5 ways technology can make your building more energy efficient [EVENT]

When it comes to making a commercial building more energy efficient, data analytics can be more powerful than humans or traditional automation systems.

That’s just one way that new technology is changing the face of the energy efficient building sector, experts said at “Bright Green Buildings,” an event held by the Delaware Valley Green Building Council.

Here are five takeaways from the event:

• LED lights are more like addressable network devices than light bulbs. They use a fraction of the power and typically run on communication cable, not traditional power infrastructure (heavy copper wire).
• Data analytics are powerful. Data analytics is the behind-the-scenes data analysis of building systems (i.e. HVAC & electrical switch gear) that identify negative trends and offer actionable steps to correct problems before they occur. In modern buildings, you can use data analytics to identify problems that cause inefficiencies before humans or traditional automation systems can detect them.
• Smart buildings have the ability to communicate with a smart power grid to shed electrical load during peak times. This reduces the need for the power companies to turn on their oldest, most inefficient and most polluting power plants to meet demand. This is called “Demand Response.”
• Data Server virtualization (or just “virtualization”) is being employed by IT departments to drastically reduce data center power consumption compared to traditional data centers.
• New technology lets multiple systems work together. Advancements in network technologies allow multiple systems (fire alarm, HVAC, security), business systems and specialty systems to work simultaneously on one common infrastructure which results in massive reductions in the amount of wire being manufactured, transported and used inside buildings.