Energy-Saving Effort - Software Shaves Peak Consumption
Part of NV Energy’s energy-optimization endeavor, the demand-response platform reduces peak HVAC electric consumption by 10% to 15%. One software shaves peak consumption - and succeeds.
Author:George EvansSep 04, 2024149 Shares49.7K Views
A software shaves peak consumption, making one showpiece building more than just an eye-catching structure.
The Charleston Pavilion Centre, a six-story, 154,000-square-foot, class-A office building located in western Las Vegas, was selected by NV Energy, an electric utility company in Las Vegas, for early adoption of its demand-response (DR) program.
NV Energy’s DR program provides financial incentives to power consumers for reducing energy during peak hours.
Designed to appeal aesthetically to the business community, the Pavilion is surfaced with a large amount of glass and set off with a distinctive top-floor balcony with large, open views of the surrounding countryside.
Cooling during the peak summer season, even with low-e (low emissivity) glass, could be burdensome because of the amount of direct sunlight and the hot desert environment.
The Pavilion And The DR Program
The key challenge was to determine the building’s capacity for demand response given its design and thermal properties.
This required the integration, modeling, and control of 12 primary air-conditioning units.
The comfort of the high-end tenants involved in critical business operations was paramount and could not be compromised during software implementation.
BuildingIQ, an energy management software company in Foster City, California, came to the Pavilion project through NV Energy’s mPowered Optimization, a customer-engagement program launched in the summer of 2013.
As part of the program, BuildingIQ’s integrated energy-efficiency and automated demand-response (autoDR) software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution has been deployed in casinos and government and commercial buildings across Las Vegas to seamlessly reduce consumption by the utility’s largest clients during peak hours.
Through the program, customers receive access to BuildingIQ’s software and reap energy savings in return for reducing consumption during DR (demand response) events.
For each building, the software is able to use variables, such as:
- weather forecasts
- building characteristics
- energy pricing
- occupant comfort
It does so to make continuous changes to HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) controls and optimize daily energy use through the existing building-management system.
Installing the platform allows NV Energy to establish a direct connection with a building. NV Energy is then able to send signals to the platform, informing it of an upcoming DR event.
The software automatically makes changes to reduce consumption.
The changes happen automatically and seamlessly, based on real-time conditions, doing away with the need for facility managers to plan and implement a demand-response action.
The DR events take place without disruption to the building’s occupants.
Past experience showed the NV Energy program was able to reduce peak HVAC power consumption by as much as 20% on DR event days and significantly lowered on-going daily HVAC energy usage, with customers seeing 10% to 18% reductions, compared with baseline consumption.
BuildingIQ was confident that it could replicate these reductions at the Charleston Pavilion.
Application
Implementation at the Pavilion was relatively straightforward, as it had been for other buildings participating in the mPowered Optimization program.
As a software-based solution, installation did not require upfront capital or invasive changes to the building’s infrastructure. There is no specific HVAC interface needed to deploy the software platform, as it easily integrates and adapts to any existing management system.
NV Power funds the platform for commercial customers participating in the mPowered Optimization program.
Implementation proceeded smoothly, in part because the Pavilion had pre-existing sub-meters and the HVAC load could be easily separated from other loads.
The algorithms in the program create a thermal model of the building, learning internal and external variables associated with energy usage to optimize results.
Additionally, BuildingIQ provides building owners and utilities with an intuitive interface and an easily scalable solution across a portfolio of structures.
The platform clearly displays savings figures to provide customers with a higher level of control over their electrical load through a better understanding of how energy is consumed.
At the Pavilion, control of the HVAC system was taken over by the software platform for a month before any DR activity, so that the system’s algorithms could learn and adapt to the thermodynamics of the building.
Following the learning phase, BuildingIQ began a series of test drops, including one-hour, two-hour, and three-hour events.
The process was designed to learn how much capacity the building had for responding to DR signals.
Favorable Outcome
Overall results showed the Pavilion building has the capability to reduce demand quickly during a DR event and maintain reductions in the 10%-to-15% range for the duration under most conditions.
Three tests were done under different conditions.
There were no comfort complaints during the event, and the drop was achieved solely by changing the air-distribution set points. No other HVAC control measures were undertaken in the building.
The baseline was calculated according to a methodology agreed upon in advance by BuildingIQ and NV Energy.
The methodology itself is based upon a North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB) Type 1-High 3 of 5 Baseline.
In this case, the baseline was created by averaging the energy values of the three days with the highest load totals (in kilowatts), during five days that matched the eligibility criteria established by NAESB.
Final Thoughts
Thanks to technology, demand-response programs such as NV Energy’s make reducing energy consumption and costs during peak-demand periods easier for facility managers to achieve.
Reducing a building’s carbon footprint is an added bonus.
The BuildingIQ software shaves peak consumption in the Charleston Pavilion Centre and hopefully other buildings will use it.
George Evans
Author
George Anderson, an exceptional architectural designer, envisions and brings to life structures that transcend the realm of imagination. With an unwavering passion for design and an innate eye for detail, George seamlessly blends form and function, creating immersive spaces that inspire awe.
Driven by a deep appreciation for the interplay of space, light, and materials, George's innovative approach redefines the possibilities of architectural design. His visionary compositions leave an indelible mark, evoking a sense of wonder and transforming the built environment.
George Anderson's transformative designs and unwavering dedication continue to shape the architectural landscape, pushing the boundaries of what is possible and inspiring generations to come.
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