This document provides an overview of key performance indicators (KPIs) for quality of service criteria in building monitoring and control. It discusses 5 KPIs: 1) human/occupant comfort, 2) environmental friendliness and energy efficiency, 3) cost effectiveness of operations and maintenance, 4) safety and security, and 5) sustainability of other KPIs over time. Each KPI is defined and its importance is explained, such as how improved air quality, temperature control and ventilation can increase occupant productivity and cognitive performance. Tracking building data through smart monitoring systems is presented as an effective way for building operators to improve performance on all KPIs and achieve significant savings and benefits.

1. ECVET Training for Operatorsof IoT-enabledSmart Buildings (VET4SBO)
2018-1-RS01-KA202-000411
Level 1
Module 1: Fundamentals of building properties useful in
monitoring and control for effective operation,
occupants’ comfort, energy efficiency
Unit 1.1: Definition of a building environment and
building properties for monitoring and control

2. Outline
1. Introduction to Quality of Service (QoS) criteria
2. Human/Occupantscomfort
3. Environmental friendliness - Energy efficiency - Energy
pyramid principles
– Energy conservation
– Energy efficiency
– Renewable energy
4. Relevant EU Directives/Legislation

3. QoS criteria in building monitoring and control
Indicative list of KPIs:
• KPI-1: Human/Occupants’ comfort
– Health protection, living/working efficiency,space utilisation and flexibility,
response speed, etc.
• KPI-2: Environmental friendliness – Energy efficiency
• KPI-3: Cost effectiveness – operation and maintenance with
emphasis on effectiveness
• KPI-4: Safety and security – e.g. measures against illegal entry, fire,
earthquake, disaster and structural damages, etc.
• KPI-5: Sustainability of other KPIs

4. QoS criteria in building monitoring and control
KPI-1: Human/Occupants comfort
Building occupants comfort is linked to a range of parameters that are activated or not, based on the type of the building and the
application.
A key parameter is the ability of the building monitoring and control solution to maintain high air quality and overall conditions in
the building, so as not to put occupants’ health into any risk. The productivity is another comfort parameter, since it is directly
linked to the level of the support people receive from their building. Productivity is not defined only in working environments;
residential buildings, schools, etc, need their occupants to be productive in the sense of achieving their everyday objectives as
easily and quickly as possible. This is linked also to the smartness in the utilisation of the building space and the flexibility provided
by the automation solutions.
Finally, occupants’ comfort is directly linked with the degree at which each of the automation sub-systems achieves its design
objectives. Here we assume that the occupants’ preferences are taken into consideration in the design objectives of each sub-
system, e.g. the lighting system delivers light when and where needed, the HVAC system maintains comfortable condition of the
building air, etc.

5. QoS criteria in building monitoring and control
A study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) found that
productivity went up 1 percent for every 10-percent increase in air quality
satisfaction. Οffice performance also increased due to better temperature
control, superior ventilation and reduced air pollutants, according to other
research initiatives of the same organisation.
A study published in the June 2016 issue of Environmental Health
Perspectives found that a reduction in volatile organic compound and carbon
dioxide exposures, combined with better ventilation, resulted in an
improvement in cognitive scores of 61 percent. In particular, participants in
the study had significant increases in strategy, crisis response and information
usage when moved to buildings that meet green criteria for air quality.

6. QoS criteria in building monitoring and control
KPI-2: Environmental friendliness – Energy efficiency
Building operators need to track energy usage, consumption habits and related
data as an effective environmental and cost-saving measure. Utility companies
already use smart devices to track energy consumption, with very high cost savings.
Tracking water consumption, quality, pressure, temperature and other data also
lets building operators quickly identify trends or potential problems and make any
necessary adjustments. Smart water leak detectors can identify a trickle before it
becomes a flood, without relying on excessive water consumption or visual
inspections to spot the problem. Smart meters can also detect a leak in a gas line,
which could prevent a significant safety liability.

7. QoS criteria in building monitoring and control
KPI-3: Cost effectiveness – operation and maintenance with emphasis on effectiveness
Most smart building data have financial implications. Some ramifications are obvious: Being
able to track utility usage can lead to simple cost saving measures through conservation. Smart
buildings also allow for dynamic power consumption based on peak energy times and
ventilation, and cooling optimization based on occupancy and load variations – all of which
lead to financial savings. Smart building metrics may also identify problems before they lead to
expensive outages or equipment failures.
Building operators may have more difficulty quantifying other financial consequences, but they
are no less important. For example, improving ventilation and temperature for building
occupants results in quantifiable increases in productivity. Researchers translate these
increases as financial gains, which demonstrates that a more comfortable building can save
thousands of Euros per year.

8. QoS criteria in building monitoring and control
KPI-4: Safety and security
In a 2015 survey by Honeywell, 51 percent of building
operators rated safety and security over any other advantage
offered by smart buildings. Smart buildings can feature superior
fire system and emergency communicationcontrol, and they also
offer health and life safety systems, along with the ability to
monitor them. Surveillance and intrusiontracking can also help
building operators detect unusual activity that could indicate a
threat to personnel or information.

9. QoS criteria in building monitoring and control
KPI-5: Sustainability of other KPIs
Further to the importance of measuring each of the aforementioned KPIs and ensuring high
performance of the building, even more important is to find ways to sustain the high
performance. Therefore, smart buildings need to implement measures to ensure continuous
cost savings, occupants’ comfort, security and safety and energy efficiency.
For instance, the HVAC system needs to be able to continuously record the occupants’
preference and respond intelligently and adaptively. The security system needs to be scalable
and updatable to address any new threats and be able to integrate any new technology that
becomes available. The water monitoring system needs to be able to integrate novel
algorithms for leakage detection. Same holds for the building air quality monitoring system,
etc.

10. QoS criteria in building monitoring and control
Implementing appropriate KPI Metrics
By collecting the right information, building operators are able to make
judgments based on sound data instead of theoretical estimates or trial and
error. Even facility managers with older building automation systems can
track data and manage operations through retrofitting or upgrading.
Tracking building performance metrics can lead to thousands of EUR of
savings each month while creating additional safety and operational gains.
These potential gains will drive building owners to add smart building
performance tracking in their normal work activity within the next few years.
They need to be knowledgeable, competent and ready for that.

11. Resources

12. Disclaimer
For further information, relatedto the VET4SBO project, please visit the project’swebsite at https://smart-building-
operator.euor visit us at https://www.facebook.com/Vet4sbo.
Downloadour mobile app at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vet4sbo.mobile.
This project (2018-1-RS01-KA202-000411) has been funded with support from the European Commission (Erasmus+
Programme). Thispublicationreflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible
for any use which may be made of the informationcontainedtherein.