Use of energy management and control systems for retrofit performance monitoring in the LoanSTAR program. Final report

摘要

Monitoring of building energy consumption, operation, and weather variables are important parts of retrofit evaluation projects. However, effective monitoring can be quite expensive. In this report, we investigate the feasibility of using a building's existing energy management and control system (EMCS) for gathering some or all of this required data, rather than installing dedicated data-logging equipment. Three case studies in the Texas LoanSTAR retrofit monitoring program were used to explore the current applicability of existing EMCSs for monitoring, and to identify areas requiring additional development It was found that data could be retrieved in each case; without installing any additional hardware or software in two of the three sites, and with the addition of only a few sensors and a minor software modification in the third. However, the process of using the EMCS for monitoring was inconvenient in several respects. It was determined that the process could be greatly simplified if EMCS manufacturers ensured that their software averaged data over an hourly interval and reliably reported them at the end of each hour, used concise and consistent formats for requesting and reporting the data, and provided a simple means of displaying or transmitting the data.