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The studies are completed and the verdicts are in: Automated systems in large buildings can help manage energy use, particularly in HVAC systems, leading to increased efficiency and energy savings.

From the nonprofit Project Drawdown, to reports by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to the case studies touted by commercial HVAC manufacturers, evidence is building that building automation systems (BAS) are key to cutting energy use in large commercial and public buildings.

“Building automation and controls act as the building’s brain, connecting with all building systems, such as lighting, security, HVAC, and electrical, to collect, display, and monitor data from a single interface,” said Brian Kirkman, systems controls product manager at Trane Technologies. “When companies have visibility to all building data, they can analyze and act on it to meet desired outcomes.”

“Automation ensures that mechanical and electrical equipment operates when it needs to and, more importantly, doesn’t operate when it doesn’t have to,” said Andy Bierer, managing director at Automated Logic Field. Automated Logic is part of Carrier Global Corp.

Examples of the energy-saving power of building automation are piling up.

• Project Drawdown, which researches and promotes climate-change mitigation solutions, found that building automation systems can boost the efficiency of heating and cooling systems by more than 20%, as well as improve the efficiency of lighting, appliances, and other systems by 8%.
• A report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) says that automating HVAC systems, lighting, and window-shading can yield energy savings of between 30% and 50%.
• The EPA and DOE also have reports on how HVAC system optimization, including with automation, can reduce energy consumption.

Part of building automation means using controls to schedule HVAC operations during times when energy rates are lower, Kirkman and Bierer said. It can also mean connecting and scheduling building systems so that their functions are optimized based on the way a building is occupied and being used at a given time.

“Hotels can improve the rotation, staging, and sequencing of multiple chillers in a building to serve dynamic, complex building loads while improving chiller life,” Kirkman said. “Schools can align HVAC systems to classroom schedules, as opposed to working on a traditional on/off mode, to help improve students’ comfort while being energy efficient.”

Case Studies

Manufacturers have their own examples of how automation has helped manage energy use and increase savings.

Automated Logic’s WebCTRL building automation system, for example, installed at the Mercury Marine manufacturing complex in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, saves $800,000 a year, according to a case study. The WebCTRL system, which is interoperable with several different building systems, including HVAC, security, lighting, and backup power, has 300 devices and more than 3,000 control points across the 200-acre Mercury Marine campus, which has about 1.5 million square feet of building space.

WebCTRL is a web-based platform that provides building managers with tools to keep occupants comfortable, boost energy conservation, identify key operational problems, and analyze results, the company said. Its display offers a real-time view of energy usage and system status. WebCTRL is “equipment agnostic,” scalable for large buildings, and highly customizable, Bierer said.

“These systems can help ensure that buildings are operating efficiently by monitoring occupancy and zone temperature needs, while also detecting and adjusting for inefficiencies and detecting necessary maintenance needed,” Bierer said.

Trane helped cut energy use at the South Carolina Department of Transportation headquarters, in the state capitol of Columbia, by 41% with HVAC equipment upgrades and the use of the Trane Tracer Ensemble automation system. The savings at the six-story, 222,000-square-foot building were pegged at more than $75,000 a year, and the project won the 2020 Association of South Carolina Energy Managers Energy Project of the Year Award, Kirkman said.

“Using the Tracer Ensemble, building managers monitor building performance, manage energy use, generate reports, and identify opportunities for improvement remotely,” Kirkman said.

“Trane Tracer Ensemble is a web-enabled, enterprise-wide building management system (BMS) that provides 24-hour secure, remote access to monitor and troubleshoot building systems virtually anywhere, day or night,” Kirkman said. “The system makes building management easier for facility staff and occupants, onsite or remote, by integrating data from all building equipment to manage building comfort and efficiency through simple dashboards, reporting, and scheduling.”

Trane Tracer systems can be used with both Trane and non-Trane HVAC equipment.

Retrofit Recommendations

The ACHR NEWS asked Kirkman and Bierer to recommend BAS equipment for a 60-year-old, three-story, 150,000-square-foot mixed-use building in the Upper Midwest. This imaginary building includes a medical clinic, a restaurant, small offices, and a fitness center; its owner wants a BAS, which the building did not previously have, plus a new, ducted HVAC system.

Bierer suggested a system such as the WebCTRL, which, he said, would be able to manage an HVAC system that has to adjust to variable occupancy situations and different uses in different parts of the building.

“This could mean providing additional outdoor air intake for some part of the building, while providing humidity control for others, such as the fitness center and restaurant. Terminal units could provide additional reheat capability when needed, given the Upper Midwest climate,” Bierer said. “WebCTRL’s zoning capabilities and advanced scheduling features also allow the building owner and operator to precisely control the environment in each area (medical clinic, restaurant, etc.) based on its unique needs and occupancy patterns.”

Kirkman recommended the Trane Trace SC+ with the Synchrony user interface, which he said would be flexible enough to meet the different building operational requirements.

QUICK OVERVIEW: The Synchrony user interface for the Trane Tracer building automation system offers building managers a look at how systems are performing. (Courtesy of Trane Technologies)

Kirkman said that type of building would likely have a mix of multiple and single zones for heating and cooling, with the clinic designed to meet ASHRAE Standard 170 ventilation and air change requirements. The fitness center, he added, might have its own system, with a dedicated exhaust.

“It’s likely that each space within the building has different occupancy schedules, which would require a BAS to handle different schedules and occupancy types,” he said. “Segmenting the different zones allows the facility management staff to quickly make informed decisions.”