noBAS Building Re-tuning Guide

Building Re-tuning (BRT), as developed, documented and implemented in many buildings by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), is an effective set of low- and no-cost measures capable of reducing building energy consumption.

The effective use of BRT requires a building automation system (BAS) that meets minimum requirements, namely one that has:

1. Been properly configured and commissioned;
2. A prerequisite degree of connectivity to building system sensors; and
3. The ability to capture and store building system parameter values measured at regular intervals for an appreciable period, such as two weeks or longer.

However, the significant majority of today’s medium (25,000-50,000 sf) and large commercial/ institutional buildings (>50,000 sf) do not have a BAS that meets these standards, or may not have a BAS at all. To address this segment of buildings, the CUNY Building Performance Lab (BPL) has developed a set of BRT-like measures that use readily-available data loggers and sensors in lieu of a BAS. These instruments are included in defined kits for each measure, along with a notebook computer and/or tablet and associated data management software. The intent is for these measures to be sufficiently accessible and easily reproducible, so that they may be implemented by a broad audience of facility personnel.

CUNY BPL’s solution is referred to as the “noBAS BRT” protocol, and its measures are described in this user guide. Also included are step-by-step instructions to assemble the kits, initialize and install the field equipment, and extract and visualize resulting building system data. Finally, the diagnosis of certain conditions and suggested actions for more efficient building operations are offered for each measure.

Below is a summary of each measure’s guide: