I was driving into Boston the other day and like many areas of the country we have our share of road construction projects. In theory, I can avoid the traffic jams associated with construction zones by using the traffic alert function on my GPS. Traffic alerts give me real-time information on traffic jams so that I can plan an optimum route to get where I want to go faster, and more predictably. In much the same way, an Energy Management System should provide information that enables you to get where you want to go with energy savings and sustainability initiatives. In both cases, the key to success is combining detailed technical implementation with a broad, systems-level perspective.

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1. is unit in working condition;
2. is the fan on when it is supposed to be on;
3. and is the fan off when it is supposed to be off?

A graphic that provided precisely that information was far more valuable to him than an image of a spinning fan, no matter how ?realistic.?

Summary

Just like getting meaningful traffic alerts to appear on my GPS screen in time to help me avoid problems requires deep expertise in data acquisition, information management, communications and user interface design, coupled with a broad systems engineering perspective.  Effective energy management system implementations require both deep and broad expertise. Perhaps that explains the ongoing consolidation in our industry. We have information technology companies buying companies with building systems expertise and BAS suppliers buying companies with information technology expertise. It is clear that truly effective energy management systems require a good measure of both so it will be interesting to see how our industry evolves over the next five to ten years.

As always, the views expressed in this column are mine and do not necessarily reflect the position of BACnet International, Philips Teletrol, ASHRAE, or any other organization. If you want to send comments to me directly, feel free to email me at andysview@arborcoast.com .

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