1. Intelligent Buildings and the Cloud by Casey Talon, IDC Energy Insights (Excerpted from CABA White Paper titled “The Impact of Cloud Computing on the Development of Intelligent Buildings” by Casey Talon, Senior Analyst at IDC Energy Insights.)
As cloud computing becomes integrated into every area of business, new and better ways to utilize this technology abound. There are estimates that cloud computing reduces IT labor costs by as much as 50%, and reduces small business energy costs by as much as 90%. The majority of current users agree that being on the cloud has given them better access and control of their data. In addition, it is estimated the global cloud computing market will grow from $40.7 billion in 2011 to more than $241 billion in 2020.
However, as integration and success rates vary, relevant questions inevitably arise: What are the benefits, constraints, and risks of using cloud technology? Will companies adopt cloud-based energy management systems, or have them hosted in their own environments? How do we identify customer IT requirements and determine their preferences? How do we determine the value of cloud to provide solutions previously not (economically) possible?
2. Great read by Ryan R. Hoger, LEED AP’s, post on the Continental Automated Buildings Association Group Linkedin site: TEC, Carrier, ASHRAE, and others join the Advanced RTU Campaign: Older, inefficient commercial rooftop unit (RTU) air conditioning systems are common and can waste from $1,000 to $3,700 per unit annually, depending on the building size and type. By replacing or retrofitting them, you can save money, improve your energy efficiency, make your building more comfortable, and help the environment. The Advanced RTU Campaign (ARC) encourages commercial building owners and operators to replace their old RTUs with more efficient units or to retrofit their RTUs with advanced controls in order to take advantage of these benefits. You can learn more at www.advancedrtu.org, including case studies, energy savings calculator, utility rebates, building awards, and more.
3. ES Engineered Systems Magazine’s Great post on updated heat gain, weather data added to ASHRAE Handbook. Outdated internal equipment heat gain data can result in oversized systems and higher operating costs, according to ASHRAE. The organization says it is also one of the most difficult areas for engineers to define.
To assist the building environment industry in defining these loads and designing more cost-efficient systems, internal equipment heat gain and load density data have been updated in the newest edition of the ASHRAE Handbook. The flagship of ASHRAE’s Handbook series, the “2013 ASHRAE Handbook–Fundamentals,” 39 chapters cover basic principles and data used in the HVACR industry, including updated information on building materials, load calculations, energy resources and analysis, refrigerants, indoor environmental quality, sustainability, controls, duct and piping system design, and more.
Demand Response Research Center
4. The United States needs a real-time demand response infrastructure to optimally manage and link electric supply- and demand-side systems. This Smart Grid infrastructure must be compatible with requirements of electric system grid operators and electric utility companies while serving the loads and needs of electricity customers.The Demand Response Research Center plans and conducts multi-disciplinary research to advance demand response within Smart Grid infrastructures in California, the nation, and abroad.
5. Five Pitfalls That Can Derail Your Big Data Project: Big Data is large – and small. It’s extremely diverse in origin, in style, in consistency and in quality. Some organizations in certain industries are dealing with massive data volumes, while others have much smaller data sets to exploit, but might have a broader variety of sources and formats. Make sure you go after the “right” data: Identify all the sources that are relevant, and don’t be embarrassed if you don’t need to scale your data computing cluster to hundreds of nodes right away!
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