(Credit: Canva Pro)For years, the building automation industry has been split into two competing arenas: small, open-source niche providers and legacy players with proprietary systems. But as more energy managers are required to innovate and find new ways to improve building energy usage, these two options don’t always meet the bill. Operators seek deep intelligence from a built environment but also want fine-tuned control that requires open-source software for precision customization that integrates into existing systems.
Society and regulatory bodies are clamoring for a more energetic response to the climate crisis, and it turns out that there is a great deal of potential for reining in emissions just by improving a building’s energy use. The Commercial Buildings Integration (CBI) program, part of the federal government, estimates that a third of commercial building energy is wasted. Because these structures consume 35 percent of U.S. electricity and are responsible for 16 percent of carbon emissions, there is vast opportunity for improvement.
A more comprehensive proposition to the market is required, one that uses open-data technology to solve energy, sustainability, facility automation, and equipment management challenges as a whole rather than piecemeal, siloed efforts. More importantly, solutions that operate seamlessly together on purpose-built digital twin architecture will provide the immersive real-time clarity across a built space facility managers need to get complete control.
Best-of-breed applications that interoperate can be powerful tools for reducing costs and complexity. When continuous monitoring and automation are activated, these protocols provide real-time data that can be automated to meet different goals for different scenarios. When rooms are not being used, for example, lowering HVAC draws, dimming lights, triggering blinds, and implementing security routines can all be done through automation.
As needs change in a built environment, these monitoring and data collection systems can also adjust to provide optimal conditions required by the number of people using a space and what external factors may be involved. An area of a building devoted to training might have regular influxes of employees after hours or on weekends. In these conditions, heating or AC conditions can be autonomously set to provide a comfortable environment for occupants. Lighting can also be adjusted to suit occupant needs, security parameters changed, and air exchange systems activated for humidity and purification to improve indoor air quality.
Building data-agnostic automation software can receive and process multiple pieces of information from various internal and external sources. Every part of a built environment – each level, room, doors, equipment, heating and air conditioning systems, lights, and thermostats – anything emitting data can be dialed up or down as needed. A digital twin operates as a precise visualization of a space from these thousands of data points.
Digital twins are now the critical junction point for all this data, as they can compile and process internal metrics and information from external utility sources, sustainability programs, and other projects. Applications that work together make spotting compliance issues easy and streamline maintenance routines. Adequately maintained equipment generally lasts longer, works more effectively, and reduces the chance of unexpected breakdowns.
As energy managers strive to improve a building’s overall resource use, they will have more success, higher ROIs, and better case studies to bring to their executives for budgets. A genuinely holistic approach that propels innovation and is data agnostic helps building managers confidently address energy and resource allocation. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Quadrennial Technology Review reports that older buildings are responsible for nearly 76% of the energy used and 40% of greenhouse gas emissions. Fortunately, retrofitting these buildings with energy-efficient upgrades is becoming increasingly affordable as the technology matures. Energy managers and building operators are positioned to create a positive course for carbon emissions by implementing the right tools now.
Author Bio:
Lauren Scott is Vice President, Marketing & Sustainability at Acuity Brands' Intelligent Spaces Group. Scott specializes in translating climate initiatives into meaningful action to deliver on commitments to the building and renewables sectors.
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