ABSTRACT
Most facilities personnel do not know what is really happening with their building operations. They can’t because they see only a tiny fraction of the operational data that would give them real insights. Today, optimization happens at a component or sub-system level with little or no information on how the parts work together. Diagnosing complex problems is often impossible because you cannot see how all the affected systems interact. Actual hourly operating cost data, and any ability to see how control changes, weather, occupancy, etc. influence costs is simply beyond most organizations.
This case study of a hospital in the southeastern U.S. illustrates how an IT approach, which makes all operational information available, quickly uncovers the interdependencies of the chilled water plant and building systems. The diagnosis explores VAV box, AHU, secondary pump, and chiller operations. Interval data provide an in-depth look at the unintended side effects of control engineering, operator decisions, and resultant energy waste caused by addressing the wrong issue—and the verified savings from addressing the correct issues.
Critical to identifying and solving challenges such as these is the availability of continuous, historical operational data from both the plant and buildings. This chapter describes how data are used to show cause- and-effect relationships between (and within) building and plant operations, and unnoticed system instability. It also demonstrates how continuously available data reduces the time demands for operations and maintenance, making such analysis both feasible and cost-effective.
