AutomatedBuildings.com Interview

Andrew Heitman CxA, EMP, CEM, CEA, LEED AP, is the President of the Energy Management Association (EMA) and Owner of Building Energy Sciences, LLC of Pensacola Florida. Mr. Heitman has been involved in the building systems design and construction industry for over fifteen years. Building Energy Sciences focuses on building commissioning, energy analysis, and building systems analysis.

Energy Management Association (EMA)

EMA is a new and innovative association that is dedicated to advancing the quality of energy management products and services for the benefit of the building owner.

Sinclair: What is the Energy Management Association’s Energy Management Professional (EMP) certification and how is it unique?

Heitman: The Energy Management Professional certification was designed for individuals who provide energy management services and have not only a deep understanding of energy concepts, but also an intimate, hands-on understanding of how building systems operate. It is unique in that it applies energy management and analysis skills with knowledge of the commissioning methodology. We emphasize identifying and understanding where and why energy is used in a facility and using that data to minimize that consumption and meet performance standards. Most traditional approaches tend to rely on limited solutions that do not address overall building performance. The scope of the EMA Energy Management Process is broader than energy audit programs and protocols and incorporates the implementation and validation of energy efficiency and performance improvement measures as well as the continued maintenance of those efficiency improvements.

Sinclair: Are commissioning and energy management competing or complementary professions?

Heitman: They are not only complementary, when used together the benefits compound. We’re on very solid ground in making that statement. A major study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Portland Energy Conservation Inc., and The Energy Systems Laboratory at Texas A&M University concluded that comprehensive retrocommissioning is one of the most cost-effective means of improving energy efficiency in commercial buildings.

It’s important to remember that the commissioning methodology provides for systematically investigating, analyzing and optimizing building performance. This inclusive approach reveals how closely a building is performing to specification, identifies areas of equipment malfunction or underperformance and is essential for developing strategies for improving performance of the various building systems, which provides benefits beyond improved energy efficiency.

Sinclair: Specifically, what kind of benefits beyond energy efficiency are you referring to?

Heitman: This is something about the EMP program that appeals in particular to building and facility owners and operators. We’re talking about operational savings due to improvements in building performance beyond the actual cost of utilities to operate the systems. This can include everything from how reliably equipment operates in the facility’s mechanical systems or to how hot or cold occupants feel on a daily basis—and that obviously leads to happier and more productive tenants.

To the building or facility owner, performance improvement means a drop in the number of work orders for O&M staff, better management of labor expenses, fewer unanticipated calls to materials or maintenance vendors, improved safety and security, and code compliance. When you can deliver that concurrent with reduced energy costs it’s truly a winning proposition.

Heitman: Analysis of both historical and newly acquired energy usage data is a key component of the EMA Energy Management Process. To underscore this point, we conducted our first EMA webinar in July and the topic was “Analyzing Energy Use Data.”

The EMP program specifies a commitment to raw data collection and focuses on field testing and detailed analysis rather than theoretical assumptions or general suggestions. The EMP’s execution of building system diagnostics depends on adequate data collection. Data collection is not a single exercise but rather the end result of a thorough process in which the EMP has invested much time and thought. This data serves collectively as the foundation for calculations that produce estimates for energy conservation and facility improvement measures as well as the tool to maintain the improvements to energy efficiency after they are realized.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]Sinclair: The Energy Management Association is relatively new to the industry, how are things going?

Heitman: We officially launched EMA in April in conjunction with the Cx Energy Conference & Expo. The reception has been excellent. We’re involved in a variety of activities, but it is all done in the spirit of pursuing EMA’s stated goal, to advance the quality of energy management services for the benefit of the building owner.

This is a huge market. There are more than 17 million commercial buildings and 800,000 industrial buildings in the U.S. The owners/operators of these buildings and facilities are served by architects, engineers, commissioning authorities, consultants, manufacturers of hardware, technology specialists, mechanical contractors, utilities, facility managers, building operators and realtors, all of whom have a home among EMA’s four membership categories.

We already have more than 60 member companies across our four membership categories and over 70 certified EMPs working in the field. We also announced at our inaugural meeting that Siemens Industries, one of the best-known and respected brands in the field of energy management, signed up to become EMA’s first Founding Industry Partner.

More than 30 industry professionals have volunteered to serve on EMA’s committees and we’re getting them organized and setting agendas. We’ve launched our webinar program and on September 8-9 we’ll have a new class of EMPs certified. It’s a very exciting time and I urge anyone in the energy efficiency industry to contact EMA and get involved.

For more information visit www.EnergyManagementAssociation.org. Telephone: (202) 737-1334. For an application, registration form and study materials for the Sept. 8-9 EMP seminar and exam visit here.

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