NoFaRe: A Non-Intrusive Facility Resource Monitoring System

The aim of this paper is to present the idea and starting points for an innovative facility resource monitoring system, which will be realized in a recently started research project: NoFaRe. NoFaRe’s goal is to enable low cost monitoring of electrical devices in buildings using advanced Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring (NILM) techniques and evaluate its value in facility management based on Building Management System (BMS) prototypes. Low-level device monitoring in buildings is a necessary first step to realize a new generation of BMS that will allow for higher service and efficiency levels in various dimensions of facility management. The general goal of NILM algorithms is to obtain information on the behavior of single appliances based on aggregate measurements, such as smart metering data, which allows for reducing the required amount of sensors and communication infrastructure. The NoFaRe project will on the one hand explore innovative NILM concepts to fulfill BMS application requirements while minimizing hardware cost. On the other hand, it will contribute innovative BMS applications based on device-level monitoring and contemporary communication infrastructure.