A technical specification is an engineering deliverable for detailing all procedures required for PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, while Functional Specification has to do with detailing BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS or PRODUCT FUNCTIONALITYbenchmarking. Specifiers would do well to collaborate with System Designers and Energy Auditors by jointly reviewing energy parameters of products, and benchmarking them against energy standards, regulations, and guides to meet and possibly exceed energy efficiency requirements in Building Management Systems (BMS).
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION CONSIDERATIONS
Preliminary Questions:
- What Goal Will the Product Achieve? Energy saving.
- What User Benefit? Low maintenance cost and low heat radiation.
- What Special Product Value? Any special nature merit of the product above other alternatives in the market. Low or zero carbon emission, reduction of the carbon tax, and very high efficiency.
Set Limitations: What the product cannot archive or what is out of the scope of product or project development.
Define the Approach: This includes methodology and procedures for product or project development.
Testing and Support: This involves various quality checks or testing methods for validating products or projects.
Generally, technical specifications tend to address – accuracy, availability, reliability, security, functionality, maintainability, cost efficiency, and factors like – sustainability. The aspect in consideration here is ‘sustainability.’ Specification under energy efficiency would mean – LOWER ENERGY CONSUMPTION, CLEAN ENERGY, RE-USABLE, and RECYCLABLE energy options for the building automation and controls infrastructure.
The subject matter here is ENERGY EFFICIENCY, while the object is BUILDING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS.
First, what are energy efficiency requirements? Any efficient energy system must be able to achieve the following in line with ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems, upon which guides, manuals, and handbooks are developed to help in adopting – energy compliance to standard compliance and labels, how to implement energy standards and labels in product development or project development, and energy testing.
How can specification help to achieve energy efficiency in building management systems? The principle behind energy efficiency is the ability to demand lower power, while the cleaner the energy, the lower the CO2 emission and the higher the energy performance credit. The lower the energy demand for products, the lower the energy consumption cost. The carbon rating of products in building management systems, which are mostly automation and control products must meet or exceed the minimum carbon ratings stated in the energy standards. Common benchmarks for performing standard energy performance tests, guidelines, or standards for energy rating of materials, devices, and equipment in the BMS are formed by national and international partnerships. Some endorsements comply with the following – ISO 500001, BREEAM, Underwriters Laboratories (UL), Factory Mutual (FM), United States – Energy Star, Global Environmental Facility (GEF), and International Finance Corporation (IFC) – Efficiency Lighting Initiative (ELI), China Certification Center for Energy Conservation Products (CECP).
Energy labels, approvals, or certifications for products are beneficial in – pricing, metering, incentives, regulatory, governance, energy audits, consumer education, research, and development. Manufacturing companies are concerned with specifying to satisfy product development and manufacturing, while project design engineers or Specifiers are concerned with project implementation to satisfy end-user. Stakeholders of energy performance engineering include the following.
- Stimulate new product conception.
- Influence regulatory governance choices.
- Influence supply chain and distribution choices.
- Influence product development and manufacturing choices.
- Influence system design and installation.
- Influence end-user choices (energy tax credit).
- Influence operations and maintenance.
- Influence energy pricing and metering.
- Influence research and development.
Energy labels may be endorsements or comparative labels. ENDORSEMENTS certifies that products are among the most energy efficient solutions in the industry, while COMPARATIVE LABEL shows comparative energy use of products in the market to others. Standard carbon rating by Building Research Establishment (BREEAM) In-Use International Standard – Commercial are as follows by measuring CREDITS, FUEL TYPE, and POWER CONSUMPTION PER YEAR as a derivative of CO2 EMISSION PER YEAR based on fuel type of energy source.
