Building automation controls continue to trend high as the leading method of addressing three long-standing problems — energy efficiency maximization, reducing operating costs, and improving the environmental experience of occupants. In recent years, the technologies involved in building automation controls have evolved. Advancing technologies opened the door to smart building controls, giving operations professionals enhanced tools to better deal with the three issues. Even with a seemingly ideal integrated building management system in place, a piece of the puzzle was missing — analytics. ODIN building software has emerged as a game-changer in terms of delivering actionable analytics.

Importance of Analytics in Building Automation

The prudent investments in smart building automation controls provided facility managers and other stakeholders with prompt alerts and notifications. Although helpful, that information facilitates only post-incident solutions.

Say, for example, a museum’s climate control system is not functioning correctly. Allowing a rise in moisture could put paintings and artifacts at greater risk of mold or decay. After receiving the information, HVAC and companion systems can be recalibrated to maintain ideal indoor environmental conditions. Unfortunately, even an industry-leading integrated building management system cannot break this reactionary break-and-fix model. That’s where data analytics in building automation systems comes into play.

Building analytics software captures wide-reaching information from IoT devices and crunches it down to understandable metrics. It accomplishes this feat by learning how equipment functions and identifying trends. Rather than handle problems involving energy efficiency, productivity, or human comfort after the fact, you can take proactive steps to reduce low points.

Analytics in Building Automation Controls

A building administrator’s ultimate goal is not necessarily to have 24-7 operational solutions from any handheld device. Instead, a professional’s objectives are consistent cost reduction, improved productivity, and a reliable indoor climate. Coupling smart building controls with ongoing strategies based on hard data can unleash the power of smart building analytics and the following early detection benefits.

• Identify Energy Waste: Understanding when, where, and how much energy a building consumes paints a clear picture. It helps operations personnel better identify and eliminate waste from lighting or heating empty spaces.
• Predict Energy Needs: A building’s energy needs typically fluctuate in different zones. Analytical data recognizes long- and short-term patterns that can be used to streamline power usage.
• Maintenance Strategies: Preventative equipment strategies generally result in less downtime than the break-and-fix approach. However, even preventative maintenance can result in overlooked issues that result in productivity losses. Leaning on analytic data allows professionals to identify anomalies that could negatively impact productivity and resolve them.

It’s essential to understand that analytics are a jumping-off point. Using information gained from AI and machine learning allows building administrators to tweak systems and invest energy differently to better serve productivity and comfort.

Practical Applications of Analytics in Building Automation Controls

One feature that distinguishes ODIN from others in its class is its ability to integrate legacy systems and next-gen technologies. This helps organizations save money by replacing software and hardware over time. It also improves building productivity and profitability in the following ways.

• Determine the amount of space being used in rooms and sectors. This will allow decision-makers to reconsider which areas are used to accommodate staff and visitors.
• Leveraging data from sensors and other IoT devices can determine occupancy rates, allowing for a rethinking of underused and overused areas.
• Calculate total energy consumption and measure it after analytics-based decisions regarding space utilization have been implemented.

Nearly 60 percent of organizations are reportedly using analytics to improve business innovation. Upwards of 74 percent of professionals polled indicate that having actionable analytic intel is critical to operational success. That’s why more companies are turning to ODIN to provide the software intelligence they need to make informed decisions about energy efficiency, operational expenses, and consistently comfortable conditions.

Connect With ODIN For Enhanced Building Automation Controls

Our ODIN software helps industry leaders create proactive, analytic-driven solutions by collecting essential information from a wide variety of IoT devices. We make it easier to implement intelligent, data-based automation strategies and plan for the future. If you’re interested in learning more about ODIN and how it empowers operational success, connect with our team. Let’s get the process started.