Top 4 Operational Challenges in 2023
At the close of 2023, we review the most common challenges customers brought to us this year.
#1: Utility Rates
Whether it was increased gas prices in places like New York City or higher electricity rates in Texas, the top concern we heard from customers was the cost of the utilities. To help manage and reduce those price impacts, our operations team worked with customers to optimize their equipment sequencing. Whether due to tech or system changes, updates to building codes, inappropriate manual overrides, conflicting controls, or other factors, a review of your control sequences usually improves system performance and lowers operating costs.
#2: Sustainability & Compliance
We're based in New York City, and many of our local clients prioritized compliance with LL97, the carbon emissions regulation that goes into effect in Jan. In addition, many properties have their own sustainability goals and roadmaps beyond government restrictions, which they need accurate energy data to achieve.
#3: Free Cooling
A small silver lining of the pandemic was that facility teams had more freedom to play with protocols due to the lower occupancy rates. These experiments produced new insights on better utilization of free cooling. Like we always do, we’ve added these results to our database (40 years old and counting!) on how different pieces of equipment operate as a system, so that we can share these wins with customers with similar setups.
#4: Reducing Electric Demand on Campus Outliers
Many healthcare and academic buildings take a lot more electricity to run than seems worth it, considering how little use the building gets on a day-to-day basis. In 2023, multiple campuses asked us to help minimize this electric load on their loops. Most frequently we achieved this by adjusting scheduling and increasing space set points to meet need without (a) excess and (b) mucking up the rest of the loop.
Looking for ideas about how your system can run better?
Talk to a systems engineerAbout utiliVisor
Your tenant submetering and energy plant optimization services are an essential part of your operation. You deserve personalized energy insights from a team that knows buildings from the inside out, applies IoT technology and is energized by providing you with accurate data and energy optimization insights. When you need experience, expertise, and service, you need utiliVisor on your side, delivering consistent energy and cost-saving strategies to you. What more can our 40 years of experience and historical data do for you? Call utiliVisor at 212-260-4800 or visit utilivisor.com
