Energy-data Dashboards and Operators: Designing for Usability in New York City Schools

IBM, through its Smarter Cities program, working with the Building Performance Lab of the City University of New York (BPL-CUNY) and New York City (NYC) government, has developed an energy dashboard drawing upon the city’s database of information from the U.S. EPA EnergyStar Portfolio Manager and other sources, such as local weather stations, for the city’s 1,400 public schools. A unique aspect of the dashboard design process has been conscious integration with a training program for school operating (custodial) engineers. The dashboard is designed to easily display specific kinds of information that is emphasized in the training program, such as energy use breakdowns by source, end-use breakdowns, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, benchmarking, performance rating, normalized projections versus actuals, measurement tracking, local peer comparisons, forecasting and simulation. Information is used as the basis of practical projects to fulfill requirements for the national Building Operator Certification (level 1), addressing specific energy management and retro-commissioning learning objectives. Learning objectives and their relation to specific information types from the dashboard are described. The paper reports on this integration and initial experience with over 300 trainees in classroom, computer lab, and practical project application. Implications are developed for the appropriate use of information technology (IT) tools and analytics in providing insights and feedback for operators engaged in energy use reduction programs

Innovative Control of Electric Heat in Multifamily Buildings

This paper describes the application of web-based wireless technology for control of electric heating in a large multifamily housing complex. The control system architecture and components are described. A web-based application enables remote monitoring of temperature, electric usage and control of peak demand through a temperature-based duty-cycling algorithm developed specifically for the application. Installed costs and energy savings are discussed. A 16% energy-use reduction was confirmed through the first heating season of operation. The response of occupants and management to changes in temperature regime has been a critical aspect of system start-up and commissioning

Temporary Labour–Migration System and Long–term Residence Strategies in the United Arab Emirates

© 2019 The Authors. International Migration © 2019 IOM The United Arab Emirates’ migration system, the sponsorship–based kafala system, is defined as a temporary labour–migration regime. Although there are policies making permanent residence unattainable for virtually all migrants, it is still relevant to explore the temporality of migrations in the UAE. The purpose of this study is to investigate developments in migration, migration policies and population trends in the country, including trends that concern the duration of migrants’ stay. We also identify some of the major strategies used by migrants to prolong their sojourn in the UAE. It is maintained that the migrant stock has increased continuously in the last decades and that a large number of migrants devise strategies to continue their residence and remain in the country for years. The authors also identify and discuss migrants’ transition within and in-between regularity and irregularity, and analyse the reasons for utilizing different strategies over time

Operational Effectiveness in Use fo BAS

The effectiveness of BAS in controlling building systems is seen to reside in conjoint man machine function. In an emerging industry paradigm, data is extracted from the BAS and used for analytics that inform enhanced operations. This processing may include a mash up with data from other sources, such as energy meters. KPI metrics and Building ReTuning, an on going commissioning process, are suggested as important ways to guide operators in training and subsequent understanding and use of data intensive tools. Short case studies of work in progress on two CUNY campuses are provided

Seeing by Degrees: Programming Visualization From Sensor Networks

In order to create baseline conditions for building energy performance, make a setting adjustment or determine optimal operating parameters, it is often necessary to view a large series of history data from a building control and management system. However, viewing large amounts of data in tables and charts is not a useful procedure to find significant patterns and information for an energy team. A new approach at AEA adds a programming engineer to the normal energy analysis team who manages data and programs visualization tools to speed analysis. This paper addresses the potential effectiveness of such an addition to the typical building operations (optimization) project team. The programming engineer confronts issues in two directions. First is the nature of the data as it is captured and stored, which establishes various data processing steps that are necessary to produce an automated acquisition system to the server. For the second direction, the programming engineer must adapt to the needs of the project team: what kinds of questions are the building engineers asking, how does data need to be aggregated, and how can it best be visualized. The paper considers how, in order to produce useful data tools, the programming engineer is confronted with having to learn and appreciate the kinds of questions asked by other disciplines on the project team

Operational Effectiveness in Use fo BAS

The effectiveness of BAS in controlling building systems is seen to reside in conjoint man machine function. In an emerging industry paradigm, data is extracted from the BAS and used for analytics that inform enhanced operations. This processing may include a mash up with data from other sources, such as energy meters. KPI metrics and Building ReTuning, an on going commissioning process, are suggested as important ways to guide operators in training and subsequent understanding and use of data intensive tools. Short case studies of work in progress on two CUNY campuses are provided

