Building Operations & Maintenance
The 'Set It and Forget It' Approach to Energy Savings: Automating HVAC Optimization with BMS + CaFM
Gone are the days when clients were satisfied with vague promises about energy efficiency. As government regulations and eco-conscious consumers push for lower carbon footprints, clients now expect solid, data-backed results.
As a result, facility management (FM) providers in the UK and the Middle East face a key challenge—presenting a compelling, tech-driven decarbonization strategy in their Requests for Proposals (RFPs).
This has put Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems front and center.
HVAC systems are some of the most critical and energy-intensive components, accounting for about 50% of total energy consumption in the UK's commercial buildings.
Inefficient systems waste energy, inflate utility bills, and cause equipment wear. This is where automating HVAC optimization becomes a game-changer, turning these energy-drainers into efficient, cost-saving assets.
However, many FM providers struggle to show quick wins in energy savings and sustainability. The reason? Their reliance on outdated and manual methods.
This blog explores how automation and data-driven strategies can transform HVAC optimization, helping facility management providers achieve significant energy savings for their clients, and meet their sustainability goals.
The problem with traditional HVAC management
Traditional HVAC management often feels like navigating a maze of inefficiencies. Here’s why:
1. Critical data remains trapped in system silos: With data scattered across various systems—such as Building Automation Systems (BAS), Fault Detection and Diagnostics (FDD) tools, and Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS)—accessing comprehensive insights becomes a challenge. It makes troubleshooting harder, increases downtime, and raises costs as you try to manage disjointed information.
2. The over-reliance on manual intervention: Traditional HVAC systems need constant hands-on work which isn’t just labor-intensive but also prone to errors. Plus, it’s slow and cumbersome, making it difficult to keep up with the demands of operational efficiency and decarbonization goals modern facilities demand.
3. The endless firefighting with a reactive stance: When maintenance is reactive, minor issues can escalate into major problems. This causes more severe damage to the HVAC system, leading to extended downtime and costly emergency repairs. Further, uncomfortable indoor conditions, such as extreme temperatures or poor air quality, impact building occupants’ comfort and productivity.
4. Nightmarish deployments, snail-paced ROI: The constant inefficiencies and frequent repairs make it challenging to achieve quick wins and showcase solid results in your RFPs or performance reports. This slow pace further prevents you from realizing the full value of your investment.
As technology advances, these limitations stand out even more, making automated, data-driven HVAC solutions a must. Hence, upgrading isn't optional—it's essential to overcome these obstacles and achieve better efficiency and results.
The power of data-driven HVAC management
With data scattered everywhere and often in disarray, a data-driven HVAC system cuts through the noise to deliver unmatched efficiency and climate control. It integrates real-time data from multiple sources into a central repository—known as a "data lake."
This enables FM providers to:
- Access diverse data, such as usage records (temperature, humidity, and differential pressure), past equipment breakdowns, and planned maintenance activities
- Monitor HVAC performance in real-time to optimize maintenance schedules, cut downtime, and extend equipment life
- Deploy alarms for temperature deviations, humidity changes, pressure irregularities, performance drops, and fault detections, ensuring timely interventions and maintenance
One of the key components of data-driven HVAC management is to free the data trapped in Building Management Systems (BMS), Computer-aided Facility Management (CaFM), and other point solutions.
BMS collects extensive data from devices and sensors on temperature, humidity, energy use, and equipment status, while CaFM consolidates maintenance records and asset management details.
Integrating these tools with data-driven HVAC systems enables proactive maintenance, enhances energy efficiency, and streamlines building operations. Plus, they excel at spotting patterns and making predictions, helping you make data-driven adjustments and identify potential issues before they escalate.
Implementing data-driven HVAC management with a centralized platform
The smartest way to drive data-driven HVAC management is with a platform that can gather real-time data from all your building systems. It should:
2. Connect seamlessly with IP-based, open standard protocols like BACnet IP, Modbus IP, and OPC for data access from BAS, IoT devices, etc.
3. Offer real-time analytics to turn the collected data into actionable insights
4. Adapt to your current business needs and scale effortlessly for the future
With this setup, you can fully embrace the 'Set It and Forget It' approach.
