Noel's Green (make that SUSTAINABLE) Blog » Software and the Data

How to Sustain the Energy Efficient Design

noel — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:40:35 +0000

I am worried now. A new report just came out showing that 85% of CMMS (Computerized Management and Maintenance System) software being purchased is not being used. This is software that is supposed to be used by facilities managers to streamline their work, but apparently without much eagerness.

An excellent commentary in this months Engineered Systems magazine, entitled Tomorrow’s Environment: A Failure to Plan Is A Plan To Fail by Howard McKew, exposes the weak link in the chain between energy efficient design and the long term operation and maintenance of said design. How do we know they are getting what they paid for?

Too often, we don’t know. McKew explains that measurement and verification is often left out of the design due to budget constraints. I think operations often falls under the radar for lack of understanding the need for verifying. And CMMS software, intended to help rectify this problem by making it easier to manage and maintain the many moving parts of a building, apparently doesn’t get used!

I have mentioned ACCOUNTABILITY in previous posts, and here is another sample of what I am talking about. My worrying is well-founded. Filters need to be changed, pump bearings need lubricating, dampers need to be observed in operation, temperature sensors need to be calibrated and so on. HVAC, even when it is designed to be as simple as possible, is still complicated in practice.

Current Events: Cliches

noel — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 20:09:53 +0000

Here I will get on my high horse again.

A list of words being used too often, and thereby lose their true meaning.
In my opinion, these fit the definition of CLICHE. These words are currently being used in the media and opinion places online frequently and, in my opinion, incorrectly. English language students, take note.

Green
Leftist
Right wing
progressive
balanced (A FoxNews marketing buzzword)
Conservative
Christian (hope that doesn’t offend true believers)
Terrorist
liberalism
socialism
freedom
Republican
Democrat

This is an interesting web based application that analyzes text to discern political bias. I have only tested this post so far, but I will venture to guess that it is more sophisticated than most media pundits. It rates this post as neutral, by the way. I must be in the center, hmmm.

Food for thought and debate, if such a thing is still possible.

Design firm uses a lot of technology (BIM and cloud computing)

noel — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 05:43:10 +0000

BIM, IPD and “private” cloud computing at Little Diversified Architecture in Charlotte. This firm is on the top of the wave of change, being led by the author of the article, Chris France, CIO of the firm. This firm and its predecessors have always been very very good anyway.

I like Chris’ understanding of the issue. Seems that he comes from an IT background, rather than architecture, but he mapped the design process some time ago, and came to a fine grasp of the issues involved. Thank you Chris. By the way, if you need mechanical ideas, get in touch.

Getting a View of Energy Consumption in your building

noel — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:58:13 +0000

Trends: Read the chart on your buildings energy usage. Monthly charts can usually be found on the monthly utility bills. Your utility company can provide them upon request (usually). If and when you can acquire the hourly or daily usage charts, the pattern of usage can be very revealing about whether your building is running at its best. What does a trend chart look like?

An example of a daily building trend chart

The US Department of Energy has a gather and track data process listing the following steps.

STEP 2: Assess Performance
* 2.1 Gather Data
* 2.2 Establish Baselines
* 2.3 Benchmark
* 2.4 Analyze Data
* 2.5 Technical Assessments & Audits

Here I am only discussing Step 2.1, ‘Gather data’.

Daily and hourly charts are more detailed require additional metering devices. This may be problematic, as mentioned further down.

If your building has a control center, it is very possible, and indeed likely, that the consumption patterns can be found in the computer logs. But in many older buildings, this may be problematic. This is where upgrades should start.

Deciding on what to measure and then installing the meters and using the data correctly is the key. It starts by studying the building systems, and deciding what wires or pipes are carrying the energy in question, and installing the meter(s) in the correct physical location.

Next, installing a communication link between new and old meters and a data collection center, such as a desktop computer, creates the data collection network that is needed. The cost of this approach is extremely reasonable, and in fact, with IP networking, whether hard wired or wireless, it is an incredibly simple and cheap way to get a handle on this.

Having the data in hand will help. But one must understand how the building system in question is being controlled. The charts can be complicated. But decomposing the building systems down to their simplest points will yield a lot of valuable information once it is charted. Having your building engineer or an outside consulting engineer experienced in HVAC controls is often necessary.

More reading about energy measurement and metering and a prior article on measurement in Noels Green Blog.

What are we measuring?

Motors, lights and electric resistance heaters are the major electric energy consumers. Boilers, unit heaters and furnaces are the major gas/oil consumers.

Of course, a major component of electric use is the ‘plug loads’, which is equipment actually plugged in. These are usually in the control of the user/occupants themselves. They include computers, task lighting, televisions, refrigerators and so on.

Electric heaters are often being used by user/occupants who feel cold and do not get their complaints/needs heard or met. This is unfortunately, a ubiquitous problem in the USA, just now getting serious attention after years of ignoring.

