Schneider Electric acknowledges controls problems, outlines fixes and grant wins for MDUSD HVAC and lighting project

Schneider Electric representatives briefed the Mount Diablo Unified School District board on the district‑wide lighting, HVAC and building‑automation project and acknowledged that a software/controls issue contributed to classroom comfort complaints last fall.

Elliot Feldman, Schneider Electric senior program manager, said the district contracted the firm after a 2021 RFQ to upgrade LED lighting, HVAC equipment and building automation across many campuses. Schneider described a three‑track approach: lighting retrofits (track 1), building controls and non‑DSA HVAC replacements (track 2) and potential DSA‑permitted HVAC renovations (track 3). The lighting work was completed and achieved substantial completion in January 2024, Feldman said; HVAC work and controls have been progressing with a recovery schedule to finish this summer.

Schneider acknowledged that in late October 2024 a rapid weather shift exposed interaction problems between Schneider’s software and manufacturers’ local controls on several variable‑refrigerant‑flow (VRF) systems. Brandon Bedford, Schneider’s director of operations, said the company temporarily locked thermostats to eliminate variables while debugging the issue — a step Schneider later acknowledged worsened classroom comfort in the short term. The firm said it identified two root causes: a software‑integration bug and manufacturer‑level control settings that were not configured to operate under the newly integrated commands. Schneider and district maintenance staff reconfigured the local controls, deployed a software fix and returned thermostat control to teachers by December; the district implemented set‑point limits in March 2025 (cooling down to 68°F, warming up to 73°F).

Schneider said comfort‑related complaints have ‘‘significantly reduced’’ since those fixes and that the firm is coordinating punch walks and user training with district facilities staff. The company also reported two notices of investigation received in August 2024 from the California Department of Industrial Relations related to two subcontractors and apprenticeship compliance; Schneider said it has provided requested payroll and contracting documents and awaits DIR updates.

The presentation highlighted other items district officials might consider: Schneider said it helped secure roughly $10 million in grant funding applications for the district (including indoor air quality and electric‑vehicle/bus infrastructure opportunities) and noted inflationary savings because some work was contracted earlier in the construction cycle.

Trustees pressed Schneider on why the beta testing did not reveal the VRF issue and whether controls should have been standardized up front; Schneider acknowledged a lessons‑learned about wider scenario testing before district‑wide rollouts and agreed to provide references from other districts where similar integrations were deployed successfully. Trustees also asked whether the district could recoup costs tied to interim remedies (fans, space heaters) and Schneider said it would consider proposals from the district.

Ending: Schneider said project closeout is planned for summer and committed to ongoing training and punch‑list completion while the district continues to monitor occupant comfort and the pending DIR inquiries.