Building Power: Put Data Into Action

Building Systems Put Data Into Action

A new generation of building-management tools provides insightful analysis for energy control.

Global Operations

Dashboard Applications

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Continuous Diagnostics – Faults by Type

North Campus, Corporate Building, All Floor All Equipment Augut 22, 2011 – September 22, 2011

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Continuous Diagnostics – Faults by Type

All Locations All Equipment August 22, 2011 – September 22, 2011

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Smart-building technologies make it easier for building owners to collect, manage, and analyze data to ensure improved building performance.

Joe Noworatzky, Johnson Controls Inc.

Building-management systems (BMSs) have come a long way, continually offering facility owners and managers new opportunities to improve building effi ciency. Initially the systems collected data from a single facility. That soon gave way to BMSs capable of monitoring data collected from disparate systems–leading to a problem of too much information for operators to use effectively.

Next came dashboards, which allowed facility professionals to conveniently view more buildings at once to better track systems’ performance. But as helpful as they were, dashboards still lacked the ability to provide insightful analysis and actionable information. That is changing as a whole new generation of analytics and applications become available, thanks in part to the evolution of software as a service (SaaS), cloud computing, and smart-building technology. Building owners now have the tools to make true strategic and timely operational decisions to more effi ciently manage their facilities.

Global importance The changes and improvements in the way we receive data and the type of information now available come at a time when building effi ciency is more important than ever. In 2010, commercial-building-energy expenditures were estimated to be more than $1 trillion globally, with the demand for energy escalating at a far greater rate than the supply. Fortunately as the demand for energy increases, so do the opportunities to save energy and reduce associated costs.

Organizations are responding to these opportunities. According to the fi ndings of the 2011 Energy Effi ciency Indicator (EEI) survey, 73% of the nearly 4,000 respondents (representing 24 industry segments from 13 countries) reported their companies paid more attention to energy effi ciency during the past 12 months than they did the prior year, and 70% indicated that energy management is extremely or very important to their organizations. Even more impressive, 95% of the respondents said their organizations took actions to reduce energy use during the past year.

There is good reason for these responses. A 2009 study conducted by Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI, showed that employees working in buildings certifi ed to standards set by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), Washington, worked an additional 39 hours annually due to reduced stress and fewer allergic reactions. Another study prepared by the USGBC shows that the benefi ts of a high-performance building include a 9% reduction in operating costs, a 7.5% increase in building value, and a 4.1% increase in occupancy rates.

Mega-trends in building effi ciency Meanwhile, a number of mega-trends are affecting the building-effi ciency arena. First, organizations are seeking convergence—asking that building-automation systems and enterprise or information-technology (IT) networks be integrated on one network or one IT infrastructure.

Second, they are moving toward intuitive analytics. Advanced analytics are turning big data into actionable insights, and organizations are looking to turn actionable insights into measureable results and direct-dollar savings.

A third trend looks at community and personal lives fl owing into professional lives. People have grown accustomed to smart phones, tablets, and a variety of ways of interacting in their personal lives, and they are looking for a similar experience in their professional lives. They want to stay in touch with colleagues and like-minded professionals anytime and anywhere to enhance their work.

Finally, the growing popularity of cloud computing ensures new delivery models that make sophisticated solutions easier to purchase and use. Most buildingautomation systems today require an operator to visit a site and manually make even a simple upgrade. In contrast, cloud computing enables that same operator to remotely add new features to a system and push them out to all locations quickly and economically.

New opportunities for building effi ciency All of these trends build on building-automation systems, creating new opportunities for emerging building-effi ciency systems designed to improve upon what building-automation systems do by turning data into actionable information. One example, the Panoptix solution from Johnson Controls, Milwaukee, simplifi es what traditionally has been a very complex process by collecting data from disparate building systems and creating a single, integrated view of building and system performance. The applications and advanced analytics provide actionable insight, allowing customers to

With the Panoptix dashboard, users can view a broad range of information pulled from disparate building systems and other data sources, such as meter and weather data, even on mobile devices.

identify ways to achieve increased levels of energy savings and building-performance optimization, reducing costs, and enhancing comfort in the process.

