Barriers and drivers for implementation of automatic fault detection and diagnosis in buildings and HVAC systems: An outlook from industry experts

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the current status of Fault Detection and Diagnosis (FDD) implementation in building and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems in the building industry. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 29 experts from different HVAC company types in the building industry. In addition, a literature review was performed to investigate academic research on FDD implementation. The study identified barriers and drivers to implementing FDD systems, these included; technological and technical, economic and business, users, social and societal, and regulatory. An Automatic Fault Detection and Diagnosis (AFDD) implementation matrix was developed to evaluate FDD implementation in building systems, and all interviewed companies were classified based on their FDD knowledge, services, and type. Results show that expert-rule systems are still prevalent in the industry. The literature review revealed a scarcity of FDD implementation studies in academic research due to challenges in testing and validating results in actual building operation conditions. Lastly, this study discusses the key findings: 1) FDD does not sell, 2) Lack of actively engaging and promoting FDD services, 3) FDD seems to be an academic definition, 4) The bottlenecks: The fault handling process and user’s mindset towards FDD, and 5) Governmental regulations and legislatives drive the implementation focus.