Building Interoperability

According to the National Institute of Standards (NIST) , more than $16B is wasted each year in the US because the software used to design, build and operate buildings is not well integrated.  This lack of interoperability results in expensive changes in the construction process, and poor maintenance in the operation phase.  I suspect they have just scratched the surface in terms of cost.

NIST really is just aiming at maintenance and support.  In parallel to NIST's thinking, I believe there is a similar cost in energy.  Many buildings do not have the real time systems in place that can correlate building design intent, real energy costs, and the condition of equipment over time.  Based on the retro commission market, it may be fair to say that poor building system interoperability might account for 20% of the energy cost in a facility.  I looked it up, a 20% improvement in facility energy cost would reduce the nations energy bill by more than $20B .

This means lack of interoperability might account for a waste in excess of $36 B per year.  That is a big number to me.