Intelligent Energy Management Systems for Multi-Facility Operations

◀◀ ▶▶web.com
Intelligent Energy
Management
Systems for Multi-Facility
Operations
YOUR ROAD MAP TO ENERGY
SAVINGS AND OPTIMIZATION

Using Smart Data to Cut Your
Energy and HVAC Maintenance
Costs Across Multiple Locations
The advent of IT systems, networking, and technology has
revolutionized many aspects of managing operations across multiple
locations or buildings, from resource and revenue management, to
security.
Until now, however, energy management is one major area of multi-location
operations which has not been adequately addressed: Many facility management
professionals still do not have the tools or the data they need to effectively manage and
reduce costs across facilities, some of which may be spread over a diverse geographic
area with a variety of climates.
Moreover, facility managers have also been forced to bear high annual repair
and maintenance costs on the hundreds—or thousands—of individual HVAC
systems that generate the largest share of the energy costs in their operations.
Here, the lack of IT integration forces facility managers to cope with maintaining a
geographically dispersed, multi-million dollar portfolio of “dumb” HVAC systems, wasting
energy through inefficient operation, with a sizable number of these units “running to
failure” each year. The result is unnecessarily high annual repair and replacement costs.
But today, energy management systems are helping operators implement
intelligent control across the entire range of their facilities. Utilizing the power and
immediacy of smart data, operators or facility management professionals can monitor,
measure, manage, and control energy consumption and HVAC system conditions for their
entire operation from a central location, giving them unprecedented insight into their
total energy consumption, and a solid framework for driving additional savings at every
location.
2

Intelligent Efficiency: Helping Transform “Dumb” Energy Assets Into a
Single, Smart and Highly Efficient System for Total Energy Optimization
Multi-facility operators face rising cost pressures on all fronts, and rising energy
costs at the facility level are a significant overhead cost, especially when operating
multiple locations in different geographic locations.
A major problem for facility managers responsible for several—or several
hundred—locations is the inability to directly measure, monitor, and control the energy
usage for each and every location, and the means to do this efficiently from a central
location.
3

Without any organizing system or control, the default condition is that each
building in a multi-location operation has its own thermostat control, which can
be set by any employee to any temperature. On a winter day, an employee can dial the
thermostat up, and forget to dial it back down at closing, or lower the A/C temperature
setting during the summer and keep it there overnight.
Under these conditions, facility managers have no control of their equipment, and
worse yet, no data to help them understand and reduce their energy costs.
Even when basic energy-saving solutions are put in place, such as
programmable thermostats, there can be several potential problems that are multiplied
by the number of locations involved. For example, without additional temperature
monitoring and continuous monitoring and profiling of the building’s HVAC system, it is
not possible for programmable thermostats installed on a building-by-building basis to
be configured for each location’s temperature fluctuations, weather conditions, and
HVAC system. Without the ability to link temperature control to external conditions or
HVAC system specifications, and with no ability to centrally control energy use, the facility
manager has little meaningful oversight or control over energy use in any location.
HVAC Systems: Dumb and Designed for Costly “Run to Failure” Breakdowns
Another, less noticeable aspect of energy management for multi-location
operators is the condition of the large base of HVAC systems under their
management and repair cost responsibility. Rooftop and ground-mounted HVAC units
are inherently “dumb,” in that they have no built-in intelligent monitoring features. HVAC
systems also operate on a “run-to-failure” basis, which enables small problems, such as
refrigerant leaks in air conditioning compressors, to become worse over time.
As these systems degrade without detection, they cost as much as 15% more to run
because they use more energy to achieve the set temperature. As these degraded
systems continue to operate, their performance continues to deteriorate, and they will
4
According to the U.S.
Department of Energy,
heating, cooling, and
ventilation (HVAC)
accounts for 48% of all
building energy use

often fail without warning. Eventually, HVAC breakdowns occur—often requiring an
expensive compressor replacement—which could have been prevented by advance
warning and corrected by an inexpensive, pre-emptive repair at a small fraction of the
run-to-failure repair cost. According to leading HVAC system supplier Lennox Industries, the
average cost for replacing each of the two compressors in a typical 7.5-ton rooftop HVAC
unit is $1,200 each.
Multiply each of these run-to-failure situations over dozens, hundreds, or thousands of
individual locations, geographic areas, and climate zones, and it becomes clear that the
potential for uncontrolled energy expenses and major HVAC equipment repair costs add
up to a significant and nearly uncontrollable expense for multi-location operators.
Current Piecemeal Energy Management Approaches: Helpful, But Do
Not Address the Total Solution Needed
Currently-available solutions for controlling energy costs, such as programmable
thermostats, or Internet-linked thermostats, can help operators partially control their
energy costs, by helping facility managers control temperature settings in each location.
And on the HVAC equipment side, preventive maintenance programs can detect
problems in some units before they become more expensive repairs.
Both existing approaches, however, fall well short of realizing the full potential
savings and efficiency available from a true energy management system. For
example, programmable thermostats can dial heat and cooling up and down on set
schedules, but without an ongoing record of external temperature conditions and system
performance for each location, the facility manager does not have the information
required to optimize energy efficiency for each location.
5
Programmable
thermostats
and preventive
maintenance
programs are
inadequate
approaches to
efficient energy use
in multi-location
operations

