Energy Saving Tip #2: Automate Your HVAC System — or Even Your Whole Building

In our first energy saving tip, we urged you to look into no-cost or low-cost solutions that will give you immediate payback with minimal capital investment. Now we’re back with a new tip that isn’t cost-free to implement, but that pays for itself many times over with amazing swiftness.

ENERGY SAVING TIP #2: Install a programmable thermostat to automate your HVAC system, and consider investing in a full building automation system (BAS).

Obviously, a programmable thermostat is going to cost less than a full BAS, so if your budget is limited and you don’t yet have this type of thermostat in place, it’s the avenue you might want to explore. And note that just because it’s less expensive doesn’t mean it won’t reap great rewards! Consider the words of Daniel Sitarz, author of Greening Your Business, as excerpted in a blog post by your friendly neighborhood Eco-Office Gals:

Install programmable thermostats to automate your HVAC system and to significantly scale back your heating and cooling when your business is not in operation. About 6 months of energy savings generally pay the installation and cost of these units, an excellent return on your investment.

If you’re excited about the energy-saving potential of automated systems and you possess the money, time, and initiative to “go all the way,” then you’ll want to look into a full building automation system that combines automated HVAC controls with automated control of other building systems, in order to achieve maximum operational efficiency. The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) defines these systems in very precise terms:

The objective of an energy management/building automation system (also know as an energy management and control system [EMCS]) is to achieve an optimal level of control of occupant comfort while minimizing energy use. These control systems are the integrating component to fans, pumps, heating/cooling equipment, dampers, mixing boxes, and thermostats. Monitoring and optimizing temperature, pressure, humidity, and flow rates are key functions of modern building control systems.

The people at LifeTips, in their selection of tips on how best to use commercial HVAC systems, give a more focused and detailed description for purposes of understanding how HVAC fits into the “big picture” of building automation:

Control energy costs by automating your commercial HVAC system with an energy management system. The system also is known as a building automation system (BAS), and may integrate other building services, such as security and fire prevention:

• Use an energy management system to track building traffic and find the best time of day to start cooling a building and maintaining a desired temperature.
• Ask about Web browser interfaces, a recent innovation in energy management systems. The interfaces allow for easy-to-use centralized management of HVAC systems and other services for buildings at different locations.
• Define your goals for an energy management system, then do research on the Internet for information and resources. The future seems limitless for automating energy efficiency in building services.

Currently, a third of U.S. buildings — all greater than 100,000 square feet — use these automated systems. Estimates are they can save at least 10 percent of overall building energy consumption. The savings are even more for buildings that lack efficient HVAC systems. In addition to saving energy, these systems may also reduce the costs of overall building maintenance.

Whichever of these directions you choose to go, if you aren’t using some form of programmable automation in the operation of your HVAC system (and other building systems) then it’s a sure bet you’re wasting energy and therefore money in all kinds of ways both seen and unseen.