Optimizing HVAC Start/Stop
HVAC start/stop is a function of an energy management system (EMS). The start/stop function helps optimize a building's heating and cooling cycles, essentially through advanced scheduling. Optimizing HVAC start/stop helps achieve desired heating and cooling levels for the various spaces in a building throughout the day.
All EMS systems have an ...
Advantage of Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings
Owning and operating energy efficient commercial buildings has proven to lower utility bills, improve occupancy rates, and increase rents and net operating income. Energy efficiency must not be thought as a one-and-done process; it is a continuous build. With each passing year, building equipment becomes more inefficient. It is imperative, ...
Reducing Commercial Building Energy Drift
Energy drift is the gradual decrease in energy performance and efficiency of your building's mechanical systems, such as lighting, HVAC, boilers, chillers, rooftop units, and others. According to research from Texas A&M and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (NBNL), energy drift can account for a decrease of system efficiency between ...
RTU Energy Efficiency
Rooftop units (RTUs) are the most common type of HVAC system in commercial buildings, "cooling nearly 60% of the U.S. commercial building floor area and consuming 4.3 quads of energy annually." RTUs represent a significant capital investment and have an average lifespan and depreciation period of about 15 years. Many ...
Higher Education Energy Efficiency
The higher education sector consists of over 4,000 private and public colleges, educating more than 20 million students annually. Colleges and universities have the power to strengthen local communities and economies by teaching both older and younger generations valuable marketable skills; fostering values, morals, and civic traits; introducing career opportunities, ...
Facilities Management and the Triple Bottom Line
The triple bottom line is a term coined in 1994 by John Elkington, a social entrepreneur and business author known for his work in the sustainability field. The triple bottom line states that a business should be concerned with more than the traditional (profit) bottom line. The triple bottom line ...