Welcome to the Federal Energy Management Program's Building Re-tuning Simulator (BRS).
The BRS is a free, easy to use, online tool that helps identify low-cost and no-cost re-tuning measures. Re-tuning relies on building automation system (BAS) data to identify and implement controls measures that improve the building's energy efficiency, reduce operating costs, and improve occupant comfort.
The BRS allows users to create a simplified building model that estimates impact from selected measures using the available heating, ventilation, and air conditioning control measures, operations and maintenance measures, and capital project measures.
The advantages of using the BRS are:
- Helps meet statutory requirements – the re-tuning program can help satisfy building evaluation and existing building commissioning requirements in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and the Energy Act of 2020.
- Save energy and utility costs – previous re-tuning efforts at federal sites have resulted in energy savings ranging from 5% to 25% with a simple payback of less than 3.5 years.
- No prior modeling experience is necessary – there is a low level of effort to use the BRS since the focus is on BAS and controls strategies. The BRS has built in auto-sizing and default values to reduce complexity, and there is guidance available on modeling steps.
Federal buildings account for a significant amount of the energy used in the United States. Re-tuning presents a significant opportunity to optimize buildings to save energy and cost in a low-cost manner.
Looking to get started? Check out the Screening Tool to see if re-tuning is right for your building.
Contact us for re-tuning assistance. Or send an email to fempre-tuning@hq.doe.gov