Murder on the Utility Express: Four Building Mysteries Solved by Submetering

As with any mystery, utility culprits leave clues at the scene of the crime, such as a schedule that doesn't quite add up, a temperature reading that's impossibly high, or a shadowy load that appears without explanation. To solve the case, you have to examine the evidence, discard the red herrings, and reveal a component's true nature.

What follows are four cases from our files, each puzzle unique to its environment and cast of characters. Through careful investigation, logic, and cooperation, each villain is eventually unmasked, and justice (aka energy savings) is served.

The Case of the Midnight Conspiracy

A mixed-use property in NYC had unusually large energy consumption for its property and tenant types. The submetering data pointed directly to scheduling problems. Although their building was empty overnight, the building systems were calling to start up for full occupancy at 11 pm. That’s at least a full 7 hours earlier than necessary, meaning an instant — & sustainable — drop of 37% in energy usage in the plant, just from adjusting the schedule.

Source: Steve Morgan via Wikimedia Commons

Anguish Under the Floodlights

A university experienced a 41% spike in electrical usage in one service area. The data showed the increase was coming from the lights on the athletic field. It turned out that the athletic director had extended the hours for the lights but didn't mention the change to the facilities team. In the grand scheme of things, is this a major financial hit? No. However, the athletic fields cost the campus $11K in exterior lighting alone, so they’re worth keeping an eye on.

The fabulous Belimo quality team in action. Pictured are Jeff Upright (on ladder), Michael Jackson (holding laptop), and Brian Parks (black sweatshirt), making sure the fix was fixing. Source: Ed Harvey

The Temperature Enigma

Readings at a commercial property showed the condenser water had jumped to an impossible 327°F. We contacted the building team, and together we pinpointed the problem area, which included a Belimo energy valve installed six months earlier. The valve and the meter were both flanged together into the pipe, so we interfaced with Belimo's quality team to help fix the problem. This story had many plot twists.

After determining that the meter wasn't faulty and the flow was reasonable, the problem was finally identified as a bad circuit board on the temperature sensor of the valve, which Belimo then replaced and validated. Throughout, the Belimo team worked tirelessly to remedy the situation. They were great to work with, and the service was entirely covered by the equipment warranty.

Equipment sometimes fails – we all know this. We love to see a manufacturer that upholds its pledge to do right by its customers.

The Curious Case of the Excess Load

We’re just starting on this one. A hospital was looking forward to running its new, smaller, less-energy-hogging absorber chiller. Unfortunately, the base load currently exceeds the machine’s design, so their already-installed chiller is just sitting there, unused. We’re analyzing their data to find where the additional load is coming from so they can save thrice, by (1) decreasing load that shouldn’t be there, which will then make it possible to (2) use the more-efficient chiller (3) they’ve already paid for.

The Final Reveal

Submetering is detailed investigative work, if you're going to do it right. But when you do it right, oh what those details can reveal about villains in your utility consumption and allocation. What's more, the savings revealed can then be sustained by ongoing metering, so you can maintain and build on those gains. Now that's a happy ending!