Page 17 - Climate Control News Magazine July 2021

A well-written AI program can evaluate this increased heat load as it occurs.
Technology has created a whole new world for building management.
Building Automation
gobs of meaningful data, the more, the better. Moreover, accurate data needs to be fed to such programs to be integrated, digested, and compared to other potentially meaningful data. Thus, the use of genuine artificial intelligence that has pushed past machine learning to direct
autonomous action is now in place.
The introduction of real AI has, in turn,
opened a new demand for innovation in the area of sensorisation.
For example, if the control of space tempera- ture could be based on more than the thermo- stat setting but also changes in the number of ninety-eight-degree humans in a given space, you have meaningful data.
A well-written AI program can evaluate this in- creased heat load as it occurs and, in turn, can in- struct the chiller producing cooling air for this zone to get to work. By cranking up cooling before com- plaints, there is no need to chase down the building engineer to “solve” the “it’s too hot” problem.
Thanks to the real-time nature of the sensor data and the computer’s ability to fine-tune the heating and cooling process substantial reduc- tion in energy use can also be achieved.
By controlling air temperature in increments of, say, half a degree instead of the typical two- to-three degree variation, normally pre-pro- grammed into HVAC systems, buildings can be- come much more efficient.
Currently, HVAC systems that cycle on and off use up substantial power. Occupancy data can enable a finer grain of control within plus or mi- nus one-half degree. Holding a constant temper- ature in a physical environment requires far less energy to maintain a comfortable temperature.
THERMAL MASSING
Over time, if physical space temperature is main- tained at a stable temperature, a physical process known as thermal massing occurs. This is similar to how the temperature in wine cellars stays so effortlessly cool (good insulation obviously helps).
Similarly, if an office can be maintained at 72 degrees on an ongoing basis, everything in the office will also be close to 72 degrees. The furni- ture will be 72 degrees, the drywall 72, the ceil- ings will be 72 degrees, even the water in the wa- ter cooler will be 72 degrees.
The term for this is thermal equilibrium. Once this state is achieved, it takes less energy to main- tain the 72-degree air temperature target. Artifi- cial Intelligence (AI) can now do this, saving money and service calls from unhappy tenants.
Achieving this energy-saving solution is now available because more detailed data can be fed into robust AI. For example, one building in Los Angeles exchanges over 1.5 million data points every day with a cloud-based AI.
Because of the AI’s ability to absorb massive data inputs, types of new data-producing elec- tronic sensors are exploding. For example, today, energy-wasting pneumatic thermostats (known to be inaccurate/wasteful in their settings) can be replaced by a unique device and achieve re- sults that produce digital readouts to a precise temperature setting and hold that setting.
Office building owners today have a more comprehensive range of concerns than just en- ergy. The WELL movement is an example.
Landlords face increasing tenant interest in being sure the workplace is safe and secure. As- sume a public emergency happens. Perhaps a fire or a shooter is reported.
In a fire, buildings are evacuated as fast as possible. In an armed threat situation, the direc- tion is to hide and lockdown in place. In either case, having a real-time count where people are is an essential piece of data that can help direct firefighters and police.
“IF YOUR SYSTEM IS JUST PRODUCNG REPORTS YOU ARE LOOKING IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR.”
At the core of why master building systems in- tegration is the next step in building operations is linking sensors that transmit data in real-time to an artificial intelligence program that then considers the data in real-time, resulting in sig- nificant cost savings.
Real AI can calculate the best available solution(s), issue instructions, set adjustments to multiple systems, and do this in seconds.
My advice is for property owners if you only consider programs and business offerings that produce reports you are looking in the rear view mirror.
It is a technology of the last decade. The next decade’s building tech is fed by all types of data, AI-powered, and explicitly crafted for commer- cial real estate.
This article first appeared in Propmodo.com
CLIMATE CONTROL NEWS JULY 2021
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