The next wave

Now here is a very nice “downstream” application for building information modeling. It is not getting much attention. Yet.

The same Building Information Model which is being used to design and build with, can easily be re-used as a framework for the building control center! Why not have the metering and all other energy systems mapped in the BIM? You would have a ready made view of the Building Energy Consumption!

This has been a theoretical possibility for many decades, but the cost and complexity of it was such that no one besides a NASA or a nuclear research lab could implement it. Now we have a chance to see the possibilities of such high powered data collection and analysis being done on a desktop computer. Hooray for IT!

BIM is a database – Naming is important

noel — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:06:42 +0000

Delayed commentary on things learned and shared at a recent RevitDC meeting:

NAMING THINGS and SHARING (it’s a matter of INTEGRITY)
Naming comes up again. “Inconsistent” is the keyword. I am glad that I am not the only one who struggles with it. Shakespeare wrote “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet…” ….NOT IN computing and a BIM (building information model) it WON’T!

Naming standards: a concept that could save billions of dollars!
More often than not, architects have provided drawings with non-standard names for the layers and “blocks” (which are nothing more than buckets). And these often contain attributes with yet more non-standard names. Trouble in data-city. [IMO, Autocad's over-reliance on the two “object-types” they call blocks and layers has created a stunting effect. Many former CAD users will need to unlearn them to use Revit.]

Make no mistake about it: CAD is a form of database, (albeit a limited dataset). But for a database to work decently, the rules must be created, followed, and applied consistently. (Ref: Database design manuals and texts) That said, think about the naming and organization that happens in the contract documents, never mind CAD. An article on BIM that I wrote for fellow engineers, but all stakeholders should read.

Should we require database design courses for BUILDING ARCHITECTS?
The building designers (architects) take notice: a change to a layer name can (and has) wreaked havoc on many things. All the way back to my spreadsheets! For example: countless times, even predating CAD, I have been surprised by changes made by an architect on the room names and numbers, and being forced to MANUALLY repair these on the mechanical, electrical and plumbing documents. Not to mention the many calculations that depend on these. Things like lighting and HVAC calculations. (This issue will hopefully die down in a few years, although I had expected this issue to be solved by now)

Blocks and layers are useful for rough collections of data, but they have always been “rough”. Even after 20 years of the technology. This is one reason why Autodesk bought out Revit. They knew that Autocad could not compare to Revit in the evolution of Building information Modeling.

Data organization apparently is not a favorite topic among architects and engineers. It is more interesting to IT pros and a few more forward-looking architects engineers like myself. But this is no less relevant to the building information model (design and contract documents).

So it happens that subject-matter experts and cross-trained folks, like myself, are breaking through the walls (pun intended) that separate the disciplines. Witness the XML schemas being developed by groups like ASHRAE (who are guiding gbXML) and the Associated General Contractors of America (directing agcXML). These standards will make the BIMs easier to use.

DISTRIBUTED DESIGN
Over the years, we have come to share our drawings by the use of the so-called “external reference”. Autocad called them “X-reference” plans; a way of sharing CAD ‘drawings’ between workstations. Many drawings may use or even “depend” on an X-referenced plan. The beauty of it: make a change in one place, and it will propagate to all the dependent views.

The increased popularity of BIM and BIM software demonstrates that a high priority is being given to real-time sharing. An understanding of the true benefit has FINALLY trickled up to many decision-making managers. No more silos of information! The lighting designer, HVAC designer and the architect can collaborate on the glass and shading all the time, not just at the weekly meeting!!! YAY!!! The cost consultants can do their cost analysis on an ongoing basis, not after the design is 80% complete and when the changes are most costly and disruptive.

What happens as the building design is developed – At RevitDC, I learned that Revit doesn’t implement automatic notification to other team members/users of changes. Someone said, “You don’t know what you don’t know”. YIKES! Something is not right about that.

Copy/monitor issues were mentioned. The use of the word “copy” is a confusing terminology that resembles the CAD problems of updating. Are we not talking about a central database?

I also heard about sluggishness. Why is bandwidth still being discussed ? Paying for a fast Internet connection is cheaper than the mistakes a slow connection can cause. At the Revit DC meeting they discuss only Autodesk Revit. So it appears that it has an ongoing problem with its communication architecture. Come on !!!

The distributed computing model came late to Revit, I think. Graphisoft’s Archicad and Bentley’s Building don’t seem to have this problem. Revit was not originally designed for distributed computing using large databases. It was intended for a smaller audience in the beginning. They had a communication issue at some point and it looks and feels like it has some sort of workaround ever since. Maybe Revit is showing signs of stress and strains and may be replaced?

