A course developed by Texas A&M faculty in the AE program – supported and made possible through a DOE-BENEFIT grant.
Smart Building Technologies
This course was originally developed by Dr. Zheng O'Neill and Prof. Filza Walters.
Acknowledgment: The material developed for this course is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Building Technologies Office (BTO) Award Number DE-EE0009703.
Disclaimer: “The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Energy or the United States Government.”
Learning Objectives
The overall learning objectives are
(1) to equip students with the fundamentals and engineering tools of smart building technologies and
(2) to prepare students to apply and integrate the knowledge in the design and operation of smart buildings such as grid-interactive efficient buildings.
Linked Resources
Smart Buildings Module 1 – Fundamentals of Building Systems
Fundamentals of Building Mechanical and Energy Systems, and Building Systems Integration
This module serves as developing the foundation of the broader course on Smart Building Technologies.
This module covers the topics:
- Building heat transfer
- Psychometrics
- Thermal comfort
- Indoor air quality (IAQ) and ventilation
- Fenestration and lighting systems
- Heating and cooling equipment
- Heating and cooling loads
- Building energy analysis
- Utility bill
- Occupant behavior
Smart Buildings Module 2 - Codes and Standards
This module provides an overview across all relevant regulatory texts for smart building technologies.
This module covers the topics:
- Overview of Smart Building Codes and Standards
- Commercial buildings
- Residential buildings
- Other relevant codes and guidelines
Smart Buildings Module 3 – Fundamental Technologies
This module dives into technical aspects of equipment and components.
This module covers the topics:
Introduction of Sensor and IoT Devices
Introduction of Smart Building Envelopes
Applications of Smart Building Controls
Introduction of Building to Grid integration
Smart Buildings Module 4 - Energy Management and Controls
This module covers (engineering) solutions for controls and building automation systems.
This module covers the topics:
- Building Direct Digital Control (DDC)
- Building Energy Management System
- Communication Networks
- Cybersecurity
- Data Interoperability
- Concept of Optimizations in Buildings
Smart Buildings Module 5 - Applications
Applications of Engineering Tools and Standards
In this module, an overview is provided for building commissioning processes and other building operation management practices.
This module covers the topics:
- Overview of Building Commissioning
- Overview of Ongoing Commissioning
- Overview of Automated System Optimization (ASO)
- Overview of Building Operational Codes, Standards and Guidelines
Smart Buildings Module 6 - Case Studies
In this module, several case studies are presented for smart building technology applications in the real world.
This module covers the topics:
- Overview of Smart Building Case Studies
- A High-Level Smart Building Example
- Smart, Single Building Case Studies
- Residential Smart Building Case Study
- Smart Campus Case Studies
- Smart Cities Case Studies
- Other Global Smart City Case Studies