Background
A commercial property using CIM’s PEAK Platform encountered persistent airflow and fan issues with one of its Air Handling Units (AHU). Over several months, the site experienced multiple fan failures, rising maintenance costs, and increasing energy consumption. Despite repeated contractor interventions, the root cause remained unresolved.
Challenge
The PEAK Platform triggered an alert indicating that an AHU was potentially running overnight despite the time schedule indicating that it was off. The BMS contractor investigated and determined the issue was caused by a faulty pressure sensor, which they replaced before marking the issue as resolved.
The following day, PEAK raised a new alert, flagging poor supply air pressure control—the pressure sensor wasn’t achieving its setpoint, and the fan was running at 100% speed. The contractor revisited the site and, after confirming the fan was at maximum output, concluded there was nothing more to be done. Again, the issue was marked as resolved.
Over the next several months, the pressure issue was deprioritized due to other operational challenges, ongoing contractor turnover, and repeated fan failures—until a recent deep-dive analysis uncovered the true cause.
Solution
During a recent site visit, two of CIM's engineers used a new airflow measuring instrument to compare real-time airflow data with BMS readings. The results were surprising:
- Actual airflow: 32,460 m³/hour
- BMS reading: 12,782 m³/hour
Further investigation revealed a critical contractor oversight—when they replaced the pressure sensor, they installed a sensor with a different range than the original. The BMS was programmed for a 0-1600 Pa sensor, but the new sensor had a 0-5000 Pa range, leading to incorrect airflow calculations.
Impact
This seemingly minor mistake had significant consequences:
- The BMS displayed incorrect pressure readings, preventing proper system control.
- The fan ran at 100% capacity instead of 65%, dramatically increasing energy consumption.
- The AHU delivered 3x the designed airflow volume, straining mechanical components.
- Repeated fan failures led to multiple costly replacements.
- The site incurred €11,300 in unnecessary energy costs due to excessive fan operation.
Fix
The solution? A 3-minute BMS strategy update to align the system with the correct sensor range—immediately resolving the issue.
Takeaway
This case highlights the importance of independent monitoring. Without PEAK’s ongoing data analysis and fault detection, the site would have continued experiencing higher energy costs, equipment failures, and wasted resources. Real-time visibility and contractor accountability are essential to ensuring that small errors don’t turn into major operational and financial setbacks.
With PEAK, contractors are held accountable, and facilities teams gain the insights they need to maintain efficiency and avoid costly mistakes.
