Smart Operation and Maintenance of Buildings Reducing Life Cycle Costs
Sector: Building Services
Challenge: Reducing life cycle costs
The environmental impact of the construction industry is undeniable: according to the UK Green Building Council, the sector uses more than 400 million tons of material each year; intensive extraction of raw materials is needed to create products used during the construction process; then there is the issue of energy use within the buildings created.
How can building owners and managers reduce costs of the operation and maintenance of a building, and give it a greener footprint by increasing the reliability, availability, and effectiveness at the same time?
Steps can be taken to create sustainable, effective water cycles within new buildings - and reduce life cycle costs at the same time - by considering the appropriate sizing of the system, the use of efficient products at the design stage, the monitoring, control and protection of the system, and its efficiency over its lifetime.
Furthermore, there is the opportunity to refurbish and optimise existing buildings achieving reduced energy, CO2, and water footprints, tackling legacy building systems which need bringing into the 21st century.
HVAC
Replacing old equipment, whether in apartment blocks or in municipal buildings, with energy-efficient products can offer huge savings in the long run – making it a worthwhile investment to save on life cycle costs.
Domestic heating circulators have seen a dramatic technology leap in recent years. Replacing with new Lowara Ecocirc high-efficiency pumps can save up to 90% electricity costs compared to old standard heating circulators, meaning the new pump pays for itself within two to three years, depending on purchasing and installation costs.
HVAC systems are also thirsty for energy, and for water: HVAC Optimization System Software can automatically and continuously operate HVAC systems as efficiently as possible to cut operation costs by up to 50%, while reducing the water demand by at least 10%. On-site closed-loop controls, using existing BMS real-time data and patented algorithms, automatically and continuously operate HVAC systems as efficiently as possible, without operator intervention.
For thermal energy metering, to support both business and climate goals, the new PolluStat uses a built-in high-precision flow sensor to provide consistent measurement performance across a wide range of applications from local district heating stations to consumption billing for individual apartments. When used effectively, it enables thermal energy network operators to significantly reduce maintenance costs, while boosting the efficiency, reliability, and overall performance of their network.
Supply and pressure
Energy is the largest cost of running any pump. But the Hydrovar Variable Speed Drive (VSD) works with your system to make it efficient, bringing energy savings of up to 70% (depending on energy costs and operating times); payback is normally within 2 years.
By providing a more durable solution, life cycle costs are reduced: lower speed of the pumps during operation means less wear and less mechanical stress, plus no additional load in the starting moment because of the soft start feature.
Another valuable tool to collect data and gain more detailed insights to manage systems more effectively is the next generation of iPERL high-performance, solid-state smart water meters. With no moving parts, they have an operational life of up to 15 years, depending on communication frequency, and offer an unrivalled sustained accuracy.
Wastewater and stormwater
Blockages and other issues can cause the life cycle costs of wastewater systems to spiral, but Flygt non-clogging wastewater products are built to be efficient for decades in removing dirty water containing solids.
Xylem’s unique Flygt Concertor integrated wastewater pump provides a smart and interconnected solution, reducing system cleaning costs up to 80% and energy costs up to 70%. When installed at Heathrow Airport to deliver clog-free pumping of aircraft toilet wastewater, the Concertor reduced energy consumption reduced by 53% with reduced cleaning and servicing costs.
Fire protection
The steady operation of the Hydrovar pump in partial loads also prevents water hammer, which normally arises in the start/stop operation of full-speed pumps. Reducing water hammer and damage to pumps and related components cuts repair and replacement costs by maintaining the integrity of the product - vital to fire protection and safety.
Conclusion
What we want and need from our buildings is changing - how buildings adapt and flex to meet new and unpredictable demands without any drop in performance is a huge challenge.
For existing systems, there is no need to compromise on performance – energy-efficient options can bring energy savings of up to 70%.
Refurbishment likewise offers the chance to achieve lasting savings throughout the life cycle, without costly replacement. An audit inspection of the pumps, booster sets and systems installed in a building services application can gauge whether they are running efficiently, then determine which products could be retrofitted with energy-saving measures – or replaced with energy-efficient alternatives.
By slashing energy consumption, selecting optimal spare parts and opting for condition-based maintenance wherever possible, extensive savings on life cycle costs can be achieved, not to mention that such smart water management can also reduce the initial plant costs when specifying and installing.