To return to the subject of the university city: should we not start by knowing the electrical network of buildings? Find out, for example, whether each floor / corridor / staircase is independent
pretty easy / economical to put presence detectors.
Where are the tables, counters, orders etc - an inventory - and thus be able to propose a concrete and optimized project. In short, real expertise.
Having tried myself to carry out projects for the community during my studies, I quickly learned my lesson: nobody has anything to jerk off unless it can bring in money / a career by making others work at the eye. So if you are really motivated, I think that you really have to work in the concrete, by proposing solutions adapted to each situation, so that the person who will make the decision knows exactly where he is going, how much it costs him, what it pays off. A lot of time and work ... without remuneration and (often) without gratuity.