Energy Conservation Strategies: An Analysis of Building Energy Management Systems
(BEMS) and Intelligent Buildings (IB)
BEMS and IB have the potential to conserve energy and boost productivity by generating
a pleasant working environment. The world is presently experiencing two critical trends:
growing fossil fuel costs and worries about climate change. Both generate high opportunities for
energy saving (Moriarty and Honnery, 2019, 3543). Buildings are one of the five primary energy
consumers, according to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and “mega-
trends” are required to improve energy efficiency (Brugger et al., 2021, 152). They account for
about 40 per cent of energy production in most nations, and demand is growing. According to the
International Energy Agency (IEA), emerging trends in energy consumption will motivate over
half of all energy supply expenditures in buildings by 2030 (Dudin et al., 2019, 1708).
BEMS optimisation provides better energy management; nevertheless, frequent building
assessments and fine-tuning are essential to guarantee that energy management is upheld. The
advanced methods for attaining energy savings are summarised while improving comfort
conditions. BEMS performance is reliant on the operator, physical plant, zoning, and controls
levels as well as the kind of environment whereby the technology is being implemented (Gabbar,
2018). Internal energy savings deployment professionals seeking a tool to assist them through
modifying settings, modifying building management systems, as well as recommissioning old
systems will find this information helpful.
Energy Saving Opportunity for BEMS
1. Occupancy-Time Schedule
BEMS uses occupancy level as a critical strategy for energy saving; however, it
needs regular reviewing to maintain representative settings (Salimi and Hammad, 2019,
229). For instance, occupancy levels of schools and colleges regularly vary owing to
activities like after-school clubs, evening lessons, etc. It would be simple to use a “carte
blanche” strategy and define a wide time pattern, resulting in excessive heating and
cooling intervals. Occupancy levels should be reviewed regularly to identify the potential
of changing setpoints for numerous periods of occupancy on various days.
2. Zoning
A cost-effective technique to conserve more energy is implementing further
zoning to regions with differing occupancy patterns (Baldi et al., 2018, 1250). These
segregated regions are only cooled or heated as necessary. Each zone may have
occupancy periods, optimisation, and compensation performed to maximise the savings
capability.
3. Calendar Schedules
BEMS provides ample time scheduling features, and this is the option to
implement schedule patterns across various calendar dates (Nazari, Borrelli and
Stefanopoulou, 2021, 1135). This allows changeable time scheduling to meet varied work
routines to be planned well ahead. This technique may be used in regions where
occupancy levels continually change every week, like exhibition rooms or conference
, rooms. As a result, operator time is minimised since setups are done just once rather than
weekly.
4. Vacation/Holiday Periods
In combination with time schedules, holiday schedules are utilised to assure
energy savings throughout public holidays when companies are closed. For instance, In
the U.K., usually, there are 8 public holidays. To compute the energy conservation for a
business building, multiply the building availability of fifty-two weeks by five working
days Equals 260; consequently, eight public holidays correspond to over 3 per cent
potential energy savings(Walker et al., 2017, 67).
When using an integrated systems strategy, a single modification to a central
holiday or time schedule may affect all integrated systems, such as security, access
control, and lighting. This guarantees that HVAC systems perform per the expected
occupancy, optimising energy savings across the facility and decreasing operational
expenses.
5. Optimisers
“Optimiser” is a term that is connected with energy savings. Long before the
development of the BEMS, an optimiser was an independent controller with an
exterior temperature sensor mounted on a north wall and an interior space temperature
sensor(Brastein et al., 2018, 64). A temperature increase rate was determined in line with
how cold it was outdoors, which became a time factor that was modified depending on
the heat loss of the facility and the difference between the interior temperature and the
target occupancy temperature.
The BEMS offers detailed information on the optimisers’ activities, and they must
be routinely evaluated to ensure the optimum savings are obtained (Degha, Laallam and
Said, 2019, 225). This may be done at several times of the week and under various
outdoor temperature conditions. If the interior temperature has not reached occupancy
standards in the preceding 24 hours, such as on a Monday morning, the BEMS optimiser
has extra “boost” capabilities that may be used. This is activated automatically to
guarantee comfort conditions are reached.
6. Enthalpy Control
Enthalpy is referred to as the overall air heat content. This may be used in
cooling, humidity and heating control air-handling unit systems (Kalbasi, Ruhani and
Rostami, 2019, 2883). The concept is that even if the outer air could be hotter than the
return air, there might be less cumulative heat in kJ/kg of energy. This switch is set using
a software program, and dampers are set up to take advantage of the “warmer” exterior
air with a lower net heat content.
7. Demand Programming
This program will continuously check the positions of the heating and cooling
control valves to see whether the system is under load. If any (or a tiny proportion) of the
valves are open over 5 per cent, therefore the systems work properly to meet the needs.
