Causes and effects of a few real faults in a hydronic heating system are explained in this paper. Since building energy management system (BEMS) has to be utilized in fault detection and diagnosis (FDD), practical explanations of faults and their related effects are important to building caretakers. A simple heat balance model is used in this study. The model is calibrated using the optimization tool. Site data from the BEMS of a real building are calibrated against the model. Desired and real data are compared, so that the effects of the following faults are analyzed: faults in an outdoor air temperature sensor, fault in the time schedule, and a water flow imbalance problem. This paper presents an overview of the real causes of the faults and their effects both on the energy consumption and the indoor air temperature. In addition, simple instructions for the building caretakers for fault detection in the hydronic heating systems are given.

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The aim of the study was to show the need for performance documentation, monitoring, and data integration during the lifetime of an energy system to achieve proper decision making. An improved measurement approach for heat pump performance was introduced. This approach was developed by integrating manufacturer and building energy management system data. Direct and indirect measurements were combined into fused measurements. This heat pump estimation approach was tested on a substation where integrated heat pumps supported a building energy supply system. Two approaches were assessed for exhaust air heat recovery: within the air handling unit and by using heat pumps. The results showed that improved measurements were cost-effective and highly reliable in the decision making. The exhaust air heat recovery heat pump was the favorable solution when district heating price was 60% above the electricity price and in the case when electricity was produced by renewable energy sources.