Using Energy Management Control Systems for HVAC Operational Diagnostics

The power and flexibility in building energy management systems (EMS) provide building operators, system consultants and technicians with a useful tool for assessing building equipment and system operation. This paper describes specific methods and techniques for using the EMS to verify proper equipment operation and to diagnose operational deficiencies. Two primary methods are discussed: monitoring using trend logs to observe performance over time, and functional spot testing using the EMS. Discussion covers what EMS points to bend, how to efficiently set up bends, how to obtain data and what to look for in analyzing the data for a variety of typical equipment types. Examples and illustrations are provided