Spotlight on Smart Buildings

The U.S. government is conducting research into the potential of fully integrated smart buildings. The General Service Administration (GSA) is in the first phase of upgrading government buildings into smart buildings by adding smart-metering technology. The second phase will integrate these systems with existing building management systems to adjust energy use loads and schedules in real time.

The GSA also is planning to install energy dashboards in these facilities. These web-based systems provide real-time data on system performance. These platforms can represent building energy use as tangible performance evaluations, such as letter grades and scores instead of expected kilowatt hours compared to weather data.

This more tangible energy score allows building occupants to clearly see and better understand the cause and effect of energy use due to inefficiencies of the human effect, which ultimately reduces energy by changing human behavior.

— Derek Tynan