American apparel retailer with over 500 stores in the USA offering a wide range of footwear, apparel, and accessories. With a growing network of large-format stores, the retailer is focused on delivering consistent in-store experiences while advancing its sustainability and operational efficiency goals.
The Challenge
The retailer’s store systems operated in silos with manual, site-level control, limiting real-time visibility into equipment performance. This led to inefficiencies, excess energy use, and reactive maintenance. HVAC-driven energy consumption negatively impacted Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions.
The Solution
They partnered with Carrier Abound to transition its energy management approach from fragmented and reactive to connected and proactive. The Abound Managed Services engagement began with 180+ stores initially. A key element of the services was the Abound Insights platform, which connected and monitored over 1,700 pieces of equipment, providing a unified, real-time view of store operations.
The platform enabled earlier detection of equipment anomalies, identification of inefficiencies, and generation of data-driven recommendations to guide performance improvements. These insights were operationalized through the 24/7 Carrier Customer Command Centers, where domain experts and analysts monitored system performance and executed remote interventions.
This approach supported standardized remote commissioning, consistent configuration across stores, and proactive maintenance through earlier issue detection, reducing on-site service visits. It also enabled store teams, facilities managers, vendors, and remote engineers to operate with shared visibility and aligned workflows.
Following the deployment of the managed services, the stores’ system operations shifted from reactive issue resolution to more proactive management.
The Result
Within just 18 months, the retailer achieved measurable improvements across energy, cost, and operations for the connected 180+ stores. The command centers carried out over 120 proactive interventions to help prevent system failures. 63% of reported system issues were remotely resolved in 2025 helping prevent system failures.
The Abound Managed Services delivered:
- Over 4.5 million kWh in annual energy savings — equivalent to the carbon sequestered by 3,078 acres of U.S. forests in one year.
- 99% systems uptime, helping maintain in-store comfort.
- Over $74,000 of maintenance cost avoidance.
The retailer implemented a new way of operating its systems, where energy management is more data-driven. Predictive insights now helps guide its daily decisions, maintenance is now more proactive, and sustainability data is better integrated with long-term planning.
1 Results based on specific implementation and reflect the experience of a particular customer under unique circumstances. Results may vary and do not constitute a guarantee, warranty or promise of future performance.