Singapore: BCA and Microsoft unveil smart portal for chillers

Singapore: BCA and Microsoft unveil smart portal for chillers

Singapore's Building and Construction Authority (BCA) on Wednesday unveiled
a new software tool that will help building managers and owners make chiller
plants more energy efficient.

Developed in partnership with American software giant Microsoft, the
tool-known as the Chiller Efficiency Smart Portal-will use cutting-edge
internet of things technology such as data analytics and cloud computing to
monitor chiller performance and provide building owners with insights that
can help them save energy.

The pilot project is powered by Microsoft Azure, a cloud computing platform,
and will cater to 30 commercial and institutional buildings in Singapore
over the next two years.

Unveiled at the sidelines of the International Green Building Conference
(IGBC) 2016 held at Singapore's Sands Expo and Convention Centre, the portal
is also the first effort by a government agency to implement an internet of
things solution for chiller plant efficiency.

Chiller plants, the machines that help keep rooms cool, are a permanent
fixture in tropical Singapore, but they are massive energy consumers. In
Singapore, they make up half the energy consumption of a building; buildings
in turn account for a third of the nation's electricity use.

"Optimising chiller plant efficiency is therefore key to reducing the impact
of buildings on their environment", said the agency.

Ang Kian Seng, group director of BCA's environmental sustainability group,
added in a statement that "this Chiller Efficiency Smart Portal will empower
facilities managers to target specific areas of improvement and optimise
their energy efficiency".

The system monitors chiller plant performance, and uploads data about the
plant's power use, water flow rate, temperature, and other performance
indicators to the portal, which is hosted on the Azure cloud platform.

Over time, the portal can learn a chiller's normal usage patterns, and
detect deviations which may indicate that energy is being wasted. It then
sends a text message or e-mail alerting building managers of an
irregularity, so that they can fine-tune the equipment's performance and
save energy.

Over time, owners can also compare energy use trends across various
buildings in their portfolio.

Examples of decisions the portal will facilitate include when to schedule
equipment maintenance, or what performance standards to expect from
contractors who service the chiller plant.

Kenny Low, senior facilities supervisor at United World College of Southeast
Asia-a school with multiple campuses in the east and west of
Singapore-observed that in addition to monitoring chiller plant performance,
the portal also offers analysis and graphing tools for building owner to
download and understand data conveniently.

"I foresee enthusiastic uptake of this portal and hope that all users will
turn the insights it provides into actions to optimise their chiller plant,"
he added.

BCA also noted that when the two-year pilot ends, the portal could
potentially be incorporated into its Green Mark certification scheme, which
scores buildings based on their environmental performance. The agency hopes
to have 80 per cent of all buildings in Singapore Green Mark certified by
2030.

The portal could encourage buildings to constantly improve efficiency, and
seek re-certification regularly, said BCA.

Foo Jong Tong, public sector director, Microsoft Singapore, noted that the
digital capabilities of its cloud software will be essential to improve the
energy efficiency of buildings and help BCA meet its goal.

He added: "This digital transformation will not only strengthen BCA's push
towards becoming a global leader in green buildings, it is also a
significant step towards building a better and more sustainable future for
the people in Singapore".

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John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

www.aptthailand.com