From Breaking Bad to big data – Andrew Dyke

I’m a Breaking Bad fan. The trials and exploits of Walter and Jesse make for compelling viewing, so much so that I’ve found myself tuning to Netflix night after night. Unlike traditional TV viewing, Netflix and its competitors are able to monitor what we watch and suggest what we’ll like. Box-set addicts will also know that these recommendations are getting more and more accurate.

This is because, in an effort to provide ever-greater predictive accuracy, organisations are more and more concerning themselves with so-called ‘big data’. The viewing habits they get from audiences of millions now let them know what is of most value to their customers.

Using the latest analytics software, companies look at data and turn it into useable information to help them better understand their customers’ needs and desires. The result is: business plans and investment decisions that are much more sophisticated, more in tune with market demand and ultimately more likely to succeed.

Surprisingly, there are many parallels with building energy management. The building energy management system (BEMS) tells us the behaviour of the building – be it heating, cooling or ventilation systems, with separate components playing the role of individual consumers. Managing and monitoring the behaviour of the components is the primary function of the BEMS, using the data it collects from the building systems connected to it.

Just like today’s digital giants, this ‘manage and monitor’ approach is set to change with the introduction of advanced analytics software into BEMS. 

The information from traditional BEMS and energy automated monitoring and targeting (aM&T) platforms is retrospective and relatively basic – telling you how much energy is used, and when. This allows users to make forward plans.  While this is valuable, predicting energy usage trends and being able to respond to issues before they happen is much more powerful.

This is the crucial shift from traditional BEMS/aM&T operations to an analytics approach – it’s not just telling users what the building has done and what energy has been used. The system is pinpointing exactly where events are happening, minute-by-minute, and using this information to identify improvements and introduce efficiencies.

To read the full article see the latest October edition of EiBI.