Facility/Energy Management and Information Systems

Building Science at UC Berkeley: Research

Facility/energy Management and Information Systems

Edward Arens, Department of Architecture & Director, CEDR
Tom Webster, Specialist, Center for Environmental Design Research
William Carroll, Staff Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)/Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP)

The New Technology Demonstration Program (NTDP) of DOE-FEMP sponsors this project. LBNL is the lead Lab for NTDP for work related to developing a better understanding of issues specific to the federal sector with respect to current and planned use of facility control and management/automation systems. The major goal of this project is to increase federal sector awareness by providing usable, vendor-independent information to decision-makers, to support better ESPC savings verification, and to lower costs of energy and facility operations. Through a series of technical "briefs" disseminated to 1250 energy managers we will provide information cover the following subjects:

TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT

Enabling technologies
Identify new and advanced products, services and technologies that are forthcoming that will impact the availability of offerings in the next 3-5 years. Focus will be on the following areas:
Embedded systems
Software and programming
Communications & networking

Applications
Its not the technology that counts, it’s the applications that are able to be utilized with the technology available - intelligence is as intelligence does. Identify trends and emerging applications in the following areas:
Diagnostics and commissioning
Control algorithms
User interfaces
Comfort
Enterprise–wide management of facility energy information

Standards
What is the impact of standards on the development and application of FASs.

PRODUCT EVALUATION

How do existing state-of-practice systems compare to each other and to the emerging alternatives? Conduct an in-depth review of typical vendor offerings and a survey of various products for large and small buildings and for HVAC and lighting applications. Products reviews will be focus on significant differentiating factors rather than typical check lists of features.

Effectiveness

Users' experiences, attitudes, and needs
Develop an understanding of how existing systems are used and their perceived benefits and effectiveness. Identify problems and deficiencies.

Integration & Interoperability
Provide a comprehensive overview of the promise and progress of control systems integration.

Federal Sector Potential
Determine to the extent possible, what the potential for cost and energy savings is for typical applications of FASs and the aggregate potential for Federal sector buildings.

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