Technology Description

The CMS is based on augmenting (rather than replacing) the traditional controls system with a management approach that processes, manages, analyzes, and effectively communicates disparate data streams with customized, intuitive graphics and familiar computer interfaces, distinguishing the CMS from conventional energy management approaches that may not always address the hurdles of interacting with complex data and analysis. The grid-based, object-oriented layout is intuitive to non-programmers so that Geosyntec’s engineers, and ultimately the end-users, can rapidly improve upon the graphical presentation of client dashboards without engaging a specialized programming team, resulting in high-quality, adaptable, and user-tailored data views. It runs inside a security boundary that limits interactions with the end-user’s computer. Data exchange employs asymmetric cryptography to initialize communication sessions, symmetric encryption for privacy within those sessions, and message authentication codes to provide assurance of the integrity and source of each data message. This secure approach is comparable to that used by Microsoft to provide businesses access to cloud platform computing resources. In addition to improved control functionality, the CMS uses analytics necessary for fault detection and diagnosis (FDD). In many buildings, 20% or more of building energy is wasted when equipment is improperly operated or poorly maintained. Such waste often goes unnoticed since the system performs the desired functions, albeit at greater cost. The team has developed algorithms for automatically identifying such issues using non-intrusive load monitors (NILMs), an energy-monitoring device that measures electrical current. Through careful analysis of electrical data using NILM algorithms, critical faults can be detected while still in an incipient phase.