Wireless Internet thermostats provide centralized control, but have been proven
by recent hacking incidents to be an IT security risk. Also, because they do not
integrate HVAC system operations to provide facility managers with a more unified view
of their operation’s energy usage, they do not provide multi-location operators with the
full picture of their energy use. And without a means of storing and measuring ongoing
heating/cooling use and HVAC performance and providing this information into an
actionable, centralized system, they do not offer a solution that can help the facility
manager optimize their energy savings for each location, across their entire operation.
On the HVAC equipment side, preventive maintenance programs are a high,
fixed yearly cost for every location, because they are required regardless of
whether or not the equipment at each location requires service. Moreover, once
or even twice-yearly maintenance schedules cannot provide early detection of all
potential expensive equipment failures, since these failures do not conform to preventive
maintenance time lines and often occur without warning.
So clearly, the overall problem of optimizing energy savings and system
management for multi-location operators exists. There are different approaches to
solving the problem, but each of these are only piecemeal fixes that do not give multi-
location operators the tools and insight they need to fully address the need for an all-
encompassing approach to the problem of energy use and optimization.
How to Use Smart Data to Measure, Control, and Monitor Energy and
Energy Equipment Maintenance Costs Across Multiple Facilities
Intelligent energy management systems solve the problems of inefficient energy
use and uncontrolled HVAC equipment maintenance costs. Operators can now
use a single system to remotely control and monitor energy use, HVAC system health, and
capture relevant data.
6

Energy management systems utilize secure, remotely controllable networked thermostats,
networked indoor and outdoor environmental sensors, and networked HVAC sensor
arrays to continuously monitor each location’s temperature, energy usage, and HVAC
equipment.
You can now consolidate all the critical components of your operation’s energy
consumption, including:
1) Individual building temperature control;
2) Real-time energy data collection, profiling, and analysis;
3) Continuous HVAC equipment monitoring
Energy Management System Key Elements
Individual Building Temperature Setpoint Control: Efficient, Real-Time Energy
Control, Monitoring, and Measurement
Since HVAC systems and configurations vary from one location or building type to another,
this means that each location is likely to use its own “default” thermostat control.
Our experience has shown that many in-place thermostats at individual buildings
may be inaccurate or defective in operation; even when programmable thermostats
are used, they may not be set correctly to account for changing needs throughout the
day or external weather conditions, or they may not be programmed at all.
8
Energy Management
Systems give
operators 360°
insight for maximum
energy efficiency and
cost savings
1.

Operators can upgrade their inconsistent and unreliable base of thermostat
controls with precise, networked thermostats whose setpoints can be precisely
programmed from your central location for each building. These thermostat controls are
also linked to an array of indoor and outdoor sensors that, combined with intelligent data
collection and profiling, help determine each location’s most efficient and economical
temperature settings.
The energy management system collects and communicates real-time
temperature and HVAC system performance data, measured against each
location’s outside temperature, local weather conditions, humidity, and cloud cover
conditions. All of this data is collected and logged on a real-time basis, creating an
ongoing profile of each location’s indoor and outside environmental conditions, energy
use and continuous HVAC system performance. This data, combined with the analysis and
reporting features of the system, gives you unprecedented insight into each building’s
energy usage, areas of inefficiency, and corrective courses of action.
Most importantly, an energy use profile, created for each building, helps you easily create
an optimized setpoint program to maximize energy savings at each location.
Real-Time Energy Data Collection, Profiling, and Analysis: Intelligent HVAC
Monitoring for Building-by-Building Energy Savings Optimization
Highly accurate, remotely-controlled, and secure networked thermostats installed in each
location continuously gather temperature and weather data for transmission back to the
energy management system, and are connected to each building’s HVAC system.
Set and optimize
temperature
setpoints for every
location to maximize
energy savings
2.
9

