The National Building Controls Information Program

Floyd E. Barwig, John M. House, and Curtis J. Klaassen, Iowa Energy Center
Morteza M. Ardehali, KN Toosi University of Technology
Theodore F. Smith, The University of Iowa

Keywords

Abstract

The National Building Controls Information Program (NBCIP) has been established at the Iowa Energy Center with initial support from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The NBCIP was established on the premise that properly functioning control systems are a significant contributor to energy efficiency, and problems associated with building controls and operation are a primary cause of energy inefficiency. The objective of the NBCIP is to develop a source of manufacturer-specific performance information as well as broad-based best-practice information on building controls and related components that will promote energy efficiency in buildings.

This paper describes the motivation and background for establishing the NBCIP, outlines the first year efforts of the NBCIP, and summarizes findings from tasks already completed. In particular, findings are presented from a literature review of case studies reporting inefficient energy use linked to control-related problems. Control problems associated with input devices, software programming, and operator interference had the highest rate of occurrence among the subcategories of problems identified. Findings from a roundtable discussion in which controls experts were asked to help identify the source and energy impact of control-related problems are also presented. The results from the roundtable support those from the literature review and identify problems stemming from software programming as the subcategory of control problem having the largest energy impact. These findings and those from other scoping activities to be carried out in the first year of the program will be used to help prioritize NBCIP efforts.