A new control score concept for building performance assessment

In buildings, performance assessment often focuses on energy use with metrics such as energy use intensity (EUI) used to benchmark performance. However, energy performance of a building is fundamentally determined by the control system and how it engages the energy-using systems. There are two aspects of control that are of particular importance: (1) the ability to regulate process variables to their setpoints; and (2) whether the setpoints are at the right levels and/or following desired profiles. Most buildings do not reach their energy efficiency potential due to deficiencies in control performance and operators do not have access to metrics that can illu-minate these deficiencies. This paper addresses this problem by providing novel techniques that combine these two aspects of control performance into a single standardized score on the scale of 0-10. The concept of a standardized control score enables all systems in a building to be compared on the same scale and also for scores to be rolled up to different levels in the system and building hierarchy for system-wide analysis. The paper presents the theory for the method, de-scribes a prototype tool for displaying scores, and presents results from application to a large building in Minneapolis.

Automated summary

In buildings, energy performance is determined by the control system and its ability to regulate variables and setpoints. Most buildings fail to reach their energy efficiency potential due to deficiencies in control performance. This paper addresses this problem by providing a standardized control score that allows for comparison and analysis of control performance. A prototype tool for displaying scores and results from application to a large building in Minneapolis are presented.