A Powerful Tracking Tool Dashboard systems help track and manage energy use
By Neil Maldeis
Web-enabled “dashboard” systems turn a build- ing automation system (BAS) into a powerful reporting and tracking tool. Dashboard systems allow facility managers to track data and create reports on a variety of environmental condi- tions—temperature, humidity, energy and rela- tive pressure—from a single location.
Dashboards can provide historical information on energy use and also alert facilities staff immedi- ately when a system goes down or will soon need maintenance. A dashboard may also link to wireless sensors placed on critical building systems compo- nents, which are monitored via a building automa- tion system. The actual dashboard is an intuitive visual
interface that requires minimal training. Dashboard systems are customizable to meet varied reporting
and tracking needs and can prove helpful in a variety of settings, especially health care and education. In a healthcare setting, dashboards track a
hospital’s heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), lighting, security and other systems. Ad- vanced dashboards enable hospital staff members to view, monitor, trend and report environmental conditions or energy usage. Hospital staff can also use dashboard reports to validate Joint Commission compliance and meet other regulatory and compli- ance requirements. A green dashboard can be used in a school set-
ting to track energy efficiency as well as to educate students about energy efficiency. Leaders at Central Montcalm Public School District in Stanton, Mich., recently completed infrastructure improvements that they anticipate will reduce the district’s energy costs by up to 20 percent while improving the academic environment for students, teachers and staff.
The improvements include a dashboard that
tracks energy efficiency, which will be used to enhance the science curricula, along with solar and wind tools that are part of the upgrade project. Dashboards are effective tools for collecting, analyzing and reporting information that can be used to respond to immediate needs as well as to guide future decision making.
Neil Maldeis, PE, CEM, is the energy engineering manager at Trane. Visit www.trane.com for more information.
BELOW: The Trane Education Green Dashboard, which shows reduced electricity use at Central Montcalm High School/Middle School, will be used in the district’s science classes to help reinforce the concepts of energy efficiency and energy generation.