Webinar Q&A: Using Energy Competitions to Reduce Building Energy Use

Last week’s webinar on energy competitions generated more questions than we were able to answer during the live Q&A session, so as promised we are answering all the questions left on the table here on our blog.  You can download the presentation slides (.pdf) or sign up to view and listen to the recording: Using Energy Competitions to Reduce Building Energy Use.

Q: Do you have any feedback on building occupants and their energy-related behaviours once a competition closes? Do they experience a proverbial competition ‘hangover’ and revert to their original energy practices?

A: Extreme measures used to conserve energy like extremely low lighting levels, or turning off hot water or the coffee maker are usually abandoned once the competition ends.  However, competitions often reveal sustainable practices that can continue year round; for example after a competition we have seen our clients turn off under-used refrigerators, remove lights in areas that don’t require them, naturally ventilate a server room by opening a door, and turn off unused computers and lights.

Q: Of the 9 competitions that Pulse was involved in, what was the average savings over the long run?

A: We saw savings up to 7% over a 6 month period, but many of the competitions completed just recently, so we don’t have average, long term savings for all of them.  Some of the buildings that did well during the competition due to extreme actions that were not sustainable over the long term, and therefore they experienced little to no persistent savings. Read the rest of this entry »

April suggested reading

Here are two interesting articles on energy conservation and  that we found last month.

The first one was posted in mid-February on CNET, but perhaps you missed it then just like we did.  It’s an update of an on-going study conducted by Oklahoma Gas & Electric in conjunction with the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory.  The study results so far indicate that people will significantly conserve electricity during peak demand if given price incentives and tools to modify usage: http://cnet.co/gY1HcJ.  The article states that:

“The first collection of data, taken from June through September, found that on average customers who were offered peak pricing, but no smart tools, reduced electricity use during peak periods by 33 percent. Customers using smart thermostats and offered peak pricing, reduced electricity use during peak times by as much as 57 percent.”

While this study is tracking the usage patterns of small businesses and residences, the underlying hypothesis that more control over energy usage will reduce consumption also appears to apply to larger commercial buildings, as evidenced by the results of an occupant engagement experiment that we helped one of our clients conduct. Read the rest of this entry »

Tips for Energy Managers in New Roles

During last week’s webinar entitled “Energy Managers: Carve Out Your Niche“, Pulse Energy’s Craig Handley used examples from his experience as RMIT University’s Energy Manager to illustrate the challenges that energy managers often face when they enter a newly created role in an organization.  Craig offered advice for energy managers on earning respect and credibility in an organization, tips on getting energy management plans approved by executives, and suggestions on how to embed energy management into organizational culture.  In addition, there was one more piece of advice that Craig prepared but did not have time to present at the webinar that we can present on this blog: how to keep things simple. Read the rest of this entry »

February Suggested Reading

1. The rise of Energy Efficiency Resource Standards (EERS) in US states. EnergyBoom details the latest efficiency policy trend in the US. http://www.energyboom.com/efficiency/more-half-us-states-now-have-energy-efficiency-resource-standards

2. CEO of a major US utility talks about changes in the energy market. http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2010/12/30/dominion-ceo-patience-and-policy-on-the-path-to-renewable-energy/

3. Cnet’s Martin LaMonica highlights the importance of building energy efficiency software and the increased interest in the space from investors and major IT players like google and Microsoft. http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20025316-54.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=GreenTech

New People at the Heart of Pulse: twitter, energy managers and user experience design

The Pulse team has more than doubled in size in the last year.  Two recent hires highlight the diversity of experience and passion for energy efficiency software at Pulse Energy. Alina Podkolinska is the newest member of the user experience design team. Craig Handley brings insight into the needs and day-to-day experience of the energy managers, one of Pulse’s most important users.

Alina’s route into Pulse was a real sign of the times. She applied for her position after following one of the UX team members on twitter and applied to Pulse after he had tweeted about a new opening on the team. Much of Alina’s past experience in UX design came at start-up companies.  At Pulse she looks forward to working on a project she can see through to fruition.  “One of the challenges of working in a start-up environment is that most start-ups fail, meaning you don’t often get to finish the work you start.  Working at Pulse is a great opportunity for me to spread my wings and design something from start to finish” said Alina.

2011 is the Year of the Energy Manager at Pulse Energy so it is fitting that the team now includes someone who has significant experience in this role.  Craig spent several years at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia working with facility managers, executives and energy service providers to ensure the energy efficiency of the campus buildings. Many energy managers are new additions to their organizations and Craig’s past experience and success in this role brings meaningful insight to a Pulse team intent on supporting these important users.

Senior Software Interaction Designer Goes ‘Back to School’

In the past several years ‘Design Thinking’ has become an increasingly popular way for businesses to find solutions to their challenges. Authors, artists, inventors, academics and even business leaders have written books and blogged about how design thinking can help businesses by increasing creativity and encouraging new approaches to problem solving. Some of the world’s best companies are now using design thinking as part of their business strategy. Nike, Apple, and even ‘old-school’ organizations like GE have embraced design thinking as part of leadership training.

