In an age where advanced buildings stream a wide range of actionable data through tools like building automation systems and smart meters, synthesizing and evaluating data to achieve building performance optimization can be a challenging task for operators. With this in mind, the Department of Energy (DOE) launched the Smart Energy Analytics Campaign to engage businesses in applying tools that utilize building connectivity, information and control to reduce energy waste and enable better energy flexibility. 

Over the past year the campaign has grown to include 46 participants, representing 2,400 buildings and 185 million sq. ft. owned or operated by private businesses, cities, counties, schools, and other public institutions.  These participants commit to use smart energy analytics and low-cost/no-cost improvements to save energy. Based on data received from 15 participating organizations, DOE has documented $10.4 million in annual cost savings and 5% average saving per building – that’s a simple payback of less than one year for businesses!

The five exemplary campaign partners below received recognition during Smart Cities Week and at the National Conference for Building Commissioning for their strategic application of EMIS technologies to create cost-effective energy savings. Participants were recognized in four overall categories: Installation of new Energy Information System, Installation of Fault Detection and Diagnostics System, Energy Management Information System Expansion, and Outstanding Monitoring Based Commissioning.

Aurora Public Schools in Colorado was recognized for the Installation of a new Energy Information System across a large campus and is actively reviewing and responding to the data that includes energy information from multiple fuel sources, with additional manual inputs for waste, recycling and compost. Aurora has created simple public dashboards, has a 70-inch “Interactive Diagnostic Console” for use by maintenance team, and has proactively engaged students, staff, and facility technicians through clear, actionable opportunities identified through their smart analytics program. 

Carleton College in Minnesota was also recognized for the Installation of a new Energy Information System for their implementation that covers 1.6M sq. ft. and one hundred and three buildings and includes multi-fuel resource tracking, including on-site renewables, for a large campus.  Staff use smart energy analytics to conduct daily, weekly, annual and periodic checks in different comparison parameters.  Carleton has a particularly strong internal management approach, with an energy team regularly diving into nuanced load shapes, heat maps, and time series charts to inform the weekly activities of their energy team.

Central Piedmont Community College was recognized for the Installation of a Fault Detection and Diagnostics System.  Central Piedmont had limited staff capacity but was able to engage two different service providers for fault detection and diagnostics services.  The providers filtered a high volume of data to a short list of actionable recommendations, and Central Piedmont followed through with work order tracking mechanisms to follow through on energy saving actions. 

The Commonwealth of KY was recognized for its Energy Management Information System Expansion.  In 2016 the Commonwealth added 2.5 million sq. ft. to their EMIS portfolio and are quickly approaching 20 million sq. ft. as they continue to expand.  Their energy management system conducts comprehensive analytics with fault detection and public dashboards, which are deeply embedded in the organization’s operational processes. EMIS management is driven by a scoring system based on high level 1-10 scoring on factors such as space temperature variation. The Commonwealth’s system also incorporates work order tracking and system documentation.

Interval Data Systems was recognized for Outstanding Monitoring Based Commissioning for its integration of eleven Building Automation Systems from six different building automation vendors across a portfolio of 1,145 buildings representing 20 million sq. ft.   Interval Data Systems was able to come up with the new ideas to solve integration problems and took it to the next level by challenging the status quo to improve energy management practices to ensure the growth and continuity of energy savings.

The Smart Energy Analytics Campaign was designed to inform research and development and to support market uptake of EMIS technologies - a broad and rapidly evolving family of tools that monitor, analyze, and control building energy use and system performance. Future R&D to support innovations in EMIS and building connectivity will help accelerate enabled or automated the analysis of energy data, making it possible for owners and operators to apply analytics to everyday buildings operations.