EMAIL INTERVIEW – Jim Magee and Ken Sinclair

Jim Magee, CxA, EMP, LEED AP, President, Facility Commissioning Group

Building Technologies More Prominent than Ever at CxEnergy

CxEnergy was created in 2014 from what was previously the AABC Commissioning Group’s annual meeting.

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Sinclair:  You have been involved with the CxEnergy presenting organizations both before and after the conference became CxEnergy, please describe its roots and where we are today.

Magee:  CxEnergy was created in 2014 from what was previously the AABC Commissioning Group’s annual meeting. That transformation has created opportunities for growth and to diversify the subject matter we address. For example, this year, for the first time we are kicking off CxEnergy with a keynote address at the Plenary Session, which will set a tone for the meeting.

We have invited Steve Schmerber, Director of Field Application Engineering, with CommScope, to speak about 5G, the fifth generation of cellular mobile communications. It will have a profound impact on the professions of energy management and commissioning as well as society as a whole. 5G will enable exponentially higher data transmission rates, advance efficiency, and allow for massive device connectivity.  Mr. Schmerber is an expert in the field and will discuss 5G’s implications for topics such as the Internet of Things (IoT), data centers, data analytics and the massive infrastructure requirements related to 5G.

Sinclair:  I note that you are taking on a similar topic in your presentation in the CxEnergy Technical Program.

Magee:  My presentation is “4G Commissioning for a 5G World.” I will segue from Mr. Schmerber’s session to talk about how evolving communications and technology advancement might impact the commissioning of building systems. The management of data points alone is mind-boggling.

The ongoing competition between wired and wireless environments, smart cities and the IoT have evolved with profound impacts on our built environment. How will multiple control points and infinite points arrays affect how we program, operate and maintain building equipment? What commissioning administration, implementation, diagnostic and tracking tools are online or soon to be ready? Issues like that are very much on the minds of commissioning personnel and facility managers. Does your coffee pot really need to access your BAS?

Sinclair:  I also note that technology is featured throughout the CxEnergy Technical Program, could you provide some other examples?

Magee:  Happy to. I’ll start with a pair that get into fault detection and diagnostics, or FDD. Peter Serian of CopperTree Analytics will explore how advanced energy and building analytics software unlocks the power of BAS data to enable an array of benefits. Then we have Guanjing Lin of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, who will report on the current state of the FDD market, success stories, and outstanding needs in the industry. She will also present a framework for evaluating the performance of FDD algorithms.

I am also looking forward to Deepinder Singh of 75F. He will explain how newer IoT and cloud computing technologies enable pervasive building intelligence, which improves indoor air quality, occupant health and productivity while reducing energy usage.

It is truly an amazing technical program, and I invite Automated Building readers to see it in its entirety on the CxEnergy website.

Sinclair:  The CxEnergy Expo Hall is a popular hangout for CxEnergy attendees, is the technology trend evident there as well?

Magee:  Most definitely. From longtime exhibitors like CxAlloy and Facility Grid with their cloud-based software to SkyFoundry with their popular SkySpark platform.

The technology in the CxEnergy Expo Hall is not limited to the cloud, some of it is affixed to hardware such as I-Star Energy Solutions and TSI Energy Solutions, who will be showing off the latest infrared technology. We also have an array of exhibitors with high-tech tools, such as Armstrong Fluid Technology’s hydronic tools.

Also, we are pleased to announce that this year the U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR Program has signed on as both a CxEnergy Supporting Organization and exhibitor. Attendees can stop by their booth and hear all the latest on their popular online tool, ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, which is used extensively by many of our Certified Commissioning Authorities (CxAs) and Energy Management Professionals (EMPs). Portfolio Manager is also a primary tool for sharing buildings energy data with USGBC for LEED Certified Buildings.

The CxEnergy website has a sponsor and exhibitor page with descriptions of all the exhibiting companies.

Sinclair:  I note that the CxEnergy preconference agenda has expanded this year, what is going on there?

Magee:  This year, as in the past, we will conduct workshops and exam administrations for ACG’s Certified Commissioning Authority (CxA) and EMA’s Energy Management Professional (EMP), both of which are ANSI-Accredited.

However, this year we have identified other special topics of interest for seminars that go into far greater depth than the traditional 60-minute presentation. We are offering “Test & Balance Seminar for CxAs, Engineers, & TAB Professionals,” sponsored by the Associated Air Balance Council (AABC), and the “NIBS BECx Workshop,” sponsored by the National Institute of Building Sciences.

The AABC event is geared to helping commissioning providers, engineers, and test and balance professionals understand how key aspects of the test and balance process are carried out, why they are important, and what expected results should be. 

The NIBS seminar includes an intro to envelope process and requirements, a review of lab test standards and manufacturer testing used to set performance standards in project specs, and best practices for installation of insulation and thermal breaks, air and vapor barriers.

Sinclair:  Please explain to our readers who the presenting organizations of CxEnergy are and where they can get more information.

Magee:  CxEnergy is presented by three affiliated nonprofit trade associations, the Associated Air Balance Council, AABC Commissioning Group and Energy Management Association.  We collectively have over 600 member companies and nearly 2,000 personnel carrying one or more of the affiliated groups’ certifications. Registration is going strong, but you still have time to sign-up and attend, just go to the event website, www.CxEnergy.com. The event runs April 15-18, 2019 in Orlando, FL.