For every building, these remotely-controlled thermostats operate over a secure,
wired network, transmitting real-time temperature data back to your centralized
location, where it is processed and displayed in your system’s monitoring dashboard.
Centralized, real-time monitoring of HVAC energy utilization for every location
gives you the ability to precisely measure each building’s ongoing energy utilization, as this
relevant location, temperature, and HVAC performance information is continuously stored
in your system’s database. Accessed from a single on-screen dashboard, real-time energy
data logging and analysis helps you track energy usage, and compare each building’s
energy efficiency to the average energy performance for all locations.
Each building’s local temperature and external weather conditions are also
tracked and stored in the system, so that variations in energy consumption can be
tracked and measured against the impact of extremes in local hot or cold temperature
fluctuations to optimize system performance and efficiency even under adverse weather
conditions.
With centralized monitoring, you can immediately know when a location’s
energy consumption deviates from its own average usage conditions, from those
of nearby locations, and from the averages of all locations. Once alerted, you can then
take immediate action to find the source of this excess energy consumption and correct
the problem.
Facility operators who utilize real-time temperature control and monitoring have reported
significant energy savings up to 25% by optimizing energy utilization in every one of their
locations.
Monitor and optimize
each building’s
energy usage, based
on time of day
and local weather
conditions
Facility operators
report overall
energy savings of
up to 25% using
energy management
systems
10

◀◀ ▶▶web.com 11
Continuous HVAC Equipment Monitoring: Prevent Expensive Breakdowns and
Maximize HVAC System Efficiency
To address a critically overlooked area when managing distributed locations for
optimal energy savings and efficiency, an important element of any energy management
system is its HVAC equipment monitoring component.
HVAC equipment monitoring plays an important role in contributing to overall energy
efficiency: Performance of an HVAC unit at a building degrades, for example, when
a system refrigerant leak causes a compressor to overheat forcing other HVAC units to
work harder to compensate for the loss of power from the weaker unit, increasing system
load and total energy consumption. Most importantly, since HVAC systems are inherently
“dumb” and provide no warning of impending failure, a refrigerant leak or other problem
in a defective HVAC unit will eventually cause the compressor to fail, leading to a $1,500-
$2,000 repair cost when each failure occurs.
Based on our HVAC equipment monitoring experience, approximately 10% of all HVAC
units in multi-location operations operate below their optimal level of performance at any
given time, and a high number of these units are likely to fail within a short time period.
Since each building may have one or more HVAC units, this can add up to hundreds or
thousands of HVAC units for a large operation—and a large capital repair cost liability, as
sizable numbers of these units run to failure in any given year, causing repair expenses in
the thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars annually for a single operation.
HVAC units operating
below their normal
performance levels
increase energy costs
and lead to expensive
and disruptive repairs
3.

How to Eliminate “Run to Failure”
Real-time HVAC equipment monitoring and diagnostics for each HVAC system at
every location are integrated into the overall energy management system.
12

With HVAC equipment monitoring, temperature sensors are installed at the inlet
and outlet supply ducts for each unit, and each of these temperatures is monitored
and temperature data from each unit is continuously monitored and logged to the energy
system database.
The equipment monitoring feature of the energy management system develops
a profile of each HVAC unit, and taking into account other variables, such as
use of an economizer feature, or extreme weather changes, develops an operating
performance profile for each and every individual HVAC unit in the entire base of HVAC
units, now networked to the energy management system. Units operating at below-
average performance levels, based on predetermined values, can now be flagged for
a preventive maintenance call (at a cost of around $200). If no monitoring was in place,
there would be no alternative for an HVAC unit other than “running to failure,” leading to a
much more expensive repair cost (up to $2,000 or more per unit).
Converting “Dumb” HVAC Systems Into a Well-Managed, Smart
HVAC Network
Smart HVAC monitoring enables facility managers to treat their entire operation’s
HVAC systems as a unified “portfolio” of intelligent units now accessible from
a single dashboard and control point. Within an energy management system,
HVAC monitoring features automated reporting tools that provide real-time reporting
on the condition of every HVAC unit in every location. This enables evaluation and
classification of every unit’s operating performance, with automated e-mail or phone text
communications of needed repair tasks transmitted to local HVAC technicians.
With HVAC monitoring, the age, condition, and repair record, warranty status,
and operating performance of every HVAC unit in a multi-facility operation is also
readily accessible in the energy management system database, so that when repairs are
needed, management can determine whether it is more economical to replace a faulty
unit rather than repair it, based on its age and condition.

