February 2018 |
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EMAIL INTERVIEW – Ray Bert and Ken Sinclair
Ray Bert, Executive Director, AABC Commissioning Group
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Sinclair: What should attendees of CxEnergy 2018 anticipate?
This will be our fifth CxEnergy Conference and Expo. When the event’s presenting associations, the AABC Commissioning Group (ACG), the Associated Air Balance Council (AABC) and the Energy Management Association (EMA), created it what we had in mind was that it would be an event people on both the service provider and building owner sides of the commissioning, energy management and test & balance industry would look to for the latest trends, technologies, and regulatory developments that impact them. We have definitely delivered on that promise this year.
Sinclair: How so?
We begin by looking at our 32-session technical program.
In terms of new technologies, we have a program on the use of drones in
the architecture, engineering and construction industries with a
particular emphasis on commissioning workflows. We’re responding to the
building owner and service providers with a session on cybersecurity
concerns in BACnet building automation systems. With microgrid
deployments expected to grow 115 percent by 2020, frequent CxEnergy
presenter Schneider Electric is back with cases studies on
“Microgrids-as-a-Service.”
Regarding new technologies, we have
Lutron with a session on tunable white lighting in the context of Well
Buildings; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on next-generation
analytics with data derived from digital controls and smart meters;
Lucid demoing benchmarking products developed in their partnership with
DOE; and, while not a technology per se, Citi’s presentation on its new
“efficiency as a service” method of financing huge, multi-site retrofit
projects will get attention.
As for the regulatory side, we’ll have
presentations on the new ASHRAE 211 Energy Audit Standards, the latest
on New York City’s ambitious Local Law 87 Audit and Retrocommissioning
Statute, NFPA 92, Standard for Smoke Control Systems changes for 2018,
and the National Institute of Building Sciences presenting on
communities establishing energy performance and/or greenhouse gas
emission goals.
And, as has become a CxEnergy tradition,
we will feature numerous programs in the form of case studies in
commissioning and energy management in a variety of important
marketplaces such as education, healthcare, hospitality and data
centers.
All of our sessions are AIA-approved for
continuing education credits, which can also be applied to USGBC LEED
general education requirements and, of course, the certifications
provided by our own organizations.
Sinclair: Which brings us to the Preconference Program of CxEnergy, what’s the 2018 version have to offer?
Our associations’ membership encompasses
over 600 companies with nearly 2,000 employees who carry one or more of
our certifications. CxEnergy is an ideal setting to become a part of
this network.
We are offering certification workshops followed by exams for ACG’s Certified Commissioning Authority (CxA) and EMA’s Energy Management Professional (EMP)
on Monday-Tuesday April 23-24. Last year the CxA attained ANSI
Accreditation and DOE Better Buildings® Recognition, and the EMP is
undergoing that process this year. We hope to have the EMP completed by
CxEnergy, if not we expect it shortly thereafter. The EMP’s exam and
training seminar have already been realigned to this regime.
On Tuesday, AABC is providing a Test & Balance Seminar
for CxAs, Engineers and TAB Professionals. The presentation is geared
to helping commissioning providers, engineers, and building owners
understand how the test and balance process is carried out, why it’s
important, and what expected results should be. It’s an excellent
opportunity to demystify this important aspect of building operation
and learn it from the preeminent experts in the field.
Sinclair: Another important aspect of CxEnergy is the Expo Hall, who and what will we see there this year?
This year’s group of top companies and
organizations provide products and services to commissioning, energy
management, and test & balance professionals as well as building
and facility owners and operators. It ranges from manufacturers of HVAC
products to metering and instrument suppliers, to lighting and
technology products. We also have a contingent of service provider
companies that are looking to build partnerships or offer unique
services. You can view them all on the CxEnergy Sponsors & Exhibitors
page of the website. The advice to companies that are considering
exhibiting is to move quickly. More than 75 percent of the available
space is sold out. The CxEnergy Exhibitor Prospectus is available on the website.
The exhibit hall is also a great place
to meet CxEnergy’s sponsor companies, most of whom are also exhibitors.
We would be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge our Gold Sponsors,
CxAlloy®, Facility Commissioning Group (FCG), TLC Engineering for
Architecture, and TMCx Solutions, LLC. Their long-time support has been
greatly instrumental in CxEnergy enjoying the stature in the industry
it does today.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]Sinclair: An
important driver of conference attendance is the ability to network and
make business connections. What does CxEnergy have to offer in that
regard?
Networking is a top consideration of CxEnergy planning. We provide for
multiple receptions in our spacious expo hall as well as serving
breakfasts and lunches there. This brings all attendees—from presenters
to exhibitors to registrants—together in an informal setting with great
food and beverage at hand.
This is all the more important as our event grows and diversifies.
We’re putting service providers and building owners, facility managers
and representatives of top commercial real estate and building
maintenance & facility services companies together. This year,
you’ll see companies like CBRE, ABM, BCC Management, Inc., ICF,
Stanford University, University of Texas, Cities of New York, Los
Angeles and Las Vegas and many others from the building owner/operator
side mixing with the outstanding commissioning, energy management and
TAB service providers that have always been the backbone of CxEnergy.
We’re expecting more than 550 participants.
Sinclair: How can our readers get more information about CxEnergy and register for the event?
Our website (www.CxEnergy.com)
features online registration, event and technical program schedules,
prospectus, all the latest news, and a listing of CxEnergy sponsors and
exhibitors. For other questions just phone our office at 202 737-7775
or send an email (anna@commissioning.org). We hope to see many of Automated Buildings' readers there, and we are
offering them an exclusive discount, just enter promo code “SAVE10” on
the registration form before March 23!
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