EcoInsight-Controls
Technical Insights November 17, 2019

Is Your Building Under Control?

Controls Technical

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When controls are designed by the same project team, a greater degree of customization is possible.

The best solutions are based on robust, reliable data. Controls are typically installed during the construction phase of an energy project, once the design is finished. What if you purchased and installed approximately 10% of controls early, to take advantage of the valuable data they provide?

When you install controls at the start of a project, even as early as signing the Letter of Agreement, you can begin tracking relevant data. This lets you establish an accurate baseline to inform project measures. Conducting these steps in real time, via remote access to the building automation system, is faster than collecting information during on-site meetings or installing portable recording equipment.

The more data you collect, and the more precise it is, the more customized the design will be. The result: measures that are guaranteed to improve the performance of your building and to save money.

When controls are designed by a team all working on the project – for example, a project director, design engineer and controls specialist – an even greater degree of customization is possible.

Access to accurate building data through early installation of controls is an advantage you gain when design and construction initiatives are integrated. It is one of many benefits of practicing Integrated Engineering and Construction as part of an Outcome-Based Contracting approach to deep energy retrofits.

Interested in learning more?