Power management company Eaton has launched Brightlayer Energy, a software designed to optimise how buildings consume, generate and manage electricity.
The AI-powered energy management and optimisation system uses real-time data, forecasting and automated controls to manage electrical infrastructure and distributed energy resources. It is intended for healthcare, education, retail and other building environments and can operate at site, campus and enterprise levels.
Its functions include peak shaving, tariff-based load shifting, and management of EV charging and onsite energy resources.
Brightlayer Energy is part of Eaton’s Buildings as a Grid approach, designed to give building operators greater control over when and how energy is used.
Software coordinates solar, storage and building demand
Brightlayer Energy uses data from connected energy assets to balance electricity demand with available resources.
Weather data can help forecast on-site solar generation. When surplus solar power is available, the system can automatically direct it to battery energy storage for use during periods of higher demand.
Energy market data can also inform how the system manages energy production and recommend changes to improve operations.
Eaton says its algorithms can forecast energy use with 99% accuracy. The system also analyses consumption patterns to identify potential savings and efficiency improvements.
The company had previously set out similar ideas before the Brightlayer Energy launch. In a 2025 paper on grid-interactive buildings, Eaton discussed autonomous energy management, bidirectional grid connectivity and energy market modelling, as well as the use of AI and machine learning in energy management platforms.
Amsterdam hotel used Eaton software to manage grid constraints
A project at the Florian Hotel in Amsterdam provides an earlier example of Eaton’s work in building energy management.
The hotel, converted from a former office building near Schiphol Airport, faced an inadequate grid connection. Eaton said in 2023 that the project combined a 30kWp rooftop solar array, a 40kW battery system with a 50kWh capacity, and its Buildings Energy Management Software.
The software analysed current and past energy use along with weather forecasts. During periods of high demand, electricity stored in the batteries could be used to shave peaks and keep grid consumption within limits agreed with the distribution system operator.
The hotel also added nine EV charging points. Eaton now says the Florian has cut electricity costs by more than 25% and emissions by 27%.
In its 2023 account of the project, Eaton called the system Buildings Energy Management Software rather than Brightlayer Energy.
US warehouse cuts energy spend by 17% in a pilot deployment
Eaton has also piloted Brightlayer Energy at a warehouse in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The software found inefficiencies in electric forklift charging, with vehicles being charged at different times of day and creating spikes in energy demand. Eaton says the system recommended peak shaving, while load balancing was introduced to regulate charging power and remove the spikes.
According to the company, the changes cut forklift charging energy costs by 66%. Overall energy spend at the warehouse fell by 17%.
The system also identified wasted energy from air compressors, including a faulty unit that was losing pressure at night and over weekends.
Brightlayer Energy covers emissions and compliance reporting
Brightlayer Energy also brings together data used to monitor Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions.
Eaton says its monitoring and reporting functions support compliance with regional regulatory requirements in North America, Europe and the Middle East. The company also links the software to building energy performance requirements under Europe’s revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.
The software works with Eaton’s energy storage, microgrid control and EV charging technologies for buildings. Building operators can use it to monitor consumption, costs and emissions and manage connected energy resources.
Image: Courtesy of Eaton
