BMS Blunders IV

At an RAF base with Royal connections (in England so not that one) I came in as Energy Manager for their FM provider. After my usual survey (a few problems but nothing glaring) I asked to look at the BMS – after confessing that they had no-one who knew how to use it thanks to personnel changes and that they were worried I might get them into trouble – they sat me down at the master computer and “volunteered” a keen member of their team to watch me (actually he didn’t take much pressing). Finding the login (actually it was username =Name of the Establishment and Password=Password – I had it changed!) I logged in with some trepidation. OK not too many alarms (pleasantly surprising) and the system clock has the right time AND Day -so not as bad as I expected.Then I turned to the local and asked “Why is this building set to 23C?” “That’s the creche” was the reply. “Then why does it say “Library?”
It turned out that one half of the building was a creche for servicemen/women’s children and the other half was a library. Very different temperature requirements and opening hours but they were one zone on the BMS despite the graphics (rather good) showing that mechanically they were seperated (and even had two sensors).
As they were operating at the high temperature required for toddlers and the library’s long hours rather a lot of energy was being consumed.
A Classic example where a small saving on capital cost results in a significantly greater loss on operating costs – which are repeated through the life of the installation.
And the outcome? The BMS service engineer was due, he put in one new wire (apparently about 2m long) did a bit of reprogramming and one zone became two with the right temperature and hours, the library staff were grateful to be comfortable and my “disciple” set about adjusting the settings for ALL the buildings based on a chart I gave him.
All in all a very effective visit.
Now drawing the four BMS stories together, it is a capable tool but it needs to be correctly engineered, managed and understood if it is to achieve results. and as is often the case in energy a small “saving” on capital can result in considerable long term losses on running costs.

BMS Blunders III

After I moved to Leicestershire one of the things I inherited was a pile of premises’ energy surveys that no-one had had time to analyse let alone act on. I resolved that (without resource to deal with them more proactively) they would become my casual reading when I had a gap between more important tasks.
So across time I noted a premise for better heating controls, others for lighting upgrades, another for insulation work, that sort of thing. Then I came across the report for Mountsorrel depot and was galvanised to action and placed an immediate order for work at the site.
Why was I urged to immediate action, without stopping for a feasibility study, business case or even a quotation as a local authority manager would normally consider standard procedure?
The story the report told (and one was done because the small building was a surprisingly poor performer in energy terms) was compelling. People in the building were generally complaining about overheating but it had a relatively good BMS and the settings were correct. What was the issue?
Well in the survey the location of the temperature sensor was noted as in a busy office near the rear door of the building. Lots of people, lots of equipment, that room soon got warm – in fact too warm. So they opened the door to cool down. Yes that cooled down the sensor as well and it called for more heat , so they opened the door wider … a vicious circle resulting in the entire building overheating and wasting energy by the bucketful.
Now I could have had the door locked (although that might have had safety implications) and the sensor setting lowered (to reduce the initial overheating) but that would have had implications on cooler rooms in the building.
So I immediately instructed that the sensor be moved into another room -with the words I don’t care what it costs, delay is costing money that is greater than the cost, the payback has to be in weeks (it was) get it done (please).
Simples

BMS Blunders Part II

While running the BMS at Catterick another incident happened that provided insight into the operation of the system we got a call from the Energy Warden for a newly returned unit complaining that their accomodation was too cold. Suspecting that the change from Afghanistan to a North Yorkshire winter was the reason we went to the trusty BMS prepared to temporarily increase the temperature to ease their transistion. However we found the reading was 26C!
“No we’re at less than 10C” was the reply. We checked that the boilers were firing (they were) and considered if we might have a sensor failure. The trouble is that those Satchwell sensors either show zero, the temperature of the surface of the sun or minus the temperature of the surface of the sun (as that is below Absolute Zero quite a theoretical feat!) so that wasn’t really probable. While checking that we weren’t inadvertantly reading the wrong sensor we sent the Energy Champion to locate the sensor (he couldn’t and we had to check the installation drawings).
When he found the sensor location all was revealed.
The sensor was inside an NCO’s room and he had (quite against regulations) acquired 2 electric fires and had them burning non-stop. Yes his room was at 26C but because the sensor was satisfied the rest of the building was receiving no heating at all!
His unauthorised heating was confiscated and soon everyone was warm again.
The remaining question (and I’m not sure of the answer) was it true that he appeared on parade the following day with two black eyes caused when his comrades found out why they’d been shivering for the last few days?