The Sauder School of Business recently incorporated design thinking into the commerce curriculum at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Under the direction of Moura Quayle and Ronald Kellett undergraduate commerce students now have the opportunity to learn and apply design thinking in the newly launched Sauder d.studio.

Read the rest of this entry »

5 Energy Saving Tips for HVAC Controls

We recently hosted a webinar on energy saving tips for HVAC controls, presented by our very own BAS expert, James Smith.  The tips that James presented were basic maintenance and optimization procedures that save energy and are relatively easy to implement, but are often ignored and left undone.

The 5 tips included mechanical maintenance and controls optimization procedures that can be performed by in-house staff or by outside contractors:

1. Inspect Air Handling Unit (AHU) heating and cooling valves annually, to prevent simultaneous heating and cooling.
2. Inspect, clean, and lubricate mixing dampers seasonally to protect against simultaneous heating and cooling, frozen coils, and incorrect building pressure.
3. Calculate fresh air requirements automatically to protect against excess heating or cooling.
4. Calculate demand from zone devices to set the AHU temperature to eliminate over-cooling.
5. Reset boiler and chiller temperatures based on AHU valve positions to protect against excessively hot or cold water and to prevent unnecessary machine cycling.

James also explained why the effects of these energy wasting problems that these tips are meant to fix can be hidden and not easily detected without an inspection or other direct action.  Anyone who works with HVAC and BAS systems, as well as anyone who wants an interesting insight into the mechanical workings of their building will likely find this presentation interesting; check out the webinar recording for more details on each tip as well as a bonus tip.

We concluded the webinar with a Q&A session, and as is often the case we had a very engaged audience asking us lots of questions that we couldn’t answer in the time allotted.  James’ responses to most of the unanswered questions are below and we encourage you to join the discussion with new or follow-up questions or comments by adding a comment to this blog posting:

Read the rest of this entry »

Vancouver to Shanghai to Amsterdam: A Cisco/Pulse Energy Story

By Blair Grabinsky

Last month, Cisco’s TelePresence technology enabled Wim Elfrink, VP of S+CC, David Helliwell, CEO of Pulse Energy, and Vancouver Mayor, Gregor Robertson to announce the latest S+CC initiative to the world. Efrink was in Amsterdam, while David and the Mayor were in Cisco’s Shanghai Expo Pavilion where Pulse Energy is featured as the domain of Building Energy Management. Other constituents from the City of Vancouver, Cisco and Pulse Energy and various members of the media tuned in via Telepresence to hear the announcement. At home in Vancouver, the importance of smart, connected cities who manage their energy performance is well known. The 2010 Winter Olympics saw the launch of Pulse Energy’s Venue Energy Tracker-a first for an Olympic Games

Pulse Energy’s team landed in the UK in the spring of 2010, and have been developing Cisco relationships that extend out to Cisco Partners and customers. David Helliwell commented that, “The UK market is ahead of most of the world in terms of having a regulatory imperative to monitor and manage energy use in buildings. This is a great opportunity for Cisco and Pulse Energy to accelerate the deployment of our joint energy management offering.”

Pulse Energy has built their domain knowledge around Building Energy Management with early adopters: Utilities, Hospitals, Universities, Government and portfolio management companies.

Former Cisco executive, Dean Rockwell, recently joined the Pulse Energy team as Chief Operating Officer. In discussing the go-to-market strategy with Cisco in the UK, he stated, “We’ve had a very positive reception in the UK, and Pulse Energy and Cisco are being positioned as the last mile of the Smart Grid.” As customers in the UK begin to use Pulse Energy to determine their demand curve for energy on a real-time basis, Cisco can leverage this information using the Mediator and EnergyWise to build out the bigger picture around an Enterprise’s energy footprint.

At the end of the day, the network is more than just connecting people in Vancouver, Shanghai, and Amsterdam, the network can connect all kinds of things, and these end points can be pulled into Pulse Energy to tell a story around sustainment that is compelling and leads to changes in how people see and respond to energy information.

Q&A Session from our “How to Optimize DDC Systems to Save Energy in Hospitals” webinar

Nancy Myers, Energy Manager for the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) joined us for a webinar on saving energy in hospitals through DDC system optimization.  Nancy presented her team’s plan and process for investigating and optimizing DDC systems in their hospitals, along with examples of the energy wasting anomalies that they discovered.

Once again, the Q&A session was just as interesting as the presentation itself, and you can read it right here:

Q: How often do you calibrate your temperature sensors and outside air sensors?

Nancy Myers- When we do our end to ends check twice a year we look at all the zones, if a sensor is out more than 2 degrees then we replace it. A sensor is 20 bucks, cheap. We look at outside air often because the DX cooling is often on when it’s not hot out. We don’t change outside air sensors that often, maybe every 5 years. Its’ very important to understand where they’re located in the building because they are often installed at odd or inappropriate locations. Read the rest of this entry »

Pulse Energy office uses new competition module and reduces energy use by 8.8%