Make the Most of Your Facilities Management Dashboard with Data Analytics

Over the years, commercial building management has grown in complexity with the installation of increasingly sophisticated equipment. This is particularly true as more building owners turn to interconnected networks of smart devices to reduce carbon emissions and energy use while improving occupant comfort. But the mere installation of this equipment can not guarantee energy savings or enhanced operational performance.

Before improvements can be made, it is critical to understand building conditions and sources of waste. A dynamic facilities management dashboard that provides real-time actionable insights based on robust data analytics makes this possible. 

How Data Analytics Improve Facilities Management Dashboards

Data analytics increases visibility into a building’s interconnected network of mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, as well as access control and video systems, indoor air quality, occupancy sensors and myriad other smart systems installed in modern buildings.. In a complex network of equipment, a facilities management dashboard that displays system data like temperature setpoints and energy consumption with graphics that are easy to follow is invaluable for day-to-day building operations. These data-driven, highly visual dashboards enable facility managers to make informed decisions about where to direct their maintenance efforts and efficiency strategies. For example, facilities management dashboards enable building operations teams to:

Increase energy efficiency through benchmarking

At its core, analytics is a set of rules that measures systems and equipment against predefined performance and operational benchmarks. These rules analyze the large volume of raw data generated by building equipment to identify data trends and corresponding energy consumption.  

The smarter the analytics, the better the information reflected on the facilities management dashboard. However, the features of the dashboard itself affect how useful analysis will be. An analytics platform with automatic visual charts can collect and organize historical data, detect excess energy use, identify opportunities for energy efficiency, and present suggestions for action in ways that are easy to understand.

Correlate operational issues in an interconnected system 

Advanced analytics correlate building conditions with operational systems and external factors like the weather. Take a scenario in which an HVAC system in a commercial building is using more energy than normal, when compared to the historical data available from the BMS. An analytics system will identify this spike in energy usage and drill down into the operational data of related equipment to determine that the likely cause of this increase in consumption is an overridden temperature setpoint on a VAV box, causing unnecessary cooling in some parts of the building.. 

This insight delivered by the analytics system and delivered via the facilities management dashboard saves the building engineer from blindly chasing down multiple unrelated alarms triggered by unidentified issues across multiple equipment. By gaining a deeper view into relationships within the network, facilities managers can better isolate problems and more quickly define a course of action for operational adjustments.

Complete proactive maintenance through fault detection

Equipment or system failure causes waste, downtime, and unplanned expenses. With intelligent analysis of big data, malfunctions and vulnerabilities can be more readily identified and made visible on the facilities management dashboard. 

Advanced fault detection and automated forecasting allow facilities managers to focus on proactive maintenance rather than emergency repairs. By minimizing reliance on human intervention, facilities managers are better equipped to improve occupant comfort, energy efficiency, and overall performance.

Data analytics can truly transform a facilities management dashboard by sharing prioritized, meaningful information in a user-friendly way. However, the benefits can only be fully realized with a platform that collects and analyzes data in real time from a full range of building equipment.                    

Choosing the Best Analytics Platform

The best analytics platforms distill complex data into user-friendly visuals to provide greater insight into building conditions and uncover opportunities for improvement. While this has significant cost benefits, it is also essential for providing occupants with comfort and peace of mind. 

onPoint Analytics is a comprehensive analytics as a service (AaaS) package that provides continuous, actionable insights via web-accessible facilities management dashboards. These flexible, configurable dashboards are powerful tools for bringing operation systems together in a single interface and making sense of complex data. 

Some of onPoint’s most notable features include:

Ultimately, data analytics offers easier access to the data that matters and the understanding necessary to make smarter, more proactive decisions. With the right platform, performance can be refined, efficiency can be improved, and facilities management can be transformed.  

To learn more about how onPoint can help you create a smarter and more efficient building, register for our monthly webinars. Or contact our analytics team to get more information about onPoint and building analytics.