Archicad seems to have the distributed data and updating part smoothed out. (Did they take a cue from Oracle?) I have heard that Archicad updates the distributed data almost seamlessly. Compare that to Revit, which seems to stop and start. Perhaps it goes back to the project data organization? Technical skill of the managers? Or is the Revit data scheme just plain bottlenecked?

CONNECTIONS
Kimon Onuma (of Onuma Software) mentioned the importance of “connections” at the RevitDC presentation. Connections are key indeed, and when I first heard this idea many years ago, I realized that good design creates good connections between objects, and having the objects themselves is only half the task. Learning this, like designing, is a practiced, intuitive, hands-on experience.

Connecting people and ideas is a cool thing.

ASHRAE building energy rating system

noel — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 22:15:50 +0000

ASHRAE BUILDING energy rating has been announced.

BIM Adoption – There is a reason it is spreading fast

noel — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:37:31 +0000

Money
Factoid heard at the recent Eco-Build conference in D.C.: “The number of contractors adopting Building Information Modeling has quadrupled in the past year. ” Coming from a very small core of early and aggressive users to a large cross section.

Another trend is that BIM is being used on larger projects by the larger contractors first. Now we see it propagating to smaller projects.

Contractors gain all kinds of benefits from using BIM instead of scattered data silos (the old way.) Having information accessible and organized in one location is a distinct step up from drawings, specs and piles of 8-1/2″ x 11″ submissions from vendors. Oh yeah, and BIM makes for a better recordkeeping and more accountability. (HIGHER QUALITY)

The introduction of IT to the construction field was stunted by CAD. BIM IS THE REAL DEAL.
Its very telling that building information modeling as conceived is based on the actual physical schema, a 3D building. We had to wait for computer processing speed to catch up to make it viable as a design, build and operating tool. Now we have the ability to truly document the building. Thank you.

Designers becoming Expert Users

noel — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:55:07 +0000

An important point, when planning a project, is that the skillsets of the users may be the real driver of success. Software skills by the senior experts helps too. Understanding the database may be as important as understanding the data. Its a bit of a hurdle that most senior professionals will have as much of a learning curve as anyone. Its not CAD anymore.

At a recent RevitDC meeting, Kimon Onuma (Onuma Software) said,
“Its collaboration by experts, not so much the software.”

Now if we can build the skillsets of the best users to match the tools and databases, we can really rock the world.

I have been convinced for years: “How the Data is collected, processed stored and retrieved will change this game.” BIM is light years from CAD. CAD is not about data, its just a drawing. Going forward, I can see CAD as an inconvenient precursor to the building information model.

Thinker/architect Randy Deutsch has this entry on his blog about Building Information Modeling and its application, called BIM challenge of the new Decade Its a good summary of where the information technology of building is in January 2010.

Hearing fatigue in large conferences

noel — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:46:46 +0000

In the real world, even with the best (and priciest) hearing aids, hearing and speech comprehension is a bitch. The vague and unpredictable discrepancies of room and object acoustics along with regular social habits makes it hard for hard of hearing and deaf to keep up. Particularly with Type A personalities who are common in the business.

Face to face conversations are not a problem. Groups of up to 6 people are easy. This issue gets sticky in a group setting of more than 6 or 8. For me to hear , it is crucial that I am able to see the speakers face. My comprehension suffers majorly when I cannot see the speakers face, and of course, this happens all the time in real life. Also, it is a problem with large meeting rooms which often have large reverberation times and other acoustical weirdnesses. (Acoustics experts take note!!!) Coffered ceilings and other fancy architectural details can make this especially problematic. And the Federal ADA mandates to supply hearing assistive devices has still not been enforced. There are plenty of hotels and conference centers that have no idea what I am asking for when I ask for help. (U.S. Congress, take note!)

I know I am not the only one experiencing this different result.

According to Dr. Ervin Hafter, a professor of psychology at the University of California Berkeley (berkeley.edu), the extra processing your brain has to do when you have poor hearing can create an overload that can affect your overall cognitive performance. The extra effort required to comprehend speech in noise when your normal mechanisms for filtering out background sounds are impaired can put an overload on the brain that makes it harder to perform other mental tasks at the same time. The result can be poorer performance on work-related tasks and extra work keeping up with others than if your brain didn’t have to go through extra cycles trying to comprehend and communicate.

Excerpt from David Copithorne article The Fatigue Factor: How I Learned to Love Power Naps, Meditation, and Other Tricks to Cope With Hearing-Loss Exhaustion

Calculating the tax benefits

noel — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:57:24 +0000

While I was thinking about how to calculate the tax benefits of upgrading and changing or upgrading HVAC systems, lighting and hot water heaters, I decided to see if anyone had made a calculator to analyze it already. Sure enough, General Electric had created this EPact calculator

I have not had the time to test and validate this yet, but I’d be happy to hear from anyone who has. Please feel free to contact me through this blog.