After a commissioning (Cx) or recommissioning (RCx) project, optimal performance of existing buildings can be maintained through strategies such as ongoing commissioning (Cx), which involves a process that ensures the persistence of benefits after Cx and between each RCx cycle. This prevents a building’s electromechanical systems functioning from degrading and maintains Cx and RCx benefits.
DABOTM: a fault detection and diagnosis software application for ongoing commissioning
CanmetENERGY developed the DABOTMapplication software tool to continuously monitor a building’s electromechanical components. Using its 800 logical rules and 275 performance indices, it detects and diagnoses the operation inconsistencies and poor performances of systems and anticipates breakdowns. Its diagnoses enable long-term maintenance of an optimized operation and prevent comfort and energy waste problems. To date, use of the software has yielded energy savings of 10 to 25% in the buildings in which it has been installed. DABOTM is marketed by IFCS
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International collaboration
CanmetENERGY actively worked on Annex 47 of the Energy Conservation in Buildings & Community Systems (ECBCS) research program of the International Energy Agency (IEA). This project led to the development of ongoing Cx techniques to help the industry move from an intuitive building operation process to a more systematic process that targets significant energy savings. It also fostered data sharing and distribution on existing practices in different countries.
For additional information on ongoing Cx, consult the publications on that subject.
Managed by CanmetENERGY at the Varennes (Quebec) research centre.