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Enhanced Automation

Enhanced Automation graphic

What Can EA Do for Businesses?
Who Can Benefit From EA?
Technical Options Overview
Free Resources on Enhanced Automation


Enhanced Automation (EA) increases the capability of your existing energy management or energy billing systems to better manage both the energy use in buildings and the comfort of the building occupants.

Enhanced automation can be accomplished through the installation of control or monitoring EA technologies or simply reprogramming and/or fine tuning your existing equipment control systems. EA systems can manage a variety of building systems, including heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), lighting, and other systems such as security and building access.

Automation enhancements include adding a new Energy Information System (EIS) or Energy Management System (EMS), as well as re-programming or expanding the network of sensors and control devices on an existing EMS. For more detail on EA technologies, refer to the technical options overview.

  • Is your building modernized to minimize energy costs and maximize comfort?
  • Are the lights in your building off when they are not in
  • Is your HVAC system optimizing the mix of inside/outside air?
  • Can you respond to comfort complaints quickly and efficiently?
  • Can you adjust light and HVAC levels from a central location?
  • Does your system automatically vary lighting levels in response to available daylight?
  • Does your system allow you to communicate with your utility to receive price signals?
  • Are you taking full advantage of the capabilities of your Energy Management System (EMS), beyond just using it as an expensive timeclock?
  • Are you able to provide management reports on energy costs quickly?
  • Are your current systems simple to operate and maintain?

If you answered "NO" to any of the above questions, your business can benefit from enhanced automation.

 

What Can EA Do for Businesses?

EA helps businesses lower energy costs and improve building operations by improving the efficiency, comfort, and control of buildings. Often, the coincidental benefits of EA exceed energy-related cost savings. Potential benefits from EA include:

  • Reduced Energy Costs
  • Reduced Operational and Maintenance Costs
  • Improved Energy Use Monitoring and Analysis
  • Increased Occupancy/Customer Comfort
  • Long-term Benefits to Company
  • Improved Corporate Image
  • Societal Benefits from Reduced Pollution or Energy Costs

Improved building system automation techniques can provide important information on energy demand, equipment usage, and costs. In addition, EA can enable businesses to receive and respond to energy price signals from their utility, helping businesses more effectively manage energy costs and participate in demand-responsive and peak-load reduction programs.

EA provides additional flexibility in maintaining the optimal building climate and pinpointing problem areas. EA also allows more efficient control of building operations from central or remote locations.

This allows building operators to be more responsive to occupants' and management's needs, while reducing occupant complaints that result in lost productivity, cancelled leases due to tenant discomfort, and sales losses due to customer discomfort.

Additionally, EA investments now can provide long-term benefits including the ability to identify new opportunities for energy saving projects and to better forecast and manage energy costs. Finally, reducing energy demand in supply-constrained markets helps society as a whole through improved reliability and lower, more stable energy prices.

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Who Can Benefit From EA?

Almost any medium- to large-sized business can benefit from enhanced automation. There are many opportunities for facilities in aggregate of 200kW or more to implement EA technologies and systems. EA is particularly cost effective at sites over 1 MW due to the economies of scale.

EA technologies present a wide range of options in terms of cost, level of sophistication, and ability to control energy use. The returns depend on a facility's current level of automation as well as available EA upgrades to address EA project goals.

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Technical Options Overview

In its simplest form, automation consists of a programmable timeclock for HVAC and lighting systems. Enhanced automation includes complex networks of sensors and controls for multiple building energy systems. Often EA can be accomplished by simply reprogramming existing systems to maximize their potential. A comprehensive EA system centralizes control and monitoring of all components within an energy management system (EMS) or an energy information system (EIS) that can also be accessed remotely for building operation control. Integrated systems can receive and automatically respond to energy price signals as well.

The figure below shows the individual components of a comprehensive EA system with a combined EMS/EIS. Individual system components can be implemented independently or in a staged, modular approach. Each additional component utilized in building controls offers increased economic and control benefits. EMS and EIS systems can be integrated, overlap, or be kept as separate systems that communicate with each other and the monitoring and control points in the building. Other building functions can be incorporated into an EMS/EIS system including: security/access, elevator and escalator operation, water usage, and major plug loads (such as computers).

