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Overall Program Goals:
The goals of the Advanced Automated HVAC Fault Detection and Diagnostics
(FDD) Commercialization Program are to develop and demonstrate advanced
fault detection and diagnostic methods and measurement equipment for cooling,
heating, and ventilating systems; more advanced and fault-resistant HVAC
equipment; and to work directly with manufacturers in order to implement
improvements and innovations in commercially available equipment.
The desired outcomes are improved indoor environmental quality, reduced
energy use, reduced peak demand, and reduced pollution for the citizens
of California. More than 28% of the electricity used in California commercial
buildings is for air-conditioning, heating, and ventilation. At least 10%
of this energy is wasted due to excessive run time and problems in the
HVAC equipment and controls.
This Program is a continuation of the Energy Efficient and Affordable Small Commercial and Residential Buildings PIER Buildings Program, the Integrated Energy Systems: Productivity and Building Science Program, and other PIER buildings research projects. The relationships between the Program activities to reach this goal, and the research and market needs identified in HVAC target areas, are discussed below.
The project teams in this Program will work with major manufacturers to
further develop innovative FDD techniques and systems that will be integrated
with HVAC systems and controls. The projects include field demonstrations
to document the energy performance and cost advantages of these systems,
as well as develop and distribute information products to market decision
makers. The Program has the following related goals or desired outcomes:
- The next generation of packaged and built-up HVAC systems and controls
will have either on-board diagnostics or logged data sufficient to allow
analysis by a supervisory building control system.
- Information about FDD-enabled components and equipment will be available
for use in HVAC-engineering and technician training programs.
- Building automation vendors will include FDD reporting in their products.
- Commercial building owners and operators will use automated FDD reporting
to correct problems in their building HVAC systems and reap corresponding
benefits in better building environments, increased equipment life, and
reduced energy use and costs.
PIER Goals:
This Program meets the PIER Goal of Improving the Energy Cost/Value of
California's Electricity by reducing energy waste and providing timely
information to service providers regarding energy-wasting problems in HVAC
equipment and control systems.
Program Objectives:
The overall objective of this Program is to successfully develop and introduce advanced fault detection and diagnostic methods into commercial HVAC products which will be deployed in California buildings and to develop other equipment and techniques for the commercial market which will improve indoor environments and energy efficiency.
The specific goals of each technical project are as follows:
Project 2: Web-Enabled Automated Diagnostics
- Create a web-enabled HVAC automated diagnostics system that detects and
reports significant faults in air handlers; chiller, boiler, and cooling
tower systems; and associated fans and pumps.
- Demonstrate the diagnostic system in at least 3 commercial buildings.
- Market the diagnostic system as a commercial product both directly to clients
and to service providers.
Projected Outcomes
- At the 20% level of market penetration, reduce energy consumption in California
by 49 GWh annually.
Project 3: AHU and VAV Box Diagnostics
- Develop automated methods of determining and setting appropriate control
factors to assure valid detection and reporting of faults and avoid or
minimize false positive reporting of faults.
- Embed AHU and VAV Box Diagnostics in selected controller components from
three to four major control component manufacturers and deploy these in
field demonstration sites for evaluation.
- Work closely and collaboratively with HVAC controls manufacturers to ensure
that product innovations are functional and practical.
Projected Outcomes
- At the 20% level of market penetration in colleges, hospitals, and large
office buildings, reduce energy consumption in California by 157 GWh annually.
Project 4: Advanced Packaged Rooftop Unit
- In close collaboration with one or more major RTU manufacturers, create
a specification for a cost effective advanced packaged rooftop air conditioner
and develop a laboratory prototype to evaluate the improvements.
- Develop life-cycle benefit analysis to document specific benefits of each
improvement.
- Work with market transformation organizations to publicize results of the
project to electric utilities, equipment manufacturers, end users, and
public goods such as energy supplies and the environment.
Projected Outcomes
- At the 20% level of market penetration, reduce energy consumption in California
by 25 GWh annually.
Project 5: Rooftop Unit Diagnostics
- Embed FDD methods in selected controller components from one or two major
control component manufacturers and deploy these in field demonstration
sites for evaluation.
- Work with manufacturer(s) to develop network systems and information technology
to effectively communicate equipment conditions to facilities and service
personnel.
- Deploy these FDD-enabled unit controllers and networked information systems
in field demonstration sites for evaluation and refinement.
Projected Outcomes
- At the 20% level of market penetration, reduce energy consumption in California
by 36 GWh annually.
Project 6: SpeciFlow™ Technology
Make three technical improvements to the SpeciFlow™ technology to improve its accuracy at high damper opening positions and data I/O to accelerate its entrance into the marketplace.
Projected Outcomes
- Code-mandated outside air measurements will be made more accurately and less expensively compared to existing technologies.
Project 7: Program Market Connections
Guide the market focus of the Program to increase the adoption and public
benefits impact of the projects products and results.
Projected Outcomes
- Private sector adoption of technologies and practices from the Program.
- Regulatory and voluntary mechanisms that influence the integration of the
results into the market and that exist as a result of this project.
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