Dashboard Systems and Continuous Monitoring-Based Commissioning
Building Performance Monitoring: Dashboard for Continuous Commissioning vs. Scheduled/routine Diagnostics
Monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx) utilizes monitoring of remote metering to continuously commission building systems to identify previously unrecognized system inefficiencies.
Item ID: 272
Sector:
Commercial
Energy System:
Multiple Energy Systems--Commissioning
Technical Advisory Group: 2011 Energy Management TAG (#4)
Average TAG Rating: 3.5 out of 5
TAG Ranking Date: 09/29/2011
TAG Rating Commentary: - There are some good software innovations happening here, so has some potential.
- The emphasis shouldn't be on the dash board but on the processes needed to continuously Cx buildings.
- Different tools would provide different levels of support so that would need to be scoped out in more detail.
- BMCS systems often do not have the "bandwidth" to do more without "slowing down" . The most value would be in a new system where the extra capacity is built in and the programming is performed by someone familiar with the system's design intent.
Technical Advisory Group: 2009 HVAC TAG (#2)
Technical Advisory Group: 2013 Information Technology TAG (#8)
Average TAG Rating: 2.92 out of 5
TAG Ranking Date: 10/25/2013
TAG Rating Commentary: - MBCx/DCIM; many vendors/providers; tool used to identify measures and implement a continuous improvement approach.
- This is DCIM.
- Very hard to design a utility program for this in general, and more so for a data center.
- Not an ET.
Synopsis:
"Monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx) is being applied at university campuses and throughout the building industry as a tool and strategy to save energy and maintain equipment in existing facilities. MBCx utilizes monitoring of remote metering to re-commission or continuously commission building systems to identify previously unrecognized system inefficiencies.
This approach to energy saving programs is very successful and has been shown to save roughly double the energy of similar programs that are based on engineering estimates only. The expected simple payback period for any one project is likely to be close to an average of 4 years.
The University of California, California State University, the California Investor Owned Energy Utilities, and the California Institute for Energy and Environment have done extensive work and research in this area."
Baseline Example:
Baseline Description: HVAC maintenance based on manufacturer's recommended schedule
Baseline Energy Use: 11.9 kWh per year per square foot
Comments:
If the building owner had the information to notify his people of anomalies that impact energy efficiency by 10% and he allocated resources to fix these anomalies, the energy use could be reduced by 10%.
The 2009 Commercial Building Stock Assessment gives the actual electrical building energy use index (EUI) for various types of heating and cooling systems (Table D-EA5). Office buildings with electric heating and cooling have an EUI of 20.1 kWh/sf/year. Office buildings with no electric heating or cooling use only 8.2 kWh/sf/year, indicating that the combined HVAC heating and cooling energy use is 11.9 kWh/sf/year. (For all commercial buildings, the corresponding numbers are 19.9 and 9.4 kWh/sf/year, respectively for a heating and cooling use of 10.5 kWh/sf-year).
Since this technology can be applied to many types of office buildings, a baseline HVAC energy use of 11.9 kWh/sf-year is assumed (NEEA, 12/21/2009).
Manufacturer's Energy Savings Claims:
Currently no data available.
Best Estimate of Energy Savings:
"Typical" Savings: 10%
Energy Savings Reliability: 4 - Extensive Assessment
Comments:
The savings noted here assume the building owner has the resources to address anomalies that affect energy use of his HVAC systems when the anomalies show a 10% reduction is efficiency.
Energy Use of Emerging Technology:
10.7 kWh per square foot per year
What's this?
Energy Use of an Emerging Technology is based upon the following algorithm.
Baseline Energy Use - (Baseline Energy Use * Best Estimate of Energy Savings (either Typical savings OR the high range of savings.))
Technical Potential:
Units: square foot
Currently no data available.
First Cost:
Installed first cost per: square foot
Comments:
Costs will vary greatly depending on the size and complexity of the system, what features are monitored, and what information is desired.
Cost Effectiveness:
Simple payback, new construction (years): N/A
Simple payback, retrofit (years): N/A
What's this?
Cost Effectiveness is calculated using baseline energy use, best estimate of typical energy savings, and first cost. It does not account for factors such as impacts on O&M costs (which could be significant if product life is greatly extended) or savings of non-electric fuels such as natural gas. Actual overall cost effectiveness could be significantly different based on these other factors.
Comments:
"The expected simple payback period for any one project is likely to be close to an average of 4 years.
The following website provides a good paper with a discussion on this topic.
http://www.peci.org/ncbc/proceedings/2007/Anderson_NCBC2007.pdf
“Quantifying Monitoring-Based Commissioning in Campus Buildings: Utility Partnership Program Results, Lessons Learned, and Future Potential.” National Conference on Building Commissioning May 2007."
Detailed Description:
"Monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx) is being applied at university campuses and throughout the building industry as a tool and strategy to save energy in existing facilities. MBCx utilizes monitoring of remote metering to re-commission (or retro-commission) or continuously commission building systems to identify previously unrecognized system inefficiencies. This approach utilizes advanced trending, benchmarking, analysis and diagnostics – aligned with a comprehensive energy efficiency program – to guide energy saving measures. These technologies can be verified by ongoing monitoring and re-commissioning as part of the overall energy program.
An important part of the system is the Enterprise Energy Management (EEM) System. One effective EEMS is a “dashboard”: a software and hardware interface combined with a modern control system. The dashboard collects information from the control system, normalizes it to make the information relevant, performs calculations, stores it, and presents the information in a manner that is easy to understand."
Standard Practice:
Standard practice in the building industry is to commission buildings after initial HVAC and humidity control installation, and whenever equipment is renovated or replaced. Typically, there is no overall reassessment of equipment operation or energy use. Although energy management control systems have been in use for a long time, they are usually not used as a tool to continually monitor and adjust systems for optimal energy performance.
Development Status:
This technology has been under development since the 1990s around the nation and is in the early stages of market introduction in the Pacific Northwest.
End User Drawbacks:
The only real barrier to implementing this technology is a lack of guidance, information, and services to help interested customers move forward.
Operations and Maintenance Costs:
No information available.
Effective Life:
Comments:
The actual hardware, electronics, and equipment involved in implementing this technology should remain serviceable for 20 years. Controls should operate for about the same time as any controls – about 15 years. The software will quickly become obsolete. Look for a system that will be supported by a stable company that will provide periodic updates or the system will seem obsolete in a few years and be subject to replacement. The actual effective life would be driven by innovation and improvements in the software and monitoring systems and is difficult to estimate.
Competing Technologies:
Contractors in the Pacific Northwest are beginning to provide monitoring and diagnostic services for facilities using existing energy management control systems with innovative software solutions. This type of service could also offer energy saving recommendations and solutions.