Romancing the Rules

  Can mastering machine-learning rules for email, messaging, social media feeds and other collaboration tools make us better occupants and operators of  intelligent buildings? I didn’t know that using traditional email was so over. But, the following tweet from Ben Evans, capsulizing his reaction to Google Inbox got me thinking: “Lots of people are trying to 'solve' email… Maybe the solution … Continue reading Romancing the Rules

Four New Ways to Scan Your Whole Building for Energy Waste

Looking at any system from a high-level and as a whole is usually the best way to get to know its key drivers. Individual buildings and portfolios of buildings are no different. While the idea of a quick and remote data analysis to assess energy performance of whole buildings is alluring, actually extracting information for business … Continue reading Four New Ways to Scan Your Whole Building for Energy Waste

Model-Based Building Performance Analysis

The Association of Energy Services Professionals (AESP) recently invited speakers from PG&E, Autodesk and First Fuel among others to address continuous learners on the topic of software analytics tools that attempt to remotely assess whole-building energy performance.  This session was captured and is available with slides and audio here.  Based on this information, plus additional … Continue reading Model-Based Building Performance Analysis

Meter/Sensor-Based Remote Building Energy Performance Analytics

First Fuel presented on the topic of  how the company uses meter data, mapping tools, weather data and occupancy data to model a commercial building's energy performance as part of the Association of Energy Services Professionals (AESP) recent brown-bag continuous learning series.  Venture-funded First Fuel provides energy auditing services to commercial building owners that is typically packaged and delivered … Continue reading Meter/Sensor-Based Remote Building Energy Performance Analytics

Diagnosing Energy Performance Up and Down the Building System Hierarchy

  The team at KGS Buildings makes a compelling case for a modeling approach to whole-building energy assessment that also supports a continuous and connected process as you move up and down through a building system hierarchy.  Diagnosing a detected anomaly, for example, can require examining operational efficiency of the HVAC system as a whole, then a … Continue reading Diagnosing Energy Performance Up and Down the Building System Hierarchy

For Energy Analytics, Skip Big Data. Start With Right Data

Altura Pioneers Building Performance Commissioning Guided by Operational-Data-Based Diagnostics The Connected Building Commissioning (CBCx) process of Energy Engineering services firm, Altura Associates, exemplifies yet another approach to whole-building/whole-portfolio energy assessment. This involves on-site connection to the building management system (BMS) to extract realtime data from thousands of measured HVAC, water and lighting points and feeding … Continue reading For Energy Analytics, Skip Big Data. Start With Right Data

Building Performance Analysis – the Whole Building View from Autodesk, First Fuel and C3

— “Whole Building [Energy Analysis] projects save roughly 3X more energy per square foot than do systems projects, and they also produce a higher growth realization rate.”  -  Study for California’s Investor-Owned Utilities The Association of Energy Services Professionals (AESP) recently invited speakers from PG&E, Autodesk and First Fuel among others to address continuous learners on the topic … Continue reading Building Performance Analysis – the Whole Building View from Autodesk, First Fuel and C3

DGLux5 Training – Hop Aboard the Future Express

It’s easy to bat around the term “Internet of Things.” But until you’re in a room full of interface designers trying to make the implied thousands and thousands of connections visible and manageable—you don’t appreciate what it means. I came to this realization while attending the 3-day DGLux5 Introductory training course last week near San … Continue reading DGLux5 Training – Hop Aboard the Future Express

@ Corner of Content & Buildings

Some ask why the buildings industry is so slow to adopt new technology to cut energy waste. Technology vendors will say that their biggest challenge is identifying the target customer. There can be multiple gate-keepers, budgetary authorities and end-customers. Putting all the personas in order is a puzzle. Titles like architect, engineer, facilities manager, system … Continue reading @ Corner of Content & Buildings