Graphic: Energy Information Systems comprise data acquisition meters, communication gateways, and performance monitoring software with visualization. EIS collect, analyze, and display building energy data, and enable site operational efficiency.

Figure 1: Energy Information Systems comprise data acquisition meters, communication gateways, and performance monitoring software with visualization. EIS collect, analyze, and display energy data, and enable  operational efficiency. (Source: LBNL)

Graphic: Monthly/annual dashboard showing recommended charts for advanced EIS package for hotels.

Figure 2: Monthly/annual dashboard showing recommended charts for advanced EIS package for hotels. (Source: LBNL)

Graphic:  Close-up of the first graph that tracks monthly energy use and provides longitudinal benchmarking.

Figure 3: Close-up of the first graph that tracks monthly energy use and provides longitudinal benchmarking. (Source: LBNL)

The Center for Building Energy Research & Development (CBERD), created through the Partnership to Accelerate Clean Energy (PACE) agreement between the U.S. and India, is a five-year virtual R&D center with more than 30 institutional and industry partners from both nations. A Presidential initiative jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Government of India, the CBERD aims to build upon a foundation of collaborative knowledge, tools and technologies, and human capabilities that will increase development of high-performance buildings. In order to reach this goal, the research and development focuses on energy use reduction within the entire life cycle of buildings in both nations.

Below is an illustrative project in CBERD, jointly conducted by lead partners Lawrence Berkeley National  Laboratory (U.S.) and CEPT University (India), that aims for broad positive impact on building energy use in the U.S. and India.

Building Energy and Performance

Building Energy Information Systems (EIS) are commercially available products that identify consumption patterns, track energy waste, and benchmark building energy performance against similar buildings, enabling building owners to identify energy savings opportunities. The CBERD team estimates the potential energy savings of EIS at ~2 Quads of primary energy in the U.S., and building energy audits in India have shown energy saving potential of up to 30%.

EIS-in-a-Box Packages Reduce the Costs of Energy Monitoring with EIS

While significant energy savings are possible with EIS, this potential is unrealized since they are customized, sophisticated, and expensive. The CBERD team is developing technical requirements for scalable, cost-effective EIS packages that would enable more widespread building application. Each EIS package would be specific to a given building sector and designed to be ready to install right out of the box. The simplified product is geared toward building owners and facility managers that are interested in understanding and reducing their property’s energy utilization but lack the resources to make use of a complex system.

The key to enabling scalable EIS packages is to accommodate the variety between buildings by mapping the package to sector-specific business drivers and metrics. For instance, an important metric in hotels is the energy use intensity per available room, whereas in a hospital it is energy use intensity per adjusted patient day. Identifying and mapping these metrics helps reduce the customization that would otherwise be required to implement EIS configurations on a facility-by-facility basis. Each CBERD EIS sector package also has a predetermined yet flexible configuration of hardware and software (shown in Figure 1), simplifying the installation and use for the facility staff as well as the configuration and development for the EIS vendors.

The CBERD team developed both entry and advanced packages, with the advanced package using a larger number of meters and more advanced data analytics. This separation of tiers enables building managers with more limited time and resources to get only the most important information, while allowing those building managers with more time and resources to more closely monitor the energy usage of their building.

Each tier includes daily and monthly dashboards for facility staff to monitor (shown in Figures 2 and 3), with notification and alarm options. Each package provides guidance on how to interpret and relay information from each energy consumption analysis.

Sacrificing Some Accuracy in Exchange for Greater Adoption

While these EIS-in-a-box packages do not provide all of the features available through more complex, custom-built EIS solutions, they represent a more cost-effective option for allowing building owners and managers to easily monitor their energy usage, as well as identify areas for improvement and cost savings. The lower cost and easier installation encourages market adoption of the technology.

The CBERD R&D team is working with industry partners Schneider Electric and Wipro Eco-energy to conduct demonstration projects in India to test the effectiveness of the EIS packages, the results of which will be shared with the U.S. The CBERD platform has provided an exciting opportunity to accelerate adoption in both countries and pave a pathway for energy secure future.

For More Information

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Sam Petty
Sam Petty is a management and program analyst within BTO’s Commercial Buildings Integration program. His work at BTO focuses on the Efficient and Healthy Schools, along with programmatic support for embodied carbon research and for the HVAC&R subprogram.
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