Rapid Building Assessment

EW-201261

Objective

The objective of this project is to demonstrate Rapid Building Assessment (RBA), a software powered information service for accelerating energy efficiency adoption across building portfolios. Specific objectives are to: (1) benchmark and assess building-level energy efficiency across a large portfolio using RBA and in so doing provide a scalable, less expensive, faster, and more consistent method to identify and size individual building efficiency opportunities across entire portfolios of buildings; (2) drive implementation of low-cost and no-cost operational energy efficiency improvements, in addition to recommendations for retrofit opportunities; and (3) monitor and measure the savings realized from energy efficiency actions that are taken.

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Technology Description

Developed by FirstFuel Software, RBA uses patent-pending statistical methods and advanced data mining techniques to provide building-specific performance benchmarks and custom recommendations for action at an end-use consumption level. RBA is applied remotely, requiring "zero-touch" of the building, and uses only time interval consumption and weather data paired with building data aggregated from geographic information system (GIS) mapping.

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Benefits

The Department of Defense (DoD) will realize three primary benefits from implementation of RBA:

  • A scalable approach to energy efficiency. RBA is a faster and less costly ($2000 per building) alternative to expensive, time-consuming on-site audits for assessing building performance and opportunities across the DoD portfolio. As such, it provides faster and more cost-effective benchmarking and assessments across the portfolio than available alternatives and presents them online to DoD personnel in a clear, consistent manner at either a building or portfolio level.
  • Energy savings from low-cost and no-cost operational changes. A reduction in overall portfolio energy usage via savings from the operational recommendations in the RBA is anticipated. Operational changes are driven by the clear, actionable, and customized low-cost and no-cost recommendations available to each building manager through the FirstFuel portal. Operational savings can be observed by allowing building managers to document their operational actions within the FirstFuel portal or by observing the resulting reductions in end-use consumption over the following months.
  • Ongoing measurement and verification. In-depth and ongoing data will allow building managers to note and track the effects of their changes. (Anticipated Project Completion - 2014)

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Points of Contact

Principal Investigator

Mr. Swapnil Shah

FirstFuel Software

Program Manager

Energy and Water

SERDP and ESTCP

Document Types

  • Fact Sheet - Brief project summary with links to related documents and points of contact.
  • Final Report - Comprehensive report for every completed SERDP and ESTCP project that contains all technical results.
  • Cost & Performance Report - Overview of ESTCP demonstration activities, results, and conclusions, standardized to facilitate implementation decisions.
  • Technical Report - Additional interim reports, laboratory reports, demonstration reports, and technology survey reports.
  • Guidance - Instructional information on technical topics such as protocols and user’s guides.
  • Workshop Report - Summary of workshop discussion and findings.
  • Multimedia - On demand videos, animations, and webcasts highlighting featured initiatives or technologies.
  • Model/Software - Computer programs and applications available for download.
  • Database - Digitally organized collection of data available to search and access.