Continuous optimization energy reduction process in commercial buildings

An improved computer implemented method of managing energy usage of a building, where said method includes steps of collecting and analyzing building data, identifying building energy reduction opportunities, characterizing said building, applying optimization process to management of said building, and monitoring building energy usage and reporting results, thereby enabling on-going building energy usage optimization, where in the step of characterizing said building said improvement comprises substeps of:

• (a) using a processor for calculating
• (i) a first lag of said building,
• where said first lag is natural thermal lag derived by an equation
• LagIndex
• LW
• =
• ∑
• i
• =
• 2
• ⁢
• p
• p
• ⁢
• (
• T
• S
• i
• -
• T
• o
• i
• -
• LW
• )
• 2
• wherein
• LagIndexLW is a sum of square particular to a range of external temperatures indicated by a value LW,
• p is a number of 15 minute observations examined,
• TSi is an internal space temperature at time period i,
• TOi-LW is an outside temperature at LW periods prior to time period i, and
• ii) a second lag of said building,
• where said second lag is solar gain lag derived by an equation
• SolarGainLag
• LW
• =
• ∑
• i
• =
• 2
• ⁢
• p
• p
• ⁢
• (
• T
• Solar
• i
• -
• T
• North
• i
• -
• LW
• )
• 2
• wherein
• SolarGainLagLW is a sum of squares particular to a range of internal temperatures indicated by a value LW
• p is a number of 15 minute observations examined
• TSolari is an internal space temperature of a building space exposed to solar gain at time period i
• TNorthi-LW is an internal temperature of a building space not exposed to solar gain at LW periods prior to time period i;
• (b) determining from results of sub-step a(i) a minimum value, and further selecting a range of external temperatures corresponding to said minimum value, where said selected range represents lagged average external temperature;
• c) determining from results of substep a(ii) a minimum value, and further selecting a range of external temperatures corresponding to said minimum value, where said selected range represents lagged solar gain;
• (d) determining a solar strength value for said building;
• (e) using said building's lagged average external temperature and said solar gain and said solar strength from steps (a) through (d) to determine said building's energy use requirements using an equation
• γ=β0+β1x1+β2x2+β3x3±ε
• wherein
• γ represents thermal energy used by said building of interest and averaged over a predetermined time,
• x1 represents said lagged average external temperature,
• x2 represents said lagged solar gain,
• x3 represents solar strength,
• β0 represents the intercept of a solution space on Y-axis,
• β1 represents a first slope of a solution space representing x1,
• β2 represents a second slope of a solution space related to x2,
• β3 represents a third slope of a solution space related to x3, and
• ε is estimated variation.