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Western
HVAC News
Johnson Controls Introduces
Open-Source Energy Analysis Software for Targeting Building
Efficiency Retrofits.
EASY-TO-USE, WEB-BASED TOOL ALLOWS REMOTE IDENTIFICATION
OF ENERGY SAVINGS OPPORTUNITIES - SCHOOLS, COMMERCIAL
BUILDINGS AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES CAN USE THE TOOL REMOTELY
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 Johnson
Controls (NYSE:JCI) and Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) announced the release of the
Building Efficiency Targeting Tool for Energy Retrofits
(BETTER) to the public today. The easy-to-use, open source
BETTER tool allows building owners and managers to rapidly
convert readily available monthly building energy
consumption data into specific, recommendations for
improvement. In this unprecedented time of a global
pandemic, creating a safe environment in schools, commercial
and government buildings is more important than ever. This
analysis can be performed without the need for on-site
audits or inspections, allowing many currently unemployed
energy efficiency workers to continue to plan and develop
building retrofit and commissioning projects.
Johnson Controls, a global leader in smart building
technologies and solutions, developed the core energy
analysis technology over the past eight years and has used
the tool to analyze retrofit opportunities in over 700
buildings. Beginning in 2016, under a cooperative research
and development agreement (CRADA), Berkeley Lab partnered
with Johnson Controls to automate and improve the energy
analysis capabilities of the tool and create an open-source
version of the tool for public use.
"Over 400,000 energy efficiency workers in the U.S.
currently unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic because
they can't get into buildings to do energy audits," said
Clay Nesler, vice president of global sustainability and
regulatory affairs, Johnson Controls. "This tool can help
the efficiency industry get a jump start of identifying and
developing projects that show the greatest opportunities for
cost effective savings." |
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"We are pleased to partner with
Johnson Controls to introduce BETTER and advance the science of
data-driven, remote, and low-cost building energy analysis to
improve building energy efficiency at speed and scale
worldwide," said Nan Zhou, staff scientist and head of the
International Energy Analysis Department of the Energy Analysis
and Environmental Impacts Division at Berkeley Lab.
An earlier version of the tool has already been used to analyze
a number of buildings around the world including:
Energy Resources Integration LLC (ERI) is analyzing and
benchmarking almost 450 client sites to prioritize and
streamline energy efficiency efforts and select ideal buildings
for performing detailed energy audits.
Prince William County Public
Schools, the second largest school division in Virginia, is using
the tool to quantify the energy and cost savings potential and
target efficiency improvements.
The World Resources Institute and
other Building Efficiency Accelerator (BEA) partner organizations
are providing technical assistance and training on the BETTER tool
to the BEA network of 55 cities in 25 countries around the world.
Florida Gulf Coast University is
incorporating BETTER's energy analytics into its
sustainability-focused Environmental and Civil Engineering
curriculum, providing basic training for the next generation of
cloud and field based comprehensive energy workers.
Energy General LLC of Connecticut is using BETTER to target building
retrofits in under-served communities at scale.
There are also pilot initiatives
using the tool by the City of Cambridge, MA and the C40 Cities
Climate Leaders Group.
"BETTER has helped our school division identify substantial energy
cost savings, which can be redirected into the classroom. With its
simple data inputs and powerful analytics, we believe BETTER is
poised to help hundreds of school districts across the country to
improve their energy, financial, and environmental performance,"
said Bryan Conrad, energy education coordinator for Prince William
County Public Schools.
"Building Efficiency Accelerator partner cities are using BETTER to
assist local governments, building owners, and energy service
companies to target the best opportunities for improving public and
private building energy efficiency," said Jennifer Layke, global
energy director, World Resources Institute.
The tool will be previewed during a public webinar on July 15, 2020.
Please register for the webinar here:
https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/842394539169519630
For more information about Johnson Controls support for the BETTER
tool visit:
https://www.johnsoncontrols.com/better
For more information on the BETTER tool visit:
https://better.lbl.gov/how_it_works/
The beta version of the BETTER tool is available at
https://better.lbl.gov/, and the source code is on GitHub at
https://github.com/LBNL-JCI-ICF/better
CONTACT:
Investors:
Antonella Franzen
(609) 720-4665
Ryan Edelman
(609) 720-4545
Media:
Fraser Engerman
(414) 308-8321
About Johnson Controls:
At Johnson Controls, we transform the environments where people
live, work, learn and play. From optimizing building performance to
improving safety and enhancing comfort, we drive the outcomes that
matter most. We deliver our promise in industries such as
healthcare, education, data centers and manufacturing. With a global
team of 105,000 experts in more than 150 countries and over 130
years of innovation, we are the power behind our customers' mission.
Our leading portfolio of building technology and solutions includes
some of the most trusted names in the industry, such as Tyco®,
YORK®, Metasys®, Ruskin®, Titus®, Frick®, Penn®, Sabroe®, Simplex®,
Ansul® and Grinnell®. For more information, visit
www.johnsoncontrols.com or follow us @johnsoncontrols on
Twitter.
About Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world's most
urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy,
protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the
origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's
scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel Prizes. The
University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S.
Department of Energy's Office of Science. For more information,
visit www.lbl.gov.
About Energy General LLC:
Energy General is a 43-year-old energy audit company focused on
rapidly reducing building energy costs and fossil fuel emissions in
buildings where energy improvements will also enhance quality of
life and address climate injustice.
For more, email
tom@energygeneral.com.
About Energy Resources Integration LLC:
Energy Resources Integration LLC is based in San Francisco,
California and provides engineering services including energy
efficiency engineering, sustainability planning, and energy
management support. More information at
https://www.eripacific.com/.
About Florida Gulf Coast University:
Florida Gulf Coast University is a public research university in
Fort Myers, Florida. The U.A. Whitaker College of Engineering offers
degrees in civil, environmental, bioengineering, and software
engineering. For more, visit
https://www.fgcu.edu/eng/ or email
skomisar@fgcu.edu.
About Prince William County Public Schools:
Prince William County Public School Division is the second largest
school division in Virginia. Its Energy Management Team has earned
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifications in 60
schools and has an average annual cost avoidance of $5.6 million due
to its energy conservation efforts. More information at
https://bit.ly/2NURQZn.
About World Resources Institute:
World Resources Institute (WRI) is a global research organization
that spans more than 60 countries, with international offices in
Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico and the United States,
regional offices in Ethiopia (for Africa) and the Netherlands (for
Europe), and program offices in the Democratic Republic of Congo,
Turkey and the United Kingdom. Our more than 1,000 experts and staff
turn big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic
opportunity and human well-being. More information at
wri.org.
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