Smart Technology
Many managers focus on getting more efficient equipment to save energy, which is a good idea. But the real trick is using smart technology to make everything work optimally.
To make your buildings smart, start by connecting all the systems in the building, adding smart devices, and bringing all that data together.
The key is to integrate everything. This means you can understand how much energy you’re using and find easy ways to save.
Using smart systems with clever analytics can save about 3% to 9% of energy in two years. But if you get an expert to help with controls and master system integration, the savings can be much higher – around 10% to 25% or even more on average.
Machine Learning
More and more, buildings are using smart systems that use machine learning analytics. These systems are becoming popular because they can find patterns, make accurate predictions, and automatically take action based on those predictions.
Advanced machine learning can help you find ways to save energy and even lower the highest amount of energy used in a commercial building. These benefits might not be obvious without these smart systems, and they reduce the need for people to step in and fix issues.
Predictive Maintenance
In the past, fixing buildings was mostly done based on time or when there was a problem. But just following schedules or waiting for issues to show up can lead to missing energy waste problems.
Even small issues from fixing things at the wrong time can waste a lot of energy. And if big problems happen, it can quickly make energy use and costs go way up while waiting to schedule and fix them.
Predictive maintenance is a smarter way. It catches problems early, sometimes even before they happen. To make this plan work well, you need to do a few things:
1. Collect and store data
2. Process and actively watch the data
3. Find and understand faults or issues
Adopt ongoing commissioning
As buildings become more complicated, it’s crucial to commission them properly to make sure everything is installed and working as it should.
Keeping an eye on the data from your buildings regularly is essential. This helps in putting useful energy management plans in place that work.
Regular commissioning also lets you do preventive and predictive maintenance. This lowers the risk of unexpected breakdowns or using too much energy, which leads to inefficiencies.