High-Performance Buildings & Automation

RSS

Many K-12 schools today are creating more effective and safer learning environments for their students and staff by enabling their buildings to work harder for them.

Imagine a world where all HVAC equipment, (i.e chillers, variable frequency drives etc.), all BAS sensors, various components of the electrical systems (i.e electrical panels, meters, lighting fixtures etc.), and various components of all other infrastructure systems are connected to a shared, non-proprietary network that integrates the functionality of each system.

For decades, commercial buildings consisted of four walls and a roof. Over time, simple structures evolved into smart buildings, adding computerized control systems.

These days, everyone seems to want a smart building, but taking the desire for a smart building and turning it into a design is difficult to say the least.

The idea for this month’s topic was hatched during a retro-commissioning project, but it offers lessons to be applied to new construction commissioning.

Last month, I discussed the benefits of HVAC infrastructure design-build (DB) opportunities for HVAC consulting firms and HVAC contractors. The two main reasons for pursuing DB HVAC infrastructure projects were twofold:

 ATLANTA — ASHRAE is poised for a busy year in 2019. At its 2019 Winter Conference in Atlanta, the 56,000-member engineering association introduced a lengthy agenda that included renovation of a new net-zero world headquarters, the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Pakistan HVACR Society (PHVACR), a pledge to prepare building professionals for the challenges and opportunities of designing efficient and grid-responsive buildings within the changing energy sector, and more.

Each year, the AHR Expo honors manufacturers that are looking forward and breaking new technological ground. Those manufacturers are presented with Innovation Awards covering 10 categories, including building automation, ventilation, heating, cooling, IAQ, and more.

Honestly, the definition of open systems is the most confusing of the three types. Open protocols are pretty straight forward — they’re protocols that communicate with one another.

Much has been written about systems’ readiness for functional performance testing at the end of construction, and pre-functional checklists have become common elements of the commissioning process.