The 'Set It and Forget It' approach automates routine tasks and minimizes manual effort, letting the platform do the heavy lifting. It's like having an HVAC system that automatically adjusts temperatures based on occupancy and weather data.
With smart automation and real-time data, this approach frees your team to focus on strategic tasks while everything runs smoothly behind the scenes.
Plus, it keeps your HVAC management optimized and ready for future demands—such as expanding to new buildings, integrating new smart devices, or adjusting to evolving energy regulations—without constant oversight.
Facilio turns 'Set It and Forget It' into reality by fully automating HVAC management with its advanced platform. Let’s understand with a case study.
How Tuten Labs used the 'Set It and Forget It' approach
Who is Tuten Labs?
Tuten Labs is a major player in facility management, overseeing a vast portfolio of more than 10,000 retail stores across North America and Latin America. They ensure these stores run smoothly by handling countless alarms and maintenance tasks across their entire network.
The problem: alarm fatigue and manual mayhem
Tuten Labs struggled with alarm fatigue and inefficiencies in their Building Management Systems (BMS), emails, and phone calls. Each alarm required manual reconciliation that led to slow root cause analysis, frequent errors, and operational delays. Further, its human-led work order processes were error-prone and labor-intensive, hurting efficiency and service quality.
The solution: ‘Set It and Forget It’ approach
Tuten Labs adopted Facilio’s 'Set It and Forget It' approach to overcoming its challenges. Here’s how:
- Smart alarm management: Facilio’s Fault Detection and Diagnostics (FDD) system consolidated and categorized alarms by severity and urgency. This automated alarm management lets Tuten Labs concentrate on critical issues.
- Unified insights: Facilio’s centralized dashboard pulls all your system data into one unified "data lake,"—providing real-time insights into alarm management, set point deviations, and work order metrics.
These insights helped Tuten Labs quickly assess alarm severity, analyze trends, and find cost-saving opportunities—all while reducing the need for constant monitoring.
- Automated work orders: With Facilio’s cloud-based energy management platform, Tuten Labs could control their assets and spaces remotely. It allowed them to automate work orders by alarm data—instantly routing tasks to the right team based on criticality and location.
- Real-time monitoring: Facilio’s continuous HVAC monitoring and rule-based automation spotted and fixed issues before they escalated and adjusted HVAC settings based on live data— optimizing performance without manual input.
It also helped Tuten Labs to quickly analyze building performance, improve energy efficiency, and maintain customer comfort. Plus, they gained detailed insights through asset-wise sub-metering and monthly consumption forecasting for more effective planning.
The benefits
- Automation cut customer service calls by 10-15%, saving on maintenance and labor with quicker issue resolution.
- Automated insights streamlined operations and cut manual errors. Plus, alarms turned into actionable insights for swift issue response.
- Real-time insights boosted client uptime, enhanced HVAC asset health, and simplified maintenance processes.
Tuten Labs nailed it with Facilio’s platform, showing how technology can totally transform facility management. With real-time insights, automation, and centralized data, FMs can boost efficiency and keep things running smoothly for clients.
As the industry gets more tech-driven, using solutions like Facilio’s is key to staying ahead. These tools not only help FMs thrive but also raise the bar for client satisfaction and operational success.
Not only that, Facilio's implementation timelines are a game-changer for the real estate industry, where projects typically stretch over the years. With its zero hardware approach, Facilio seamlessly integrates with your existing systems and software, getting you up and running in just a few weeks.
Transforming HVAC management with Facilio: A step-by-step guide
Switching from traditional methods to Facilio's platform streamlines HVAC management. This step-by-step comparison clearly shows that:
Turn your RFPs into wins with Facilio
Ready to outshine your competitors and reel in more clients?
With its ‘Set It and Forget It’ approach, Facilio automates HVAC management to deliver impressive energy savings and operational efficiency.
By leveraging smart automation and real-time data, you can present compelling, data-backed results that set you apart. Highlighting these standout savings in your RFPs can draw clients, showing them how you lead with efficiency and a tech-driven decarbonization strategy. Contact us for a demo and take the first step towards a smarter, more sustainable future.
Take the first step towards a smarter, more sustainable future.
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