Integrating Enhanced Building Operations into Municipal Sustainability Programming: A Report from NYC

With municipalities setting goals for greenhouse gas reductions, there is an emerging need for model program designs based on quantitative analysis. Evidence is cited that commercial-institutional building retrofit programs can be significantly improved by commissioning and enhanced operation activities. Dimensions are defined along which program value is added: capture of high-payback O&M measures, early action, achievement of projections, and persistence. Based on parameters in the NYC Mayor's Office PlaNYC2030, a spreadsheet model is developed to quantify the value of including an EBO component with a Capital Projects program. Given project-cycle considerations, including EBO enables actions and associated energy reduction to begin more quickly under Operating Budget allocations. Although impressive quantified benefits are indicated market difficulties will inhibit the expansion of EBO. Engineering consultants, mechanical-electrical contractors, ESCOs, and facilities staff are at a relatively low level of readiness for undertaking true operational improvement programs. Root cause of this market condition is suggested to lie in the predominant capital-projects business model of the engineering and construction industry. Large municipal programs can be a lever in changing these market conditions. A set of recommendations is developed for program design the will facilitate incorporation of longterm EBO into more traditional energy efficiency programs

2011. “Statistical Modeling for Anomaly Detection, Forecasting and Root Cause Analysis of Energy Consumption for a Portfolio of Buildings

ABSTRACT A multi-step statistical analysis procedure is developed to assess energy consumption and to identify energy saving opportunities for large portfolios of buildings such as the New York City's public school buildings. The method borrows strength from and makes integrated use of the Variable Base Degree Day (VBDD) regression model, multivariate regression model and the Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model. The analytical method provides useful information to compute energy performance metrics, detect anomaly, forecast and analyze root causes of the energy consumptions of the buildings, and helps building facility engineers and property managers to achieve significant energy savings, greenhouse gas emission reductions and cost savings

The modulation by 5-HT of glutamatergic inputs from the raphe pallidus to rat hypoglossal motoneurones, in vitro

Decreases in the activity of 5-HT-containing caudal raphe neurones during sleep are thought to be partially responsible for the resultant disfacilitation of hypoglossal motoneurones. Whilst 5-HT has a direct excitatory action on hypoglossal motoneurones as a result of activation of 5-HT2 receptors, microinjection of 5-HT2 antagonists into the hypoglossal nucleus reduces motor activity to a much lesser extent compared to the suppression observed during sleep suggesting other transmitters co-localised in caudal raphe neurones may also be involved. The aim of the present study was therefore to characterise raphe pallidus inputs to hypoglossal motoneurones. Whole cell recordings were made from hypoglossal motoneurones in vitro. 5-HT evoked a direct membrane depolarisation (8.45 ± 3.8 mV, P < 0.001) and increase in cell input resistance (53 ± 40 %, P < 0.001) which was blocked by the 5-HT2 antagonist, ritanserin (2.40 ± 2.7 vs. 7.04 ± 4.6 mV). Stimulation within the raphe pallidus evoked a monosynaptic EPSC that was significantly reduced by the AMPA/kainateantagonist, NBQX (22.8 ± 16 % of control, P < 0.001). In contrast, the 5-HT2 antagonist, ritanserin, had no effect on the amplitude of these EPSCs (106 ± 31 % of control, P = n.s.). 5-HT reduced these EPSCs to 50.0 ± 13 % of control (P < 0.001), as did the 5-HT1A agonist, 8-OH-DPAT (52.5 ± 17 %, P < 0.001) and the 5-HT1B agonist, CP 93129 (40.6 ± 29 %, P < 0.01). 8-OH-DPAT and CP 93129 increased the paired pulse ratio (1.38 ± 0.27 to 1.91 ± 0.54, P < 0.05 & 1.27 ± 0.08 to 1.44 ± 0.13, P < 0.01 respectively) but had no effect on the postsynaptic glutamate response (99 ± 4.4 % and 100 ± 2.5 %, P = n.s.). They also increased the frequency (P < 0.001), but not the amplitude, of miniature glutamatergic EPSCs in hypoglossal motoneurones. These data demonstrate that raphe pallidus inputs to hypoglossal motoneurones are predominantly glutamatergic in nature, with 5-HT decreasing the release of glutamate from these projections as a result of activation of 5-HT1A and/or5-HT1B receptors located on presynaptic terminals