For many building owners, systems have been out of sight and out of mind. Leighton Wolffe of Constellation NewEnergy said that the “markets are shifting the premise of building automation systems from temperature control to energy control.” Future buildings will embrace energy-engineered systems (EES) where occupants define how much comfort they want based upon cost and other factors. Growing emphasis on LEED®, Energy Star Buildings, and other standards that target the entire design process from site selection to systems, reflects this, too.
So what is the next value proposition? Energy, and key to this proposition is that the entry point for automation and technology into buildings is not through design professionals, but through electric meters! The emphasis is that higher energy prices, including $100/barrel for oil, are the most significant thing to happen to system design in decades. Combine that with the impact of the 2030 challenge, an AIA Initiative which states that building contribute 48% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Also consider that the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, signed by the president in December, mandates that all U.S. buildings will be high-performance/energy efficient by 2050 with the goal ultimately being to achieve zero net-energy use for new commercial buildings built after 2025 and all commercial buildings retrofitted to fit this guideline by 2050.