The solution combines a number of technologies and services available today, beginning with an open platform that integrates with virtually any system and is scalable, from a single building to a global portfolio,

Building-effi cie n cy systems can provide access to realtime data from any device, anytime, anywhere.

with the ability to collect and manage data from disparate building systems and provide consistent data normalization, analysis, and presentation. It combines buildingmanagement-system data with other important data, including utility consumption and weather information, to provide in-depth analysis. These data can be used to: • understand how effi ciently mechanical and electrical equipment is running • track how effi ciently building systems are operating in real time • minimize energy consumption and labor costs using data-driven maintenance techniques.

As a result, users have improved visibility into their systems and can operate in a more proactive and effi cient manner. Readily accessible solutions This same solution is hosted on a cloud server and delivered through an SaaS, a subscription-based business model that gives building owners and operators the fl exibility to select only the applications most critical to their specifi c needs. The model also allows organizations to pay for the applications on a subscription basis without making a large capital investment, making the solution more readily accessible to a very broad set of customers. If subscribers fi nd they are not getting the value they expect from the service, they can re-evaluate their decision. This is especially important at a time when, according to the results of the EEI survey, lack of available capital is one of the key barriers to investment in energy-effi ciency projects. In addition, the cloudhosted solution simplifi es installation and allows rapid deployment of new value-driven offerings.

The solution also employs advanced analytics that support a suite of applications designed to detect abnormal energy consumption, identify equipment faults, track energy use and carbon emissions, create energy baseline models, and track savings from energy-effi ciency projects. These applications also provide fl exible trend analysis to compare facilities, diagnose problems, and report performance.

Online connectivity is also at work, providing subscribers with support and guidance from building-effi ciency experts. In addition, an online community of experts, industry thought leaders, and others shares tips, answers questions, and provides information regarding the latest trends in building effi ciency. Systems for operational effi ciencies Any system that combines a platform that is scalable, open, cloud-hosted, and subscription-based with advanced analytics and online connectivity offers organizations a number of important benefi ts. Users can better identify and prioritize effi ciency opportunities to deliver improved outcomes because the system col

BUILDING POWER

ENERGY SOLUTIONS FOR COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS

lects and manages disparate data from any building or system type, then normalizes it into one common view and language. Using the system’s carbon and energy

reporter, for example, a facility manager can track energy use and carbon emissions in a single building or across an entire enterprise.

As they identify opportunities for improved effi ciency, organizations can also see an integrated view across multiple sources to quickly fi nd and fi x costand consumption-performance issues. A continuous diagnostics advisor, for example, can detect abnormal energy consumption and identify equipment faults, which is very helpful in ensuring delivery of a constant, cost-effective, predictable environment.

At the same time, organizations can more accurately prioritize improvement projects and track actual outcomes. A measurement-and-verifi cation monitor actually creates an energy baseline and then models and tracks savings from energy-effi ciency projects, allowing subscribers to show the results of any energy-effi ciency measures they undertake. Additionally, a custom analyzer has the ability to provide fl exible trend analysis to compare facilities, diagnose problems, and report performance.

New building-effi ciency solutions that take advantage of improved ways to monitor, integrate, and adjust building operations put advanced solutions and support within reach of any organization, regardless of building size, equipment make or model, or level of support. They also support stewardship goals by helping organizations operate the most comfortable, effi cient buildings possible.

Ultimately, new building-effi ciency systems offer the potential to improve operational effi ciencies and, in the process, positively affect business outcomes by allowing organizations to focus on their core businesses. The key lies in successfully combining the power of today’s newest technology with the expertise of a service provider to help building owners integrate, visualize, and analyze data, equipping them to better manage building performance and energy consumption as they create better environments for human achievement. BP

AUTHOR

Joe Noworatzky, vice president of engineering for building technology and services for building effi ciency at Johnson Controls Inc., Milwaukee, is responsible for worldwide engineering product and system development and program management.

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