High, Line-Item HVAC Repair Costs Now Replaced by Substantially
Lower Pre-emptive Repairs
Before the development of energy management systems, the only option
available to operators was to treat their HVAC repair and maintenance as a
single, major line item in their annual budget. But now that HVAC monitoring features
make pre-emptive repair possible, repair and maintenance costs can be substantially
reduced.
So instead of viewing maintenance and repair expense as a given line item year
after year, real-time HVAC monitoring with an energy management system enables
facility operators to prevent HVAC breakdowns before they occur, cutting annual repair
expense to a fraction of its former cost.
Once Implemented, Energy Management Systems Provide Insight
for Further Energy Cost Savings and Efficiency
The savings and greater efficiency of implementing an energy management
system are significant benefits, but the most important benefit is insight: Once
implemented, the benefit gained from using smart data generated from the energy
management system gives management a total view of their entire operation’s energy
utilization, unit-by-unit operating characteristics, surrounding environmental conditions,
and detailed performance profiles for each location over time.
With access to this total picture of energy utilization, operators are now able to
engage in additional energy cost savings programs, backed by accurate data
and analysis, to further maximize energy savings and operating efficiency throughout
14
Smart HVAC
monitoring enables
facility managers
to treat their entire
operation’s HVAC
systems as a unified
“portfolio” of intelligent
units accessible from
a single dashboard
within their energy
management system

the operation. For example, access to detailed, historical temperature data for each and
every location enables facility managers to determine which of their buildings will benefit
by further energy optimization measures, such as LED lighting installations, additional
insulation, heat-blocking window film, and many other possible savings improvements.
How to Implement an Energy Management System in Your
Operation
Increasingly, the compelling benefits of an energy management system are
making implementation a high priority in many multi-location operations. Here are some
questions to ask when evaluating offerings from various energy management system
vendors:
• Does your system allow for centralized data logging, analysis, and control for
each location? Examine what data is collected, how often, and how accessible is it
to you for reporting and management decision-making purposes;
• What are the reporting and analysis capabilities of your system? A true energy
management system not only compiles data, but provides you with the reporting
formats and analysis capabilities you need to make intelligent, well-informed
decisions on energy usage for each location; all data collected must also be
provided in the reporting formats required to give you meaningful and relevant insight
into your operation’s overall energy usage, expense, savings, and efficiency options;
• Does your system include HVAC system monitoring, and how is it integrated
into the overall energy management system? HVAC “health monitoring” is
a critical part of any energy management system, and data collected on the
performance of your operation’s HVAC systems must be integrated into your system’s
overall energy data profiling and analysis capabilities.
15
Smart Data
provided by the energy
management system
gives operators the
insight they need to
pursue even greater
energy savings and
efficiency
“
“

Pilot Testing is the Key to Implementing a Successful Energy
Management System for Multi-Facility Operations
Based on our experience, the key to successful implementation of any energy
management system is to conduct a limited pilot test of the system at a small number of
locations. The pilot test allows the facilities management team to compile the necessary
data required to determine the operating efficiency and potential savings yield from the
system.
Over the few months required for the pilot test, both management and the
vendor team will gain a better understanding of the system’s performance,
and the configuration required for rolling out the energy management system to other
locations. Careful pilot testing and analysis ensures a smoother implementation and
provides validation of efficiency, savings, payback and ROI results, enabling operators to
reap the maximum rewards from their operation’s energy management system.

Contact Us
Tel: (419) 891-4390
Online: www.BAYweb.com
BAYweb
6528 Weatherfield Court
Maumee, OH 43537-9468
Energy Management Systems for Multi-Facility Operations:
Your Road Map to Energy Savings and Optimization
© 2015 Bay Controls, Inc. All rights reserved.
About BAYweb
BAYweb is a division of Bay Controls, an
energy solutions company that provides
products and services to a broad
range of industrial, commercial, and
government customers.
Founded in 1983, Bay Controls has
provided sophisticated energy-saving
solutions to industrial customers in 70
countries. The company’s solutions
deliver over 1.8 Terawatt-hours
(1,800,000 megawatt-hours) of energy
savings annually; nearly twice the
combined output of all of the solar cells
in the United States every year.
In 2009, BAYweb was launched to
leverage the company’s industrial-
sector expertise and technology into
the BAYweb line of products and
the BAYweb cloud-based system.
This brought light and multi-location
commercial and institutional facilities a
new ability to reduce their energy and
operating costs.
BAYweb energy management products
are in use at thousands of facilities
throughout North America.
17

Intelligent Energy Management Systems for Multi-Facility Operations

More Related Content

What's hot

Viewers also liked

Similar to Intelligent Energy Management Systems for Multi-Facility Operations

Recently uploaded

Intelligent Energy Management Systems for Multi-Facility Operations