(778d) Automatic Control Systems for Efficient Facilities' Management

This study examines the impact automated control systems can have on the future for major cities as the need for energetically efficient solutions expands. The study was originally conducted for the city of Houston and presented to Karl Pepple, the director of environmental programming, City of Houston.

Automated control systems are computerized systems that permit finer control of various aspects of a building. By implementing such a system in large commercial buildings, considerable monetary as well as energy savings can be achieved. In this system, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) control is the main focus. The savings reported are achieved through the use of humidity sensors and fresh air intake control. Savings in addition to those shown can be obtained through the use of peak load control (based on varying energy prices) and demand based temperature and lighting.

A typical commercial Houston building has 1,000,000 ft3 of chilled air flowing through it every minute. If a control system is implemented, this corresponds to a savings of approximately $53,000 the first year after implementation and $260,000 annually following that. Additionally, 2,600,000 kWh of energy would be saved per year.