AEI RCx, ReCx and M&V

Performing a major renovation, re-commissioning or retro-commissioning of your facility? Do you need to measure and verify an installed ECM?

AEI can support your next re-commissioning or retro-commissioning effort with a rapid-response and low-intrusion deployment to establish baseline values, confirm calibrations, and verify the performance of the installed energy conservation measures.

We leverage a building's existing Building Automation System (BAS) data to confirm compliance with standards to determine when the BAS sensors meet the accuracies specified in the standards and are properly located.

We are agnostic to the building automation systems that you might have installed. Our energy data connectors can read and import data from all popular energy management systems such as Honeywell Niagara framework, Johnson Controls Metasys^®, Alerton, Carrier, Automated Logic and other solutions that use a Tridium JACE. We seamlessly collect data from middleware providers such as SiteSage and SkySpark. When necessary, our partners at Connexx Energy provide a middleware solution to perform a discovery process on a BACnet^™ network for rapid assimilation of all the sensors and their functional roles, including the assignment of Haystack metadata tags.

When calibrated portable loggers are periodically used to confirm compliance with standards, AEI can merge this data with the BAS data to establish a relationship between BAS instrumentation and calibrated data sources.  This relationship can be used to identify calibration issues prior to measurements taken at the minimum recommended frequencies.

For the analysis of complex systems, the AEI Commissioning process includes presentation of your data in an AEI Flatcube^™ which is a powerful way to examine the simultaneous conditions over time for larger assets with dozens of sensors. For an average air handler with many temperature sensors, motors, fans and dampers, there is no better way to examine weeks and months of historic interval data to unravel the cause and effect of faults and how the system is reponding to external inputs. With command and feedback sensors, you can tell that commands are properly executed. With day and time channels you can determine that the system is operating in the proper configuration during off-peak hours. With this simple interactive presentation, you determine the rules and can quickly see that the system data is correctly following the program.

Below are just a few examples of areas where BAS data can be used to ensure compliance:

ASHRAE 90.1 — Energy Standards for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings

AEI presents BAS trend data in a manner demonstrating control sequences conform to ASHRAE 90.1 such as:

1. Economizer control
2. Hotel guest room HVAC set-point control
3. Heating/Cooling setback controls
4. Simultaneous heating/cooling conditions
5. Supply air temperature re-heat limits
6. Two pipe changeover dead band
7. VAV static pressure set-point reset
8. Hydronic system differential pressure reset
9. Chilled and hot-water temperature reset
10. Condenser fans controlled in unison
11. Dry-bulb and wet-bulb condenser reset (2016)

AEI can utilize BAS data or separately installed sub-metering equipment to measure and present electric chilled water plant efficiency as required by ASHRAE 90.1-2016.

ASHRAE 62.1 — 2013 Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality

Outdoor Air Dampers and Actuators

AEI will analyze BAS trend data to meet the ASHRAE 62.1-2013 minimum maintenance activity for "Outdoor air dampers and actuators" and "Visually inspect or remotely monitor for proper function" ... "In accordance with the O&M Manual or every 3 months."

CO₂ Sensors

According to ASHRAE 62.1-2013, "sensors whose primary function is dynamic minimum outdoor air control shall have their accuracy verified ... at a minimum once every six months or periodically in accordance with the O&M manual"

CO₂ sensors used for Demand Control Ventilation are notorious for being out of calibration.  Sensors reporting data inconsistent with expected values during the unoccupied hours are easily identified. Accuracy during occupied hours can be confirmed when calibrated CO₂ loggers are placed in close proximity to the BAS CO₂ sensors.  Data from the calibrated logger is compared to the BAS sensors in the AEI database and discrepancies are noted.

ASHRAE 55 — 1992 Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy

In addition to the required environmental measurements taken to confirm conditions for human occupancy, Section 7.4 recommends additional measurements are taken concurrently to help determine appropriate corrective actions if required.  AEI will merge additional BAS data with the environmental-logger measurements to identify underlying issues preventing compliance with ASHRAE 55.

FEMP 4.0 M&V Options A, B, C and D

In addition to providing all the regressions necessary for Option C, AEI can present trend data in the appropriate format to support Options A, B and D.

FEMP 4.0 recommends using EMCS (Energy Management Control System) data for either Post-Installation or Performance Period measurements for many EMCs (Energy Conservation Measures) such as (1) new/upgraded BAS, (2) Variable Air Volume conversion, (3) central plant upgrades, and (4) RetroCommissioning/ ReCommissioning.  Items recommended by FEMP to be monitored through the BAS include run hours, set-points, setbacks, reset schedules, equipment power draw, fan flow, fan supply & return temperatures and electric & gas consumption.