Lead Performer: BuildingIQ Inc. – Foster City, California
Partners: Department of General Services – Washington, DC
DOE Funding: $1,767,138
Cost Share: $1,767,138
Project Term: October 2014 – September 2016
Funding Opportunity: Funding Opportunity Announcement Number DE-FOA-0001084
Project Objective
BuildingIQ offers an innovative, scalable, and low-cost technology solution to drive savings in commercial building energy consumption and peak demand. BuildingIQ will deploy its technology in up to 16 commercial office and public buildings up to 7.5 million SF for 36 months. Total project cost is $3.5 million over 36 months, 50% of which is funded by BuildingIQ, our Partners and Customers.
BuildingIQ has created the next generation of advanced retro-commissioning technology – Predictive Energy Optimization (PEO) – to proactively optimize HVAC energy across commercial buildings. Its software is cloud-based, deployable across a wide-range of building sizes, ages, and types, and is architected for scale across thousands of buildings. Software overlays existing building automation systems (BAS) and automatically adjusts set points based on a learned, building-specific model, predictive algorithms and advanced control strategies, including auto-DR. BuildingIQ uses weather forecasts, utility tariffs, DR event signals and occupant schedules, and adapts to changes. PEO has a measurable and immediate impact on energy use and peak load, reduces the need for staff intervention to achieve savings, and generates positive cash flow – all without upfront capital.
If taken up across the U.S. market, BuildingIQ could reduce overall energy use/ peak load in 37,000 buildings by 6% without upfront capex or dependence on on-site engineering. This BTO funding will play a critical role in overcoming market adoption barriers and helping demonstrate the commercial and technical viability of PEO.
Project Impact
BuildingIQ has a limited number of deployments in the U.S., and still faces real market barriers due to being new, relatively unproven and a solution that changes the established practices and skill sets required for building operators. Our target market is a challenge in that it is:
- Risk-averse, especially in government sector
- Tainted by historical under-delivery of “latest and greatest” technologies
- Capital-poor in terms of new EE investment budget, especially in government
- Concerned about level of effort and skills required to deploy and manage solutions
- Skeptical of reported savings, and with a view that “My building is unique”
BTO can be a critical part of removing or reducing these barriers through a combination of the following:
- Funding to reduce the perceived risk by customers
- Providing a platform for this unique project team to come together
- The credibility and validation that comes from being part of and demonstrating documented success in a prestigious, merit-based program such as this
While the funding is a key piece of the equation, #2 and #3 are as essential to helping drive the broad market acceptance and scaled deployment of this unique, high-impact solution.
Contacts
DOE Technology Manager: Amy Jiron
Lead Performer: Michael Nark, BuildingIQ Inc.