Enhanced Automation scheme

EIS technologies are designed to provide building information on system-wide performance and energy use. They also enable participation in demand-responsive programs, including load-scheduled, demand-shifted or curtailment-based programs. In many cases, the EIS can provide cost and energy savings expected from program participation at different levels. EIS technologies disseminate information in three levels:

Notification-based systems gather information from the utility meter and signals from external sources. External signals include real-time pricing, electric supply alerts, demand response events, and other information, such as weather forecasts. Notification systems also allow for limited two-way communication, such as accepting a demand response request or providing a bid for demand reduction.

Analysis-based systems provide services, such as data analysis of energy usage and cost, forecasting, and bill consolidation. As with notification-based systems, these systems can provide either periodic or real-time data as needed.

Response systems include the functions of analysis-based systems and typically integrate one or more EMS with two-way communication. The response relies on the information received from outside signals. The EMS then adjust load through operator-driven or automated programming.


EMS technologies incorporate a wide range of services. EMS are information and control systems that, through a series of sensors, communications, and controllers, allow a building operator to optimize operation of end-use equipment within their facility, often from a centralized operations panel. Direct digital control (DDC) is the most common EMS technology currently being installed. DDC systems consist of microprocessor-based controllers networked to devices that monitor (sense information) or control operations of facility systems and equipment.

Lighting technologies include lighting control and monitoring strategies. These technologies can operate independently or be linked to an EMS/EIS system. Examples include: on/off and reduced lighting controls such bi-level lighting, dimming controls, and occupancy sensors, as well as centralized control strategies that can be programmed into the EMS.

HVAC technologies are automated through control and monitoring strategies usually connected to an EMS. If connected to an EIS, the EMS can automatically adjust the HVAC system to respond to price signals received from the utility. Similar to lighting, these technologies can also operate independently. HVAC technologies include measures for ventilation, temperature control, time control, chillers, thermal storage and air distribution.

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Resources on Enhanced Automation

The California Energy Commission is offering several free resources to help you identify and implement enhanced automation opportunities for your business.

Cover of HP Case Study

Case Studies

You can download Case Studies to learn what others are achieving with enhanced automation. These success stories showcase the costs and benefits of enhanced automation in HVAC and Lighting systems for medium and large businesses:

Business Case Guidebook cover

Business Case Guidebook

Download the Business Case Guidebook (California Energy Commission publication #400-02-005F, Acrobat PDF file, 20 pages, 2.1 megabytes) to see the economic costs and benefits of investing in building automation. This guidebook familiarizes financial decision makers with EA technologies and provides assessment tools for selecting the appropriate level of automation for a business. It includes ranges of costs and benefits associated with different systems. The sample business case and template can help make the business case for a proposed system. The guidebook also includes resources for more information on EA technologies and for additional technical and financial assistance.

The Business Case Guidebook Template is available for download as a Microsoft Excel file.

Note: Please make sure your security settings (found under the Tools, Macro, Security menu in Excel) are set to "Medium" before opening the file. Click 'Enable Macros' when prompted upon opening the file.


Technical Options Guidebook

Technical Options Guidebook cover

Download the Technical Options Guidebook (California Energy Commission publication #400-02-005F.PDF, Acrobat PDF file, 64 pages, 736 kb) to examine EA technologies and system options. This guidebook familiarizes facility and operations managers with EA technologies. It discusses Energy Information and Management Systems as well as HVAC and lighting controls technologies. The guidebook provides cost and savings estimates for common EA options. It presents strategies for selecting a system, project planning, and implementation. The guidebook also includes resources for more information on EA technologies and for additional technical and financial assistance.


Technical Assistance List


Technical Assistance Documents



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For more information about Enhanced Automation, please contact:
Mike Messenger
California Energy Commission
1516 Ninth Street, MS-28
Sacramento, CA 95814
E-mail: MMesseng@energy.state.ca.us
Phone: 916-654-4774