Sensor Information in BIM

In addition to the required reading from the BIM Handbook, I also read Real Time Power Monitoring & Integration with BIM (link). The BIM Handbook provided valuable information about a survey of some of the different BIM products available currently. They primarily discussed Autodesk's Revit software and some of Bentley's various BIM tools. As expected each of the software packages discussed has its own unique strengths and weaknesses.  Adoption of BIM in the AEC industry by the entirety of a design team is still a growing method of project delivery.  The additional article I read deals with monitoring end-use detailed energy consumption data is provided for each load level. The process used to develop this is called Real Time Power Monitoring (RTPM) System.  This data can provide engineers with valuable usage data that can be critically important to maximizing energy. The article goes on to estimate energy consumption savings in the range of $470 per year for the average US household by reducing their energy consumption by around 15% to 31%. It is further estimated that if 1% of US households were to achieve such energy through this program, the equivalent energy conserved would be the same as taking 535,000 cars off the road. The program looks to include both occupancy and electricity load sensors into construction and then be able to integrate this into the BIM model that was created when the building was designed. Having internet capable sensors would allow this information to send to the model stored online. Both end users and engineers could then monitor and tweak the electricity usage.

This increasing of use of sensors into BIM models will allow for more intelligent buildings. The use of BIM for facilities management and operation allow for energy conservation. This is a service that will quickly be demanded by building owners due to the fact that they could acquire large utility savings through a relatively minimal capital investment at the start of a project.