On the other hand, when all the valves (or a large proportion) are under 5 per cent open;
therefore the secondary pumps are deactivated. If there are no additional load demands
from other systems, the major pumps and primary cooling or heating systems are stopped
(BEMS) and Intelligent Buildings (IB)
BEMS and IB have the potential to conserve energy and boost productivity by generating
a pleasant working environment. The world is presently experiencing two critical trends:
growing fossil fuel costs and worries about climate change. Both generate high opportunities for
energy saving (Moriarty and Honnery, 2019, 3543). Buildings are one of the five primary energy
consumers, according to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and “mega-
trends” are required to improve energy efficiency (Brugger et al., 2021, 152). They account for
about 40 per cent of energy production in most nations, and demand is growing. According to the
International Energy Agency (IEA), emerging trends in energy consumption will motivate over
half of all energy supply expenditures in buildings by 2030 (Dudin et al., 2019, 1708).
BEMS optimisation provides better energy management; nevertheless, frequent building
assessments and fine-tuning are essential to guarantee that energy management is upheld. The
advanced methods for attaining energy savings are summarised while improving comfort
conditions. BEMS performance is reliant on the operator, physical plant, zoning, and controls
levels as well as the kind of environment whereby the technology is being implemented (Gabbar,
2018). Internal energy savings deployment professionals seeking a tool to assist them through
modifying settings, modifying building management systems, as well as recommissioning old
systems will find this information helpful.
Energy Saving Opportunity for BEMS
1. Occupancy-Time Schedule
BEMS uses occupancy level as a critical strategy for energy saving; however, it
needs regular reviewing to maintain representative settings (Salimi and Hammad, 2019,
229). For instance, occupancy levels of schools and colleges regularly vary owing to
activities like after-school clubs, evening lessons, etc. It would be simple to use a “carte
blanche” strategy and define a wide time pattern, resulting in excessive heating and
cooling intervals. Occupancy levels should be reviewed regularly to identify the potential
of changing setpoints for numerous periods of occupancy on various days.
2. Zoning
A cost-effective technique to conserve more energy is implementing further
zoning to regions with differing occupancy patterns (Baldi et al., 2018, 1250). These
segregated regions are only cooled or heated as necessary. Each zone may have
occupancy periods, optimisation, and compensation performed to maximise the savings
capability.
3. Calendar Schedules
BEMS provides ample time scheduling features, and this is the option to
implement schedule patterns across various calendar dates (Nazari, Borrelli and
Stefanopoulou, 2021, 1135). This allows changeable time scheduling to meet varied work
routines to be planned well ahead. This technique may be used in regions where
occupancy levels continually change every week, like exhibition rooms or conference
, rooms. As a result, operator time is minimised since setups are done just once rather than
weekly.
4. Vacation/Holiday Periods
In combination with time schedules, holiday schedules are utilised to assure
energy savings throughout public holidays when companies are closed. For instance, In
the U.K., usually, there are 8 public holidays. To compute the energy conservation for a
business building, multiply the building availability of fifty-two weeks by five working
days Equals 260; consequently, eight public holidays correspond to over 3 per cent
potential energy savings(Walker et al., 2017, 67).
When using an integrated systems strategy, a single modification to a central
holiday or time schedule may affect all integrated systems, such as security, access
control, and lighting. This guarantees that HVAC systems perform per the expected
occupancy, optimising energy savings across the facility and decreasing operational
expenses.
5. Optimisers
“Optimiser” is a term that is connected with energy savings. Long before the
development of the BEMS, an optimiser was an independent controller with an
exterior temperature sensor mounted on a north wall and an interior space temperature
sensor(Brastein et al., 2018, 64). A temperature increase rate was determined in line with
how cold it was outdoors, which became a time factor that was modified depending on
the heat loss of the facility and the difference between the interior temperature and the
target occupancy temperature.
The BEMS offers detailed information on the optimisers’ activities, and they must
be routinely evaluated to ensure the optimum savings are obtained (Degha, Laallam and
Said, 2019, 225). This may be done at several times of the week and under various
outdoor temperature conditions. If the interior temperature has not reached occupancy
standards in the preceding 24 hours, such as on a Monday morning, the BEMS optimiser
has extra “boost” capabilities that may be used. This is activated automatically to
guarantee comfort conditions are reached.
6. Enthalpy Control
Enthalpy is referred to as the overall air heat content. This may be used in
cooling, humidity and heating control air-handling unit systems (Kalbasi, Ruhani and
Rostami, 2019, 2883). The concept is that even if the outer air could be hotter than the
return air, there might be less cumulative heat in kJ/kg of energy. This switch is set using
a software program, and dampers are set up to take advantage of the “warmer” exterior
air with a lower net heat content.
7. Demand Programming
This program will continuously check the positions of the heating and cooling
control valves to see whether the system is under load. If any (or a tiny proportion) of the
valves are open over 5 per cent, therefore the systems work properly to meet the needs.
On the other hand, when all the valves (or a large proportion) are under 5 per cent open;
therefore the secondary pumps are deactivated. If there are no additional load demands
from other systems, the major pumps and primary cooling or heating systems are stopped
