Making Data-Driven Decisions
By 9f405e387eb227b9db4d15b2dd5f8384 ·
Conference Notes by Tyson Mayeda
Among the highlights of the BOMA conference in LA this year were the people, the show, but also the sessions themselves where you get to learn a lot in a short amount of time.
In one session entitled Data-Driven Decisions: Reduce Energy and Increase Comfort, Doug Walker from Trane delivered a presentation based on a case study of Pacific Palms Resort and Spa, whose owners faced outdated and unreliable infrastructure systems. Scheduled operations and guest comfort were greatly compromised. The steps to achieve sustainable solutions require “pre-engineering” by understanding energy supply and/or utility rate structure, having a rigorous commitment letter that ensures timeline, and adequate financing options[1].
In short, the main takeaway was that successful implementation of sustainable solutions involves more than just installing the retrofits[2], and that critical building analytics and real-time monitoring are essential, and he boiled it down to three categories that include building intelligent services, energy management, as well as retraining of personnel. In fact, not only are critical building analytics and real-time monitoring essential for long-term results, but not incorporating them was the most common reason he saw lag in ROI.
Here at MACH, we agree, because we understand all too well the challenges our customers face in building management, as well as the vital role of measurability. After all, as we have talked about, how can you reduce what you can't measure?
Is your building ready for improvement?
[1] On-bill financing (ideal for smaller projects), On bill repayment (ideal for larger projects), Commercial PACE (ideal for triple net leasing), ESA, Managed ESA, and Capital Leases.
[2] The implementation on site included: ice tanks/storage installation, chiller plant & boiler room upgrade as well as new controls and lighting retrofit.