by Brianna Crandall — February 10, 2014—Energy efficiency and renewable energy company Ameresco recently announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Seldera has launched a new technology-based tool to provide energy savings by adapting the building consumption to occupant behaviors.
“Reducing building costs and increasing the bottom line is precisely what Seldera’s new technology offers for campuses and commercial, industrial and manufacturing facilities,” said Andreas Savvides, executive vice president, Seldera. “We strive to deliver quick paybacks and low initial cost solutions to our customers.”
Seldera’s new offering, Building Dynamics, is a solution that uses a wireless sensing technology to audit energy usage in buildings. The system correlates building occupancy patterns and production processes with energy consumption end uses to identify opportunities for saving. It has continuous self-auditing capabilities that identify changes in occupancy patterns to make intelligent decisions. Through wireless sub-meters and sensors, the building consumption is continuously analyzed and adapted to avoid waste.
The tool addresses the challenge that facilities owners and managers constantly face when looking to reduce costs through energy efficiency: the initial step of determining exactly where energy consumption occurs. Building Dynamics continuously models human behavior inside the buildings to help make intelligent energy decisions. It conducts audit, behavior analysis, process analysis and customizable controls.
The tool is installed in a single visit, and can work together with the existing building automation systems, says Seldera. The application is particularly effective in rapidly changing environments such as university campuses, claims the company. Owners and managers can view data anytime and keep track of real-time energy consumption and automate savings opportunities. Seldera’s user interface sends owners and managers e-mail and text alerts for ongoing monitoring.
In a recent pilot project in a 46,000-square foot commercial office building in Norwich, CT, in collaboration with the Norwich Public utilities, Seldera reportedly demonstrated 18 percent (nearly $38,000 to-date) in savings from operational changes driven by occupant behaviors.
Seldera is rolling out its technology on university campuses in close collaboration with local utility companies, which often offer financial incentives for the system.
