BuildingIQ's Technology
BuildingIQ leverages over 15 man-years of building controls and thermal comfort research carried out by world-leading experts at the CSIRO Division of Energy Technology. The CSIRO is Australia’s national research organization; the Energy Transformed Flagship Division is a globally renowned center of excellence in energy technology research. BuildingIQ is the exclusive licensee of CSIRO’s building energy optimization technology and continues to further CSIRO’s original research.
Controlling HVAC systems typically involves adjusting various set-points including chilled water temperature, supply air temperature, and room air temperature. This is not always easy to achieve in practice due to inherent limitations of both legacy and new HVAC installations. The situation is further complicated by the dependence of HVAC performance on building load, building thermal mass as well as load performance of fans, chillers and other subsystems. What should be a simple set-point adjustment process turns out to be not only complex but also very inefficient from an energy usage perspective.
BuildingIQ’s technology addresses the fundamental shortcomings of HVAC systems and the complexity of the control problem using a multi-objective optimization framework. The framework is combined with an intelligent HVAC supervisory control system that utilizes multi-agent systems science and machine learning techniques to automatically evaluate different control scenarios to determine optimal control set-points and operating schedules, taking into account dynamic HVAC and building parameters, building occupant comfort feedback, as well as real-time energy grid and climate information. The supervisory control system actively interacts with an existing Building Management System (BMS) to ensure that set-point outcomes are achieved. The technology is applicable to a wide range of BMS systems and type/age of HVAC infrastructure. The following figure illustrates the technology in practice.
BuildingIQ’s technology not only identifies optimal combinations of set-point adjustments and control schedules but also makes it possible for building operators to control operating preferences based on easily understood combinations of cost, comfort and CO2 emissions. The ability to focus on these key parameters is uniquely powerful with significant benefits:
- Reducing operating cost
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
- Reducing the impact of HVAC systems on the electricity network
- Achieving thermal comfort for building occupants
BuildingIQ's unique technology is available today in the BuildingIQ and ComfortIQ products. Please contact sales@buildingiq.com for more information.