Overview

Facility Strategies Group (FSG) worked with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) to design and implement a pilot project to establish control over distributed cooling equipment throughout NYCHA's Meltzer Tower development. This pilot project was intended as a proof-of-concept of demand aggregation and peak electrical load shedding that can be scaled throughout other NYCHA developments. FSG's design enabled NYCHA meet the following goals: Establish and maintain control over in-unit distributed Air Conditioning equipment, implement sequences of operation which allow NYCHA to shed load as a demand response initiative, Maintain occupant comfort and increase NYCHA's ability to respond to tenant equipment complaints, Utilize advanced control strategies to lower emissions related to building peak demand, and contributing to NYCHA's sustainability goals.

FSG reviewed the existing building conditions, including a general site survey and wireless signal strength testing and signal heat-mapping survey, to design a wireless network to interface with the individual air conditioning units in each apartment. FSG coordinated with HVAC equipment OEM's, vendors who provide demand aggregation services, and vendors who provide third-party control of WiFi-enabled HVAC equipment to determine the best options for networking and control strategies at the site with equipment and services readily available through the market. FSG designed the network and communication system, including a WiFi network throughout the building and controls components capable of interfacing to NYCHA's central Building Management System (BMS). All components and software were designed to meet NYCHA's standards for controls integration such as open BACnet communications protocols, interface and graphics on the Tridium Niagara head-end server, and including additions specific to the pilot project. FSG prepared design documents and has supported NYCHA with construction administration and network technical assistance throughout the installation process. FSG also performed commissioning activities including functional testing of the system upon completion to ensure system reliability and performance.