The Importance of Energy Data and How to Collect it for Building Efficiency

In this blog post, we will discuss the importance of energy data and how it can be collected for building efficiency. Here is what we're going to discuss:

1. Why energy data is important
2. What we can collect
3. Who the personas are that we are collecting data for
4. How we can collect the data.
5. Automation, Contextualization & Action

Why is Energy Data Important?

Energy data is crucial for building efficiency. It helps us understand the overall use of a building and its correlation between operation and occupancy. The way we are using buildings has changed, it’s much more dynamic and HVAC systems are not equipped to handle it. 

Energy data helps building managers make the building more efficient and adjust to new usage patterns. Energy data also provides a story about assets, not just numbers. It helps us understand energy consumption in conjunction with usage, which helps provide strategies for achieving net-zero carbon emissions.

Scopes of Energy Data

There are three different scopes of energy data: 

1. Scope one & two are related to the operations of the building and its direct emissions. Data such as water consumption helps build metrics such as CO2 emissions, energy consumption, and CO2 offset. This data can be used to build applications such as images, reports, benchmarking, and anomaly detection. The personas who benefit from this data are executives, operational, and analytical.
2. Scope three is related to indirect emissions. An example of this are the materials used to construct the building. 

Who are the Personas?

The three main personas are executives, operational, and analytical. 

1. Executives focus on the long-term aspects of the data, such as emission reports, net-zero carbon emissions strategy, and energy conservation measures. 
2. Operational personas are more focused on day-to-day activities such as maintenance and repairs. They need to know when and why to shut down the heating, commonly in real-time. 
3. Analytical personas are more focused on building models, machine learning models, and root-based models to help executives build strategies.

How Can We Collect Energy Data?

Buildings generate data every second, and there are two types of data: transactional and analytical data. Smart meters are used to collect data, and there are several ways to collect it, such as via sensors, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and building automation systems. The data is then processed, and algorithms are applied to make sense of it.

Automation, Contextualization & Actions

Automation is crucial for data collection, especially since buildings generate so much data. Contextualization is also essential to add context to the data collected. Data points are not just points; they are a network, and it is essential to understand the correlations between them. Finally, action is necessary to trigger an action based on the data collected. For example, if a room is empty, the heating should be turned off, even if it is a Monday at 3 pm.

Conclusion

In conclusion, energy data is essential for building efficiency, and it helps us achieve net-zero carbon emissions. The three main personas that benefit from energy data are executives, operational, and analytical. Smart meters, sensors, IoT devices, and building automation systems are used to collect data, and automation, contextualization, and options automation are necessary to make the process more efficient. By collecting and analyzing energy data, we can help building managers make informed decisions to achieve better investments in space for zero carbon emission in the future.

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This article was inspiried by our Head of Solution Design, Mario. He recently hosted a segment on our live product demo titled, Understanding Energy. You can watch the full demo below.

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