BREEAM OPERATIONAL ENERGY SCALE AND ENERGY AWARDED
| Credits | Actual kgCO2/m2/ Benchmark CO2/m2 |
| 0 | >4 |
| 1 | <4 to 3.81 |
| 2 | <3.81 to 3.63 |
| 3 | <3.63 to 3.45 |
| 4 | <3.45 to 3.27 |
| 5 | <3.27 to 3.11 |
| 6 | <3.11 to 2.95 |
| 7 | <2.95 to 2.79 |
| 8 | <2.79 to 2.64 |
| 9 | <2.64 to 2.50 |
| 10 | <2.50 to 2.36 |
| 11 | <2.36 to 2.22 |
| 12 | <2.22 to 2.09 |
| 13 | <2.09 to 1.97 |
| 14 | <1.97 to 1.85 |
| 15 | <1.85 to 1.74 |
| 16 | <1.75 to 1.63 |
| 17 | <1.63 to 1.52 |
| 18 | <1.52 to 1.42 |
| 19 | <1.42 to 1.33 |
| 20 | <1.33 to 1.24 |
| 21 | <1.24 to 1.15 |
| 22 | <1.15 to 1.06 |
| 23 | <1.06 to 0.99 |
| 24 | <0.99 to 0.91 |
| 25 | <0.91 to 0.84 |
| 26 | <0.84 to 0.77 |
| 27 | <0.77 to 0.71 |
| 28 | <0.71 to 0.65 |
| 29 | <0.65 to 0.59 |
| 30 | <0.59 to 0.53 |
| 31 | <0.53 to 0.48 |
| 32 | <0.48 to 0.39 |
| 33 | <0.44 to 0.39 |
| 34 | <0.39 to 0.35 |
| 35 | <0.35 to 0.31 |
| 36 | <0.31 to 0.28 |
| 37 | <0.28 to 0.24 |
| 38 | <0.24 to 0.21 |
| 39 | <0.21 to 0.18 |
| 40 | <0.18 to 0.16 |
| 41 | <0.16 to 0.13 |
| 42 | <0.13 to 0.11 |
| 43 | <0.11 to 0.09 |
| 44 | <0.09 to 0.07 |
| 45 | <0.07 to 0.06 |
| 46 | <0.06 to 0.04 |
| 47 | <0.04 to 0.03 |
| 48 | <0.03 to 0.02 |
| 49 | <0.02 to 0.01 |
| 50 | <0.01 to 0.00 |
| 50 + 1 | <0.00 to -0.2 |
| 50 + 2 | <-0.2 to -0.4 |
| 50 + 3 | <-0.4 to -0.6 |
| 50 + 4 | <-0.6 to -0.8 |
| 50 + 5 | <-0.8 to -1.0 |
A 2018 report from the American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy offers 5% – 20% average energy savings using PointCentral Smart Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS) as an energy-efficient case study, and the following were reported.
- Smart HVAC saves energy up to 10% of monthly demand.
- Smart thermostats save energy between 9% – 16% of heating demand, and 15% – 23% of cooling demand.
- Smart window shades save energy 11% – 20% of HVAC costs, and 3% of lighting costs.
- Smart electronic appliances save energy between 2% – 9% of total energy costs.
- Smart lighting systems save energy between 7% – 27% of lighting costs.
- Smart power outlets and power trips save energy up to 50% of all plugged-in energy demand.
Building Management Systems (BMS) constitute intelligent products obtainable in smart infrastructural services like – lighting, power, access control, surveillance camera, bio-metric screening, public address, integrated – voice, video, and data communication, IP-TV video entertainment, HVAC, water supply, gas supply, manufacturing and fire alarm and detection, gas fire extinguishing, gas leak monitoring, environmental monitoring, and protection systems. Energy demand might be so daunting for large-scale BMS systems. Hence, SMART BUILDING SYSTEMS or SMART INFRASTRUCTURAL SERVICES help to realize the low cost of use due to energy even with higher initial costs as energy efficiency is factored into the development of most smart products these days. Specifiers would do well to use products energy credits as in the table above or by use of energy analysis software in product specifications and selection, which results in realizing the same in the supply chain. A 50% energy reduction in total energy demand would do a great advantage in – maintenance costs, consumption costs including energy tax, and environmentally friendly solutions by Designers, Specifiers, Project Installers and Constructors, Owners, Financiers or Investors, and other stakeholders in the building management industry in the public and private sector.
William Nwaogu, Technical Advisor,
SAFETY CONSULTANTS & SOLUTION PROVIDERS LIMITED.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
- Stephen W., James E. E. (2005) Energy-Efficiency Labels and Standards. A Guidebook for Appliances, Equipment, and Lighting. 2nd ed. Washington D.C., Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program.
- US Environmental Protection Agency (2019) Energy Star Guidelines for Energy Management. Washington D.C., Natural Resources Canada.
- EDGE User Guide 3.0 (2021) Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies. Version 3.0. Washington D.C. International Finance Corporation.
- Building Research Establishment. (2020) BREAM In-Use International Technical Manual – Commercial. Version 6.0. Hertfordshire, BRE Global Limited.
- International Standards Organization (2018) ISO 50001 – Energy Management Systems. Geneva. International Standards Organization.
- PointCentral – An Alarm.com Company (2019) Average Cost Saving from Smart Home Technology. Published on 25-02-2019. Assessed on November 2-11 – 2022 at – https://www.pointcentral.com/2019/02/25/average-cost-saving-from-smart-home-technology
