Empowering building owners to foster innovation and redefine operational efficiency

Every building owner and operator encounters the same set of challenges. How can they get maximum value and efficiency from an aging building and its assets? How can the lifespan of critical building assets like HVAC systems and elevators be extended, all while reducing maintenance and operating costs? How can building operators create a safe and healthy environment for occupants? Just as important, what measures must be taken to enhance sustainability efforts and reduce the environmental impact of facilities?

Answering these questions is more important than ever given that today’s buildings are aging rapidly. In fact, more than 75% of commercial floorspace^[i] in the United States was built before 1999 and is quickly becoming outdated, along with the assets inside, from HVAC systems to lighting to fire protection.

Operational efficiency is critically important in all buildings. Like owning and operating a car, neglecting routine maintenance and care guarantees it will break down sooner rather than later, leaving you stranded on the roadside.

Operational efficiency through three steps

Achieving operational efficiency is a long journey. But like any journey, it begins with a single step. The first is gaining visibility into assets. The reality is that information about building assets is typically spread across different parts of an organization, with no simple way to consolidate the data and gain clear insights. Additionally, most operators simply lack the time and resources to manually comb through extensive log reports from their various assets. What operators need is clear visibility into how their assets are performing and when servicing is needed.

The second step is efficiency. This step necessitates a comprehensive understanding of your asset performance and the identification of any shortcomings. These gaps could stem from issues with the assets themselves or from poor maintenance practices within your facility. Consider a piece of equipment in a manufacturing plant that is miscalibrated. This can lead to excessive energy consumption, product defects, and lower overall efficiency. That same holds true for a building portfolio. Pinpointing and addressing issues in a timely manner is crucial to unlocking optimal efficiency across your operations.

The third step is reliability. The key to reliability lies in leveraging the power of predictive maintenance and monitoring. This enables operators to quickly identify and resolve emerging issues before they escalate into larger problems. As a result, operators can avoid unnecessary downtime and costly reactive maintenance. Ultimately, reliability translates to critical assets being fully available and operational whenever needed.

Improving building performance can be achieved through one solution

Greater visibility, efficiency and reliability starts with the right building management system (BMS). A BMS not only manages and monitors various building functions to bolster efficient operations but also supports occupant comfort.

Consider the fact that maintaining a comfortable indoor environment requires constantly circulating fresh outdoor air into the building. While this ventilation is essential for occupant health and safety, it can significantly undermine energy efficiency — especially during extreme weather conditions like bitterly cold winters. By precisely modeling and optimizing the air handling systems, a BMS can ensure only the minimum required volume of fresh air is introduced. This balanced approach allows the building to meet indoor air quality standards without wasting energy on excessive heating or cooling of the outside air supply.

A modern BMS also features predictive analytics capabilities, allowing operators to anticipate potential asset failures before they occur. The solution continuously monitors equipment data and generates alerts when it detects anomalies that could foreshadow a breakdown. This enables building operators to take corrective action ahead of time to avoid unexpected failures and downtime.

A modern BMS increasingly harnesses the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to further enhance operational efficiency. AI will play a pivotal role in helping operators transition from reactive to truly predictive maintenance models. Consider a scenario where a chiller’s compressors and pumps inadvertently get left in manual override mode after maintenance — a surprisingly common oversight that can lead to significant energy waste if left unchecked. An AI-enabled BMS is able to continuously monitor asset states against a large rules engine. It can detect deviations from optimal settings, such as manual overrides, and automatically course-correct by returning the equipment to more efficient operation modes.

Final takeaway

While many building operators have started on the path toward operational efficiency, the majority still find themselves in the early stages of this journey. However, by embracing digital technologies and intelligent automation, operators can realize substantive gains across multiple fronts. These include bolstering safety and security measures, driving improved energy efficiency, and ultimately delivering a better building experience for everyone.

Connect with a Honeywell expert to learn more.

[i] U.S. Energy Information Administration, Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), 2018 CBECS Survey Data, December 2022 [Accessed January 2, 2024]