Human behavior can contribute to system efficiencies and implementing an ongoing occupant education program can be the most cost-effective means of reducing resource consumption. Green Teams can advance these efforts by educating fellow occupants and promoting sustainable practices. Obtaining the active participation of building occupants coupled with system automation, controls and submetering can reduce overall resource use and provide better occupant comfort. Clearly communicate resource use reduction and occupant comfort goals, meter energy and water use, and share energy and water use data with occupants. Provide a means for occupants to report water leaks, malfunctioning sensors and controls, and other issues so corrective action can be taken.

Building automation consists of a computer-based system with integrated measurement sensors and control devices for components such as HVAC equipment, lighting, and renewable energy systems. Building Automation Systems (BAS) are a common form of energy management and information system (EMIS). Monitoring and controlling building systems allows building owners to identify opportunities for improved performance by tracking energy and water use, ventilation and other elements of IEQ, security and other operations. Investing in a BAS can realize significant savings:

• Consider synergies among building systems.
• Employ ongoing commissioning practices to ensure building systems are properly calibrated and maintained over their lifespan.
• Use data to address areas of concern.

Building automation is interrelated with energy efficiency, water efficiency, ongoing commissioning, systems level metering and lighting control. Submeters feed measurements from control devices or sensors into a BAS, at frequencies enabling enhanced management and performance monitoring of building components. The availability of submetering data provided at more discrete levels can be used by a BAS as part of fault detection and ongoing commissioning, identifying problems with installed equipment before it becomes an issue and identifying abnormal energy and water consumption as a result of system faults that may not be recognizable in utility usage data.

Integration with an Energy Management System: Integrating submeters with a data acquisition system (DAS), either stand-alone or through an existing BAS, is an integral part of a submetering program. As long as the vendor-supplied submeter software program uses ANSI standardized "open protocol" methods, the data generated by the submeters can be used in conjunction with any major brand BAS.

Submeters for on-site renewable energy systems have proven invaluable in optimizing renewable energy performance as they enable more continuous and proactive measurement and management of system performance. Without continuous collection of submetering data, many renewable energy systems may be subject to lost energy production or the loss of Renewable Energy Credits (REC) while awaiting traditional monthly operations and maintenance inspections.

Follow building management best practices when implementing an advanced submetering system to maximize the benefits and justify the implementation costs. Develop an advanced submetering plan, including:

• Establish the intended objectives and steps for risk mitigation. For example, enable energy usage allocation throughout a multi-tenant facility or effectively manage energy loads to minimize usage based on a demand schedule.
• Identify energy data needed to support the building system's intended use. For example, advanced trend analysis may require submeters that provide frequent data collection (e.g., hourly or more frequent, versus daily or monthly) to leverage utility time-based rate programs.
• Apply evaluation criteria to reduce utility use in a cost-effective manner. For example, consider lifecycle costs and quantification of anticipated benefits.
• Establish implementation and installation methods. Specify system financing, building and utility prioritization, functional requirements, data management system architecture, and a timeline for installation and implementation completion. Include a training plan for building management staff whose responsibilities include system and data maintenance.
• Conduct continuous performance evaluation. Quantify the funding required to maintain staff and sustain data management activities and training. Regular reviews are required to assess submetering functionality, achievement of stated objectives, and whether submetering can be applied to other systems or utilities.

DOE | Metering Best Practices: A Guide to Achieving Utility Resource Efficiency, Release 3.0

Submetering technology can drive long-term energy and water efficiency and conservation by enabling the analysis of consumption data across systems and spaces. This approach provides insight into daily, weekly, or seasonal occupant behaviors and equipment performance (e.g., HVAC and lighting), allowing trends and anomalies to be identified and corrected or addressed as well as operations and maintenance procedures to be improved as conditions change over time.