100+ Year Building Steam Practice Gets Artificial Intelligence Upgrade On Nantum OS
In NYC This Past Winter, Steam Charges Increased ~10x In Price (Due To On-Peak Demand) Each Morning. Prescriptive Data’s Nantum OS Has Launched Its Latest Smart Building Optimization Program To Combat Steam Demand Charges For Real Estate Owners Using District Steam.
During the winter, building steam demand charges can increase ~10x every morning.
New cost-saving algorithm optimizes daily steam use to significantly lower on-peak costs for building owners and operators.
Recommends the optimal time for steam use, leveraging thermal storage to shift usage from peak demand to off-peak times.
Enhancing the economic appeal of steam and intelligent operating schedules gives owners another avenue to pursue decarbonization.
NEW YORK — February 23, 2023 — Prescriptive Data, developer of the smart building operating system Nantum OS, deployed a new product that optimizes daily steam demand to save owners hundreds of dollars each day during the coldest and most costly months of the year. The latest cost-saving algorithm builds on Nantum’s proven AI-powered platform for building decarbonization, giving those responsible for facility operations actionable insights to boost net operating income by working smarter.
Introduction To Building Steam
Cleaner than coal or oil, steam energy powers some of New York City’s most iconic buildings, including the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center. Buildings tied into district heating can use steam to heat water and interior spaces, reducing energy costs and enabling high-efficiency technologies like combined heat and power (CHP). All it takes is a local district steam energy system. More than 660 steam districts exist across the United States, providing heating to an estimated 5.5 billion square feet, according to a recent U.S. Energy Information Administration report.
The Problem: ~10x Winter Steam Charges
On-peak demand charges can be ~10x higher than off-peak rates. By shifting a building’s steam demand peak to off-peak times, owners can save up to 10x on their peak steam demand charges.
“Steam’s biggest challenge is that every building starts using it around the same time every morning resulting in spiking demand which increases the price,” explained Sonu Panda, CEO. Prescriptive Data. “Factoring in the utility steam peak window pricing, forecasted weather and building envelope performance with artificial intelligence, we are able to shift that demand to off-peak times and can save each building tens of thousands in steam costs monthly without impacting tenant comfort.”
Steam AI
With Nantum's new Peak Steam AI cost-saving algorithm, building operators take advantage of thermal storage properties by pre-heating early in the morning, so the majority of steam consumption is at off-peak hours when demand is lower. This strategy is also known as load-shifting.
Case Study Results
Prescriptive Data is unique because they have a sandbox of 15M square feet of commercial and residential buildings across New York City, through their sandbox partner Rudin Management Company. This allows the company to test new solutions in real buildings before deploying to their customer base.
An analysis was conducted during the January 2023 test phase for this cost-saving algorithm at 345 Park Avenue. The two-week period was treated as a Mini Billing Period to measure and analyze the potential savings on steam peak demand reduction. The results of the test achieved peak reduction of 10.67Mlbs/h during peak hours, generating close to $17,000 ($8,500 / week) savings when compared to no preheating.
Future Impact
Optimizing district steam has the potential to give buildings another tool to fight the cascading impacts of climate change. Steam systems, even though often more than 100 years old, can help secure the future because of the system's ability to leverage economies of scale. Instead of working to decarbonize each asset individually, steam districts can decarbonize the primary supply at the central plant. District steam is already enabling dozens of cities, campuses, and clusters of buildings to approach net zero emissions. Optimizing the economic impact of using district steam can further scale the benefits.
Learn more about Peak Steam AI here: https://www.prescriptivedata.io/content/downloads/automate-steam-demand-charge-reduction
About Prescriptive Data’s Nantum OS
Nantum OS is an artificial intelligence and machine learning climate technology designed for commercial real estate operators and sustainability managers. Nantum OS allows real estate managers to visualize building HVAC systems, metering systems, people counting systems, IoT devices (air quality, lighting, shade, smart glass), distributed energy systems (battery storage, fuel cells, on-site generation equipment, solar), and third-party datasets in real time. Nantum OS uses real-time AI/ML algorithms to reduce building energy demand, suppress carbon emissions, and shrink utility costs. Each building on Nantum OS uses the least amount of energy and carbon emissions while delivering the maximum amount of health and comfort to occupied spaces. Learn more at www.prescriptivedata.io.
