Buyer's checklist: building analytics and FDD platforms
Analytics demos all look great. The differences show up in month three, when the mapping's half done and the fault list is 400 lines long. Use this list to pressure-test vendors before you sign. Print it (Ctrl/Cmd+P) and take it to the meeting.
1. Getting the data
- How do you connect to our BAS? (BACnet/IP read, Niagara/API, historian, CSV, a gateway box?)
- Do you need hardware on our network? Who owns and maintains it?
- Is access read-only? If you ever need write access, what for, and can we turn it off?
- What trend interval and history do you need? Can you backfill from our existing trends?
- What happens to analytics when the connection drops? Is data buffered?
- Do you support our BAS brands and versions specifically? Name sites running them.
2. Mapping and tagging
- Who maps and tags our points: you, us, or our controls contractor? Is it priced separately?
- Do you use an open model like Project Haystack or Brick, or something proprietary?
- How long did onboarding take for a building our size, and what slowed it down?
- What happens to mapping when we add equipment or a contractor renames points?
3. The fault rules
- Can we see the rule library for AHUs, VAVs, RTUs, chillers and boilers?
- Can we edit thresholds or write our own rules?
- How are faults prioritized: energy cost, comfort, equipment risk? Can we see the math?
- How do you prevent the same fault being flagged 300 times?
- How do you handle bad sensors, so a broken sensor doesn't create 50 false faults?
4. Workflow: who acts?
- Where do faults go: email digest, dashboard, our CMMS or work-order system?
- Can faults be assigned, commented, closed, and verified as fixed by the data?
- Do you offer analyst review or a managed service? What's included per month?
- What does a tech see on a phone in the field?
- What in-house time should we budget? (The LBNL Smart Energy Analytics Campaign report reported a median of about 8 hours per building per month for FDD users.)
5. Cost model
- Is pricing per point, per building, per square foot, or per user? (LBNL notes vendors use all of these.)
- What's one-time (setup, mapping, hardware) vs. recurring?
- What triggers a price increase: more points, more buildings, more users?
- Is there a pilot price, and does it convert to a contract automatically?
- For reference only: LBNL's campaign reported FDD median costs around $0.06/sq ft setup and $0.02/sq ft per year. Use it as a sanity check, not a quote.
6. Measuring results
- How will savings be measured: what baseline, and weather/occupancy-adjusted how?
- Which reports will we get monthly? Show a real one, anonymized.
- What did a comparable customer actually fix in year one? Can we talk to them?
7. Security and IT
- How does data leave the building: outbound-only, VPN, cellular?
- Who at your company can access our system remotely, and is it logged?
- SOC 2 or ISO 27001? Can our IT team review documentation before install?
- SSO and MFA for users? Role-based permissions?
8. Exit terms
- Contract length and auto-renewal terms?
- Can we export trend data, mapping/tags and fault history in standard formats?
- Who owns the tagging work we paid for?
- What do you remove from our network when we leave?
New to FDD? Start with What is FDD, and is it worth it?
