Month: October 2017

What is building intelligence and a smart building?

Buildings were once simply enclosed spaces where people safely lived and worked in a stable climate. Now, many major buildings have become smart. Smart buildings are dynamic entities that actively improve occupant’s comfort, lower energy costs, communicate their problems, and in some cases, self-repair themselves. They start with intelligent infrastructure; they are designed to be smart. Going beyond brick and mortar, the structure includes a robust open operating system enmeshed in a well-connected and integrated network of building systems and controls. Data analytics systems receive and interpret incoming data from building sensors, making sense of the data in terms of actions that the building itself can take. The smart building includes the necessary educated service team to supplement the automation and support the complex cable and cloud networks.

The Evolution of the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things)

The first functional binary digital computers date back from the Z1 invented in 1936, and hardware and software has been changing ever since. In the evolution of software and how it was written, one can see the gradually increasing potential for the IIoT.

Computer languages are long lists of instructions. They include detailed instructions on how to create things and how to make pictures. Modern computer languages have interfaces, so they can interpret different visual input or input from other mechanical or electrical sources and create expressions that translate those inputs into instructions that will duplicate the inputs for a printer or a monitor or integrate all or part of a complex input into its ongoing processes.

At the beginning instructions were put into machines via the assembled hardware mechanism itself, then as punch tape or cards, then as magnetic tape or direct input via keyboard. The first languages were used only for specific applications. The limitations of the hardware restricted the language. Throughout the past century, things have certainly changed.

The Internet of Things significantly developed as the number of possible internet protocol (IP) addresses has been increasing to allow small computers (like the Raspberry Pi), connected with outputs to machine switches to control them. These could then be individually called from the internet. Many parts can be controlled by these different small computers, and they make up components of an entire, efficient building automation system.

Performance Solutions focuses on creating and delivering performance-based, comprehensive facility improvement projects. Contact us to learn more.

Energy conservation in your organization could probably use some tightening up. You’ve tried all the methods for reducing your energy budget, but it stubbornly stays at high rates instead of running at full efficiency. An effective method of reducing those costs lies in your greatest asset – your employees.

You can implement training for just this purpose. Everyone can do their part to lower the organization’s carbon footprint. But there are some tips you should keep in mind before setting up a training regimen:

• Relevance – You are used to thinking of the big picture company-wide. But training works best when it’s relevant to the trainee. A paralegal doesn’t need to learn about shutting down heavy machinery, for instance. Try to tailor the training to each position as closely as possible for maximum effectiveness.
• Involvement – Get those employees involved in the process! They could arrange plans for how they might improve, which can bring up new ideas for ways to cut costs and relevant training to include.
• Certified – There are certifications available in energy efficiency. For instance, a manufacturer could apply the requirements of the ISO 50001 energy management standard. They will help you maximize those benefits from the standard. Get your supervisors that certification, so they can spread that information to their respective teams.

In today’s technologically-driven world, we sometimes forget that there are live human methods for improving our organizations. Performance Solutions have saved our clients over $500 million in operating costs over 20 years of experience. Contact us to see how we can help you in setting up a plan for controlling your budget and operation costs today!

When it comes to building automation, consistent and comprehensive employee training is one of the best ways to maximize both ROI and performance. Employee training can be divided into three important stages.

Stage One – Pre-Training

The pre-training process begins when management identifies and agrees on employees’ development needs and organizational goals. The process continues as management decides the best solution to develop the target skills and behaviors. These include online courses, on-the-job training, one-on-one coaching and team-based seminars.

Training facilitators will specify expectations, establish the educational objectives and define how the skills should enhance employee performance. This is the ideal time to discuss concerns, limitations and the post-training evaluation method. For example, focus on which training topics will contribute the most to building efficiency and cost-savings.

Stage Two – During Training

Building automation enhancements and new system implementation will deliver results and increase efficiency, but not all employees may see it that way. Technology-challenged employees often assume the worst about new solutions, so they may feel they face a steep learning curve. Management can minimize these concerns with alternative instructional methods for different learning styles.

Employees must be given adequate time to participate in the training without interruptions or pressure to deal with regular duties. This is the best time to demonstrate shortcuts and helpful hints that will allow employees to quickly resolve problems. Advanced training can be process-driven to help technically proficient employees understand the nuts and bolts of the system. Basic building automation training for regular employees should be results-driven.

Contact us to learn more about how to better train your staff on building automation and operations in order to maximize efficiency and team output.

Part two will cover the final training stage of building automation education, including best practices for trainers, employees and management.

Utility budgeting is important to save your business money. Most companies spend more on utilities than they do on buying products or marketing and advertising. However, there are a few things that can be done to lower these operational costs.

Don’t increase your budgeting percentage based on last year’s utility report alone

Instead, gather your historical data going back at least a few years, check for seasonal variations and come up with an average. Most utility companies fluctuate their rates at different times during the year, not consistently on a month-by-month basis. Coming up with a yearly average based on seasonal fluctuations means you won’t be under-budgeted during months when the rates are high because you over-budgeted during the months when they were low.

See if you have choices between utility companies

Some areas offer more than one choice when it comes to utility companies. There may be multiple electric, water or gas companies that could offer you great rates. It can be beneficial to shop around occasionally, especially if you have multiple offices or are not locked into a contract.

Check your area’s weather patterns

Checking patterns for extreme weather during your company’s past high and low utility bill months can be very beneficial. Weather can have a huge impact on your heating and cooling costs and knowing that the past 2 years have been more expensive in February, but costs went down by 25% each May for the past 4 years can help you decide where to allocate your budgeting resources.

How Performance Solutions can help

Performance Solutions can perform budgeting research and analysis while you run your business. We specialize in finding energy-efficient solutions that return you positive results. We use the data from the system you currently have, provide a platform for your system and a real-time window for decision-making while looking for new ways to save. We focus on low-cost/no-cost operation strategies to help you meet your bottom line.

For more information on the services we provide and how we can get results to save you money, please contact us.