Automated Cloud-Based Continuously Optimizing Building Energy Management System
Using machine learning to assess real-time building performance and automatically adjust individual devices to maximize energy savings
Zero Net Energy (ZNE) Alliance
Recipient
Davis, CA
Recipient Location
3rd
Senate District
4th
Assembly District
$2,499,196
Amount Spent
Completed
Project Status
Project Result
Project is complete. The ACCO-BEMS platform was installed at 10 campus buildings, HVAC systems commissioned, and additional sensors and actuators were installed. The platform successfully identified a number of problems and retrofitting opportunities that would have required costly manual
recommissioning to uncover. The fault detection engines use physics-based rules and artificial intelligence based pattern recognition to detect failures. The project team identified several lessons in the process of deploying the ACCO-BEMS system. Future deployments will benefit from improvements learned to overcome these challenges.
The Issue
Current building energy management systems (BEMS) are typically programmed and set to a predefined schedule to ensure set points are reached. However, most BEMS fail to optimize energy use because predetermined settings become rapidly obsolete. In addition, energy management systems do not detect when buildings and energy systems degrade over time, creating "drift" in the months and years following commissioning. Even state-of-the-art BEMS require regular reprogramming to achieve and sustain a high degree of energy efficiency.
Project Innovation
This project develops a software platform that helps building energy management systems run more effectively. The Automated Cloud-based Continuously Optimizing Building Energy Management System (ACCO-BEMS) automates and optimizes control of building systems and devices. It is being implemented at Pomona College in 10 buildings on campus, half of which will have ACCO-BEMS as a new building energy management system, the other half will have ACCO-BEMS integrated with the existing system.
Project Benefits
Energy performance monitoring and fault detection diagnostics software is a key technology that must be further enhanced and deployed to overcome barriers to achieving ZNE buildings. A principal barrier to real-time management of energy systems is the many, often incompatible, protocols and interfaces used by energy devices and sensors. These have long represented a barrier to the integration of discrete systems, sensors and actuators necessary to automatically assess and control energy use. This project uses an internet-of-things gateway to communicate with the various energy using devices in the building using their native protocol and interface. The platform uses machine learning to assess real-time building performance and automatically adjust individual devices. The technology eliminates building drift and negates the need for expensive reprogramming or optimization measures.
Consumer Appeal
The technology can co-exist with existing systems or can be implemented as a new installation. For retrofits, ACCO-BEMS can connect to existing energy management systems, sensors, controllers, and meters to communicate with each in its native protocol. This allows for use of the technology with existing, installed equipment, avoiding the need for equipment replacement retrofits, or for the customer to learn a new system.
Affordability
The project has the potential to reduce electric demand and enable real-time automated demand response (ADR). The target market for this technology is educational, non-grocery retail and office buildings--which represents 43% of the total statewide electric use. Once scaled, statewide annual savings potential is estimated to be 7,269 GWh or an estimated $1.1 billion statewide.
Key Project Members
Richard Schorske
Subrecipients
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Energy & Environmental Economics, Inc.
Schneider Electric USA Inc.
Smart Watt Energy
EcoShift Consulting, LLC
MelRok, LLC
Pomona College
Correlate Inc.
Zaretsky
Match Partners
Zero Net Energy (ZNE) Alliance
MelRok, LLC
