By: Scott McCormick, VP Sales & Business Development
January 26, 2016

With the energy industry changing so rapidly and new technologies coming to market every day, we’re reminded of the importance of being able to “walk the talk.” Nowadays, information is just a click away and, as a result, our expectations have changed. It’s no longer enough to boast the latest in energy efficiency features; companies looking to thrive in today’s market must be able to prove their value.

At BuildingIQ, we pride ourselves on working together with our customers to reinforce the tangible impacts of our technology. As an example of this, we’re excited to announce the results of a study recently conducted on a program we’ve undertaken in collaboration with San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E), a public utility providing energy services to more than 3.4 million people in San Diego and southern Orange counties, and property management company, Kilroy Realty.

California’s Energy Action Plan & the ETCC

The program, co-created by SDG&E as part of the Emerging Technologies Coordinating Council (ETCC), aimed to evaluate the energy savings and demand response potential of our Predictive Energy Optimization^TM (PEO) software. To provide real-world context to the results, the pilot was carried out at a 144,000 square foot property owned by Kilroy Realty and powered by SDG&E.

This is one of numerous pilot programs currently being undertaken or developed in California by the ETCC’s member companies – which include Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas Company, San Diego Gas & Electric, and the California Energy Commission – to help the state achieve its ambitious energy savings goals, as outlined in the California Energy Action Plan.

The main goal of the ETCC’s Emerging Technologies initiatives is to identify, assess and support the adoption of energy-reducing technologies that address energy management, lighting and water heating among other facility operations. In particular, the ETCC invests its interests in technologies that can offer significant energy savings and have the potential to quickly penetrate the market.

Validating Real-World Impact

To fully understand the impact that BuildingIQ’s Predictive Energy Optimization™ (PEO) platform made on the property over the study period, SDG&E’s Emerging Technologies (ET) group called upon kW Engineering to conduct an independent analysis and create a report outlining the results.

Significant testing of the baseline and post-implementation systems was conducted at the participating facility. During the program, two demand response (DR) events occurred, one in June and the other in July. PEO was able to reduce peak load during both these events without disruption to tenant comfort. kW Engineering also documented that annual energy consumption would be cut by more than 83,000 kWh, or 10.7 percent of the annual baseline usage, as a result of reductions made automatically by BuildingIQ’s ability to optimize daily energy use for heating and cooling operations.

Overall, the analysis confirmed that the PEO platform demonstrates a potential for energy savings that goes above and beyond current code or industry standard practices at a reasonable payback and has the potential to be a successful measure through statewide, customized incentive programs. Based on kW Engineering’s calculations and SDG&E’s current incentives, BuildingIQ’s model-based predictive HVAC control enhancement platform would qualify for a rate of $300 per verified kW shed during a demand response event.

BuildingIQ takes strong measures to ensure value is being delivered to every client, from an automated Measurement & Verification application and service to Savings Guarantees. The results of this latest independent study is one more way we are adding transparency to the impact that can be created with the BuildingIQ platform. The full report has been made publically available through the ETCC website.

Learn how our solutions can help you save money in energy costs and improve occupant comfort. Use these savings to cover other costly building upgrades. Contact us today.