July 2015
Article
AutomatedBuildings.com
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Don't Go It Alone When Retrofitting
What
building owners need is a neutral, unbiased adviser with deep
knowledge of the market who can help guide high-level discussions about
retrofit goals, budget and prioritization.
|
Jim Meacham, PE,
Principal, Co-Founder
Altura
Associates |
Today,
building owners embarking on an energy upgrade have more data and more
choice than ever before. Digital data from power meters, HVAC systems,
lighting systems, and other building equipment are waiting to be
tapped. And there are additional streams available from the growing
number of sensors and cameras that now routinely capture time-stamped
observations of the physical world. Meanwhile, the number of platforms
that claim to be open, scalable, secure and equipped with the full
stack of hardware and software needed to turn these data streams into
actionable information are proliferating, too.
The dilemma in this time of rapid advancement is that building owners
can neither vet every new technology solution themselves, nor can they
risk the consequences of choosing a vendor that doesn’t meet their
needs. What building owners need is a neutral, unbiased adviser with
deep knowledge of the market who can help guide high-level discussions
about retrofit goals, budget and prioritization.
Substantial market advantages can be gained by being open to
innovative technologies that improve occupant comfort, extend the life
of assets, and provide operational business intelligence. But
building systems are complex animals, and successful retrofit projects
are built on a deep understanding of the existing infrastructure, uses,
and O&M expertise. Here are a few scenarios building owners may
face which contain red flags:
- Pitch from a new software solution vendor which promise “plug-n-play” savings
- A proposal to begin your program by installing hardware to sub-meter everything
- A product manufacturer or rep who offers no up-front costs, everything financed
These types of proposals typically fail
to customize a solution which takes into account the size, purpose, and
location of your building; or the makes, models and ages of the
equipment and control automation systems already in place; and or your
short- and long-terms goals. On the surface, these scenarios offer an
easy path to energy savings and often flashy dashboards. However,
solutions that are born this way are often quickly defeated by
operating staff and occupants over time or fail to deliver value
because they are not tied to your business.
For these reasons, building owners need a system-savvy advocate on
their side that can help build solutions from the ground up and follow
the process through implementation, tuning, and maintenance.
Here’s a short-list of the ways an
energy consultancy like Altura can help clients with this process:
- Capturing Life-Cycle
Costs/Benefits:
Firms like Altura have the advantage of full-time immersion in this
business and exposure to all the latest technologies. This means we
know the questions to ask on site surveys, and we know the latest
technology options to address current gaps. We’ve taken the collective
knowledge of our team and packaged it into our own in-house tools that
we call life-cycle calculators. They help us get at the value returned
over the lifetime of any given energy conservation measure and the
associated first costs. Our tools incorporate a breadth of experience
gained working with some of the largest portfolio holders in
hospitality, healthcare and commercial office that have been early adopters and beta
testers of solutions from all the familiar names in building controls,
as well as from IT companies and new SaaS startups.
- Retrofit Planning:
Should you spend your entire budget on a new sub metering program? Or
invest in an upgrade to lighting that reaps savings through automatic
dimming and occupancy control? Or should you opt for an
Internet-of-Things-era system with lots of sensors and a wireless
network for better fault detection and diagnostics on HVAC equipment? The right solution and the right
prioritization depends upon what you already have in place.
You may not need to outfit the whole building with physical meters.
What does your electrical panel meter already look like? It’s quite
possible we can get the same amount of actionable information with
existing data streams and only a few new physical meters in targeted
spaces.
- Addressing Data
Platform Questions:
Maybe the project team just wants to take the first step of liberating
data from existing closed-loop systems. There are many ways to get this
step wrong. Don’t replace a building automation system just to get
connectivity. Often you can get access to data and do integration work
without a full automation system retrofit. Most importantly, any step
taken that involves the acquisition and archiving of data should
support a strategy of openness to allow future application development
and tight security to prevent hacking. If you get the data platform
right at the outset, you will be set-up for future phases such as
advanced analytics, public dashboarding, participation in demand
response programs, setting up a microgrid, etc.
- Writing the RFP:
When you have a master retrofit plan and a data strategy, the next step
is a fair and open public bid process initiated with a Request for
Proposal (RFP) document. Again, don’t be swayed by solution
providers and give them too much control over the RFP wording. Another
common pitfall for building owners that try to go it alone is to miss
some details. For example, in the case that an RFP calls for all
rooftop units to be replaced, it would be a mistake to order these
without factory-supplied BACnet-enabled communications cards.
This omission will be costly later when you inevitably want to connect
and communicate via BACnet and you have to order a service person to
come out to swap the cards. You’ll save in the end by having a
professional work with you on the RFP.
- Normalizing Bids:
When the bids come in, you need to normalize the results. For example,
if you’re considering an analytics solution, do you go with the ESCO
for a lease-type plan, outsourcing all the steps involved in
monitoring, interpreting and reacting to the data? Or do you buy a SaaS
solution and commit to hiring or developing the data skills
in-house? How do you line up all the factors contributing to the
total cost of ownership of each approach? The financial numbers will be
specific to your particular building, staff, existing resources and
future plans. A professional that has helped other building owners
through the comparison process can help.
- [an error occurred while processing this directive]Taking Workflow Into Account:
Another important consideration in the retrofit plan is your
communication strategy. There is a significant human component
involved in keeping a newly retrofit building operating as
intended. Every stakeholder group is different — those
responsible for energy, sustainability and finance have different
information needs compared to your building operations staff and the
average occupant. Upgraded buildings can talk back to us when
instrumented with sensors. And they can be remotely monitored with
cloud-hosted fault detection and diagnostic (FDD) software for
continuous Connected-Building Commissioning (CBCx). But, it takes
forethought to anticipate the communication needs of each type of
building information consumer. An expert consultant can put together a
notifications strategy that gets the right messages in relatable
vocabulary to the right users, from dashboard verbiage, to online help
texts, to push alerts, etc.
- Post-occupancy support:
Altura will also help you train operators and occupants on the
specifics of your newly retrofit building, carrying you through that
first critical year of occupancy. Particularly important during this
timeframe is ensuring that all warranty issues are captured within the
warranty period, ensuring owners don’t have to pay twice to get the
performance they need. And retraining throughout the first year for
building operators and managers ensures the investments in new tools,
technologies and workflows last.
Altura has deep expertise in deriving
value from data systems, scaling from individual buildings to real
estate portfolios. We leverage core skills in building commissioning,
energy audits and analysis, engineering, facilitation, project
implementation, training, and financial analysis. You can find out more
about us at www.alturaassociates.com
About
the Author
Jim Meacham is a Principal and
Co-Founder of Altura Associates, Inc. Altura is a professional services
firm based in Irvine, CA focused on energy and environmental
performance. The company works with clients to set and achieve
aggressive goals for reductions in energy and water consumption and
waste generation. Altura services projects throughout the U.S. and
internationally. Learn more at www.alturaassociates.com.
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