Portable Building Scoring With Sensor Feedback for Ventilation Tradeoffs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Facility managers face challenges in tracking and improving building performance across various sustainability, productivity, and health objectives, due to the complex and competing nature of these factors, often lacking the necessary equipment and expertise.
Innovation Solution
A system and method utilizing hand-held sensors and a portable device to measure and analyze building parameters, compute scores for sustainability, productivity, and health objectives, and provide recommendations for improvement, taking into account the specific needs and priorities of the facility manager.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If outside air ventilation is reduced to increase energy efficiency, then energy efficiency is improved, but occupant productivity and health are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors building parameters (temperature, humidity, CO2 levels, air quality) and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust ventilation rates. This ensures ventilation is optimized based on real-time conditions rather than operating at fixed high or low rates, thereby maintaining occupant productivity and health while improving energy efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The ventilation system transitions from static fixed-rate operation to dynamic variable-rate operation. The system adjusts ventilation rates in real-time based on occupancy levels, environmental conditions, and air quality measurements, allowing the building to achieve energy efficiency improvements without compromising occupant productivity and health when conditions require higher ventilation.
2Loss of energy
If outside air ventilation is reduced to increase energy efficiency, then energy efficiency is improved, but indoor environmental quality and health are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors building parameters (temperature, humidity, CO2 levels, air quality) and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust ventilation rates. This ensures ventilation is optimized based on real-time conditions rather than operating at fixed high or low rates, thereby maintaining occupant productivity and health while improving energy efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary assessments of building performance and identifies specific areas where ventilation can be optimized. By proactively adjusting ventilation strategies based on predicted needs and historical data, the system prevents degradation of indoor environmental quality while achieving energy efficiency improvements.
3Productivity
If temperature and humidity are elevated to increase occupant productivity, then occupant productivity is improved, but energy efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from static fixed environmental conditions to dynamic variable conditions. Temperature and humidity are adjusted in real-time based on occupancy, external weather conditions, and real-time monitoring of occupant comfort and productivity metrics, allowing the building to optimize productivity while minimizing energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements zone-specific environmental control rather than uniform building-wide conditions. Different zones can have customized temperature and humidity settings optimized for their specific occupancy patterns and productivity requirements, reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining productivity in occupied areas.
4Measurement precision
If building performance monitoring equipment is added to track sustainability and health objectives, then measurement capability is improved, but device complexity and cost are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses multi-functional sensors and monitoring devices that can measure multiple building parameters (temperature, humidity, CO2, air quality, occupancy) simultaneously. This consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate devices, improving measurement precision across all parameters while minimizing the increase in system complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The system combines monitoring, data processing, analysis, and control functions into an integrated platform. By merging these previously separate functions into a unified system, the patent achieves comprehensive building performance tracking capability while avoiding the complexity and cost of multiple independent systems.
Data Source
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AI summary
A kit includes hand-held sensors that are each configured to measure one or more of the healthy building parameters and a portable device that is configured to capture the measured current values of the one or more of the healthy building parameters that were measured using the hand-held sensors and to determine a healthy building score and one or more recommendations for improving the healthy building score of the building. The portable device is configured to output the healthy building score and the one or more recommendations for improving the healthy building score of the building via a user interface of the portable device.