Brewster, NY 05 June 2013 19:21
The global technology company Selex ES of Finmeccanica is bringing to market Di-BOSS™, a new generation of digital building operating systems that will be unveiled at IBCon 2013 (Intelligent Building Conference) at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, June12-13. The new system, a joint development of Selex ES, Rudin Management, one of the largest privately held property management companies in New York City, and Columbia University through its School of Engineering and Applied Science, will be showcased in Booth #6769 where representatives from all three partners will be on hand to demonstrate the Di-BOSS™ system.
“Di-BOSS™ is an entirely new kind of digital building operating system solution, a design that could only have resulted from this remarkable, collaborative effort,” says Fabrizio Giulianini, Chief Executive Officer of Selex ES. “Di-BOSS™ represents an additional significant step in the development of Selex ES smart systems portfolio that spans integrated networked infrastructures for large urban environments through to specific break through products with a direct impact on citizens’ lives, allowing for a new, smarter, more responsible and collaborative approach to energy management in sky scrapers."
One primary feature of Di-BOSS™ is its ability to track occupancy on a large scale. “The technology to link the building management system with occupancy to control energy use is a cutting edge capability,” says Columbia University energy researcher and professor, Dr. Roger Anderson. “The Di-BOSS™ system’s continuous feedback loops give building managers reliable data to make decisions that significantly improve operating efficiency and better serve the people in the building”.
Di-BOSS™
Rudin Management piloted the Di-BOSS™ system in one of its largest New York City properties. Rudin employees provided critical user feedback that influenced the system’s user interface design, report formats, and analytical capabilities. Di-Boss was developed "from the engine room out", organically with the guidance of experienced building engineers. The live testing quantified the scope of energy savings obtainable with the Di-BOSS™ as well as the improvements to security and comfort. “The Di-BOSS system’s practical ease of use and ability to connect of all the building's systems are critical features that appealed greatly to our building managers and engineers. The Di-BOSS™ system had an immediate positive impact on our energy bill,” says John Gilbert, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Rudin Management. “We were able to use its real time forecasts to customize the next day’s start-up and ramp-down schedules based on the weather and predicted occupancy. We also analyzed our tenants’ specific energy consumption trends and worked together to generate some cost savings for them as well. That’s not only money saved but energy resources conserved."
The Di-BOSS™ system is “smart” and learns by continuously analyzing occupancy trends and other data points, such as weather and energy readings from multiple systems. Di-BOSS™ generates a predictive model that forecasts energy requirements and recommends settings, building start-up and ramp-down times, and other operational decisions that affect energy consumption. The system flags variances between expected and actual consumption that can then be investigated for correction.
Another feature is the system’s ability to analyze occupancy and energy consumption trends by tenant. Through online portals tenants can check real time occupancy and energy consumption data for their floors and can see their performance versus other tenants. Since tenants control roughly 60% of a building’s energy consumption, Di-BOSS™ gives building managers the data to plan improvements that result in real savings for tenants and for the total building.
Di-BOSS™ integrates all building management systems into one, easy-to-use “cockpit” style control interface. The comprehensive system visibility and the real time data provide an invaluable security tool for building managers. The feedback loops programmed in Di-BOSS™ enable the system to predict adverse conditions such as power grid failures and allow building managers to act in advance to clear elevators and put other security measures into place to minimize the impact on occupants. Plus, because Di-BOSS™ tracks occupancy, building managers can provide headcounts by floor to emergency personnel should the need arise.