Sustainable Operation of Building Automation

After a year of work with the development of the ELFORSK project 351-063 "Sustainable Operation of building automation", this has now been completed, and the following resume document the achieved results and experiences.

The aim of the project has been to develop basic tools and processes that aims to make the operation of building automation / BMS systems simpler and more efficient. This goal is crucial in terms of achieving maximum value from the money, which is invested in building automation. It is all about increasing the performance of the building as much as possible, and in that matter building automation plays a crucial role.

In this project, we have dissected the process of operating primarily heating and ventilation, to find the approaches that creates the most optimal operational conditions. At the same time, this dissection also aims to make the developed processes generic. Buildings are very different, but in this project, we have identified those similarities which occurs across buildings. The secret here has been to work our way far enough into the matter of the buildings. The experiences regarding this particular subject now enables the possibility for us to roll these methods out on all types of buildings.

Next, with this experience as a fundamental starting point, we have developed a model which operations managers can use as their framework, when they operate buildings of any type and size. We call it the 12-step model. It has been crucial for us to create a model that operations managers can work with regardless of their competence level. The 12-step model is simple and easy to learn, and therefore, as a parallel project, we have developed a complete training program that aims to teach operation managers to work with the method.

It is crucial for us that the experiences we have gained in this project can be used by anyone who has an interest in optimizing buildings through operations. The result of working with our developed 12-step model for a period of a minimum 12 months and therefore also the result of this project is; reduction of energy consumption (electricity and heat) of min. 15% improved comfort / indoor climate. Reduction in time consumption regarding operation and maintenance of the  building's technical installations. Results that take both economy and user satisfaction into account.

In the project, in addition to the development of this overall operating model, we have worked in depth with the individual phases in the 12-step model, including primarily data analysis. However, it should be mentioned that one of the great extra benefits of this development work is an increased understanding of correct and value-creating data collected in screenings of buildings. An understanding of which data is crucial to invest time and thus money in collecting. Huge aomunts of money spent on these screenings, which are intended to collect data, but many of the data are often not used, which leads to money flushed out the drain. With these experiences in the backpack, we can now save the building owners huge sums on this kind og consultant tasks, as we now only need to collect the data that creates value. An important step towards a more efficient approach to operate, build and optimizing buildings. Experiences of which we can take with us into other projects, with the goal of streamlining consulting and project management so the process of establishing and optimizing buildings is made more efficient.

In the individual phases, we have tested several approaches regarding data analyzing, in order to decode the most value-creating approach. That is, where do you need to spend the time in operating a building in question to work most efficient. We have developed the basic tools and processes that take this into account, and this understanding is crucial in relation to achieving the previously mentioned value creations.

There is no doubt that the future offers new technologies that will make much of the manual work, that lies in the daily operation of building automation, redundant. Several of these  technologies are already available in the market. In this project, we have learned that as long as  there is no greater understanding of what good and value-creating building operation are, we will never get maximum value out of these new technologies. 

We can see that the value creations that are presented in many of these cases, including by using eg. Weather Forecast can be achieved by simply working more structured with the operation in the setup you already have. That is, without buying new equipment and new technologies. This thus requires that time is being dedicated to 
this work on a weekly basis, which of course costs money, but conversely you save large sums by not establishing the new technologies and solutions. The conclusion is that we can optimize a lot on our buildings, and thereby reduce CO2 emissions, without investing large sums in new solutions and technologies. Just by working more efficient with the BMS systems we already have  installed. With this approach to the operation of building automation, and thanks to this enormously instructive and value-creating development project, we will already now be able to take a big step towards a greener planet.

We thank Dansk Energi for a good collaboration and for making this project a reality.