davor d. kapelina is the president and ceo of atsite, a company that guides building owners, occupiers and operators in creating high-performing buildings that are also environmentally responsible. kapelina discusses the importance of energy-use metrics and using that information to implement best practices.

one solution he highlights is a process called “continuous commissioning,” or processes that help building managers run systems at peak efficiency. the primary goal is to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, but it also provides data that’s useful in managing the business.

in the building is a system that gathers hundreds of data points hourly, or even more frequently, and transmits them to a central server. data analysis software performs fault detection and diagnostics, sometimes alerting facility managers to hidden problems that waste energy and compromise occupant comfort.

for example, air handling units can get stuck in a mode where they’re heating and cooling simultaneously. correcting that would immediately reduce energy waste, sometimes dramatically. longer term, it reduces wear and maintenance on expensive mechanical equipment.

continuous commissioning goes by many names, like monitoring-based, or data-based commissioning, or just ongoing energy monitoring. by any name, it’s a real energy saver.

this clip was recorded after davor appeared on a panel the business response conference 3.0. the event was put on by the gw energy group and net impact, which are business-focused student organizations at george washington university.