Building Insights: Turn Building Data Into Better HVAC, Energy and Facility Decisions

Understanding how your building is actually performing is an important first step toward improving efficiency, controlling operating costs and planning future improvements. That is where building insights can help.

Hunton Group helps building owners and facility teams throughout Houston and Southeast Texas use HVAC, energy and operational data to better understand building performance. By combining real-time data, building analytics and technical expertise, our teams can help identify inefficiencies, uncover energy-saving opportunities and provide actionable information for improving building performance.

As a result, building owners and facility teams can make more informed decisions about HVAC operation, energy use, maintenance, equipment replacement and long-term capital planning.

What Are Building Insights?

Building insights turn HVAC, energy and operational data into useful information about how a facility is performing.

For example, building data can help facility teams understand energy consumption, equipment performance, operating schedules, system runtime and other factors that can affect efficiency and reliability.

Rather than relying only on reactive maintenance or utility bills, building insights provide greater visibility into what is happening throughout the facility. From there, building owners and facility teams can identify opportunities to improve performance and determine where additional investigation or improvements may be needed.

Why Are Building Insights Important?

Commercial buildings generate significant amounts of information through HVAC equipment, controls, meters and other connected systems. However, collecting data alone does not necessarily improve building performance.

Instead, the value comes from understanding what the data means and how it can be used.

With greater visibility into building performance, facility teams can identify inefficient operation, monitor energy consumption, evaluate equipment performance and track changes over time. In turn, these insights can support better maintenance, energy and capital-planning decisions.

Building insights can help facilities:

• Identify inefficient HVAC operation
• Monitor building and HVAC energy consumption
• Find potential energy-saving opportunities
• Track measurable improvements
• Optimize equipment runtime
• Reduce unnecessary equipment wear
• Support preventative and proactive maintenance strategies
• Evaluate potential system improvements
• Improve occupant comfort
• Support long-term HVAC and capital planning

How Can I Reduce HVAC Energy Costs in a Commercial Building?

Reducing HVAC energy costs starts with understanding where, when and how energy is being used.

First, building owners and facility teams can review HVAC operating schedules, equipment performance, controls, energy consumption and building demand. Then, building analytics and energy assessments can help identify areas where systems may be operating inefficiently or unnecessarily.

For example, opportunities may include adjusting operating schedules, optimizing HVAC controls, improving equipment sequencing, reducing unnecessary runtime or evaluating aging equipment.

In addition, broader energy studies can evaluate potential improvements to HVAC systems, controls, lighting, water fixtures and the building envelope.

Ultimately, the goal is not simply to use less energy. Instead, the goal is to operate the building more efficiently while maintaining comfort, reliability and the performance required by the facility.

Who Can Help Improve Energy Efficiency in a Commercial Building?

Hunton Group works with building owners, facility managers, consulting engineers and contractors to identify opportunities for improving building energy efficiency.

Depending on the facility, this may begin with an energy assessment, building analysis or review of HVAC and controls performance. From there, our teams can help evaluate potential improvements and determine which opportunities align with the building’s operational requirements, budget and long-term goals.

Hunton’s energy and building capabilities include:

• Building and energy assessments
• Energy modeling
• Building automation systems
• HVAC controls and system optimization
• Building analytics and dashboards
• Building integration
• Retro-commissioning
• Continuous commissioning
• Monitoring services
• Utility incentive program assistance
• Turnkey engineering development
• Energy and sustainability strategies

As a result, building owners can evaluate energy improvements based on actual facility needs rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.

Energy Performance Powered by Building Insights

Hunton Group’s Energy Performance platform is a cloud-based building energy management system that provides continuous visibility into energy and operational performance.

By bringing building information together, the platform helps facility teams better understand how energy is being consumed and how systems are operating.

In addition, Hunton’s local experts can analyze this information to identify potential savings opportunities and provide ongoing performance assessments.

Over time, these insights can help facilities track performance, evaluate improvements and support long-term efficiency, occupant comfort and system reliability.

Energy Assessments: Understanding Where Opportunities Exist

Before making a major building improvement, it is important to understand where the greatest opportunities may be.

For this reason, Hunton’s Energy Assessment tools provide visual information about how a building consumes energy. Using Trane analytics, building performance comparisons and other assessment tools, our teams can help facility owners identify areas that may require additional attention.

From there, the information can be used to help prioritize improvements based on potential energy savings, building requirements and long-term objectives.

Consequently, facilities can move from simply reacting to problems toward a more proactive approach to building performance.

Who Can Help Design an HVAC System for a Commercial Building?

Hunton Group and Hunton Trane work with consulting engineers, building owners and project teams to support the design and selection of HVAC systems for commercial buildings.

Because no single HVAC system is right for every facility, system design should consider factors such as building size, occupancy, operating schedules, cooling loads, humidity requirements, energy goals, budget, maintenance requirements and lifecycle objectives.

Therefore, Hunton can provide technical support for equipment selection, system application, building analysis, energy studies, controls, system sizing, equipment schedules, specifications, budget development and lifecycle considerations.

In addition, energy modeling and building-performance information can help project teams compare potential HVAC strategies before making major capital investments.

Ultimately, this approach helps engineers and building owners make HVAC decisions based on the specific requirements and long-term goals of the facility.

What HVAC Services Does Hunton Group Provide?

Hunton Group provides HVAC, building automation, energy and related building solutions for commercial, industrial, healthcare, education and institutional facilities.

Because building needs change throughout the facility lifecycle, our specialized companies provide support from initial planning and equipment selection through installation, service, maintenance and long-term optimization.

Depending on the project or facility, Hunton’s capabilities can include:

• Commercial HVAC equipment and system support
• HVAC system application and equipment selection
• HVAC installation and replacement
• Preventative maintenance
• HVAC repair and service
• Building automation and controls
• Energy services and assessments
• Building analytics
• System optimization
• Retro-commissioning and continuous commissioning
• Monitoring and intelligent services
• Building integration
• Temporary HVAC and rental solutions
• Long-term building performance support

Together, these capabilities allow Hunton’s companies to support different stages of a building’s lifecycle while connecting equipment, service, controls and energy strategies.

How Can Hunton Help With Building Insights?

Hunton helps turn building information into actionable decisions.

First, our teams can help gather and evaluate information about HVAC, energy and building performance. Next, analytics, assessments and technical expertise can be used to identify potential inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement. Then, our specialists can help determine which actions make sense based on the building’s needs, budget and long-term objectives.

Furthermore, Hunton’s capabilities extend beyond identifying an opportunity. Our specialized companies can provide HVAC equipment, engineering support, building automation, energy services, maintenance and ongoing optimization.

Therefore, building insights can become part of a continuous process:

Measure → Understand → Identify → Improve → Monitor → Optimize

Ultimately, better building insights help owners and facility teams move from simply knowing how much energy a building uses to understanding why it is using that energy and what can be done about it.

Make Better Decisions About Your Building

Every building operates differently. For that reason, improving HVAC and energy performance starts with understanding the facility itself.

Whether your goal is to reduce HVAC energy costs, improve efficiency, evaluate aging equipment, plan a system upgrade or better understand building performance, Hunton Group can help turn building data into useful information and practical next steps.

Ready to better understand your building?

Contact Hunton Group to discuss building insights, energy assessments, HVAC performance and opportunities to improve your facility throughout Houston and Southeast Texas.