A Guide to Operational Intelligence in Fault Detection and Diagnostics
What is Fault Detection and Diagnostics?
The process of identifying, analyzing, and interpreting system faults based on building performance data.
As maintenance and building systems grow more complex, strategic success depends on adaptable approaches and innovative solutions. Your facility's leaders and team members likely face pressure to control costs while meeting evolving compliance standards. At the same time, you're responsible for optimizing operations and improving uptime, often with fewer resources. To succeed, you need tools that support efficient decision-making through actionable insights and easily understood data.
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In response to these challenges, many facilities are turning to a connected, data-driven strategy rooted in Operational Intelligence (OI): the process of using real-time data, advanced analytics, and system insights to improve decision-making and performance in building operations. In the context of commercial HVAC/R maintenance, it means gathering, analyzing, and acting on HVAC/R system data to improve system performance and efficiency.
One of the most important applications of operational intelligence is Fault Detection and Diagnostics (FDD). Automated FDD takes this method further by continuously analyzing real-time data. It then uses OI to deliver more intelligent alerts, identify root causes, and prioritize actions. Automated fault detection, diagnostic tools, and operational intelligence help facility teams shift from reactive maintenance to proactive operations.
This guide explores the role of operational intelligence in commercial facility management and how automated Fault Detection and Diagnostics (FDD) tools drive more efficient, compliant, and sustainable facility performance.
The Evolution of Fault Detection and Diagnostics
Early fault detection and diagnostics systems primarily use rule-based methods, such as straightforward conditional logic (if-then statements), to identify system errors. Rule-based systems are intuitive and effective, but limited by their output and inability to convey fault severity or prioritize multiple issues simultaneously.
Over the last two decades, advancements in computing power and extensive building performance data availability have allowed FDD to evolve beyond this more straightforward logic. Automated FDD tools utilize sophisticated data-driven techniques, including AI, machine learning algorithms, and neural networks to offer deeper insight into energy efficiency and severity.
Automated fault detection and diagnostics automates both detection and diagnostics and uses operational intelligence to drive insights and promote better facility performance. Automated FDD tools continuously monitor systems, identify faults as they develop, and provide clear, actionable insights. They enable a shift from reactive service calls to proactive maintenance, delivering uptime and energy efficiency benefits.
Fault Detection and Diagnostics in the Context of ASHRAE 36
As the industry embraces automation and intelligence, it aligns around a standardized HVAC system operation framework: ASHRAE Guideline 36. Automated FDD systems and operational intelligence play a critical role in supporting this standard by verifying that systems operate as intended and alerting teams when they don't.
ASHRAE 36 sets standardized control sequences to optimize commercial HVAC system performance, improve energy efficiency, and increase reliability. Its standards reduce complexity and variability, equipping facility teams with a clear framework for operating systems under different conditions.
Because of these detailed guidelines, ASHRAE 36 is widely recognized as a crucial standard for energy efficiency and reliability in commercial HVAC. To fully leverage its advanced control strategies, facilities teams require real-time, actionable data, and this is precisely where intelligent FDD solutions become become essential.
What ASHRAE 36 Means for Facility Teams and Leaders:
- Clear expectations for system behavior:
Teams no longer have to guess how HVAC systems should respond, as sequences are standardized and consistent. - Simplified day-to-day operations:
Reduced need for custom logic, overrides, or one-off adjustments. - Less variability between buildings:
Standardized control strategies create consistency across sites, making training and oversight easier. - Easier onboarding for new team members:
A shared framework makes it simpler to understand and operate HVAC systems. - Supports energy efficiency goals:
ASHRAE 36 is helps optimize performance and reduce unnecessary energy use.
Operational Intelligence in Commercial HVAC Systems
Commercial HVAC/R systems that leverage operational intelligence use real-time data analysis to proactively detect, diagnose, and resolve issues before they escalate into costly failures or downtime.
Unlike traditional systems that respond after a fault occurs, automated FDD tools continuously monitor facility data to spot anomalies and early signs of malfunction. This gives facility teams a critical edge—actionable insights that drive smarter decisions and support strategic initiatives like capital planning and regulatory compliance.
Operational intelligence in commercial HVAC also represents an opportunity for conservation and efficiency. Studies have found that HVAC operational faults can increase energy consumption in buildings by 15–30%, underscoring the need for more advanced solutions to meet sustainability and operational efficiency goals.
“It tells us where the problem is, what to do about it, and when it needs to be done—before our guys even roll a truck.”
— Regional Facility Manager, Grocery Chain
How Do Automated FDD Tools Work in Commercial HVAC?
1. Integration with Building Systems: Using sensors, automated FDD tools connect directly to existing Building Management Systems (BMS) or Building Automation Systems (BAS) to access data already being collected across the facility.
2. Continuous Data Collection: The system pulls real-time data from sensors monitoring key variables like temperature, pressure, airflow, humidity, energy use, and equipment status.
3. Data as a Diagnostic Foundation: This live dataset becomes the baseline for evaluating performance, using both historical behavior and ideal operating conditions as reference points.
4. Real-Time Analysis with Smart Algorithms: Using AI and machine learning, advanced algorithms continuously evaluate system performance, detecting anomalies, inefficiencies, or signs of equipment degradation.
5. Pattern Recognition and Fault Detection: By analyzing behavior patterns, the system identifies early warning signs like a drop in airflow or unusual pressure levels, which may indicate an issue.
6. Alerts and Actionable Insights: Dashboards or reports notify facility teams when attention is needed, prioritizing findings by severity and potential impact.
7. Proactive Maintenance and Resolution: With early insight, your team can address small issues before they escalate, reducing downtime, avoiding emergency repairs, and extending equipment life.
Key Features of Smart FDD Tools in Facilities Management
Smart FDD tools that use operational intelligence don't just tell you something's wrong; they tell you what's wrong, how serious it is, and what to do about it. This level of insight allows facility teams to move from costly and inefficient truck rolls to diagnosing the problem and solving it with one intelligent solution.
Root cause identification:
Goes beyond surface-level symptoms to pinpoint what’s actually causing a fault, helping teams fix the real issue.
Prioritization of issues:
Highlights which problems have the biggest impact on performance or energy use, so teams can focus resources where they’re needed most.
Diagnostic recommendations:
Offers guidance on likely causes and next steps, based on system behavior and historical data.
Continuous learning:
Improves over time by analyzing new data, reducing false positives and unnecessary alerts.
Data visualization:
Translates complex data into clear dashboards and trend graphs that are easy to interpret.
Real-time data and historical analysis:
Detects and flags issues as they occur, as well as reveals recurring issues, seasonal patterns, and long-term performance gaps.
Operational intelligence:
Enables more strategic decision-making by giving teams a clear view of system health and behavior across sites and timeframes.
Continuous learning:
Improves over time by analyzing new data, reducing false positives and unnecessary alerts.
What Problems Can Operational Intelligence Identify and Solve?
Operational intelligence effectively identifies and helps solve common HVAC/R issues, including:
- Refrigerant leaks and incorrect refrigerant levels
- Issues with evaporators and condensers
- Faulty valves or actuator problems
- Blocked or uneven airflow
- Sensors giving inaccurate readings or needing recalibration
- Equipment operating outside recommended ranges
- Unexpected spikes in energy usage
By converting sensor data into actionable next steps, operational intelligence empowers facility teams and leaders to proactively manage HVAC/R systems. Thanks to actionable alerts, teams can improve operations and reliability.
For example, imagine a commercial building where an intelligent system catches a refrigerant leak early by noticing small but steady drops in pressure and changes in temperature through sensors already connected to the building's management system (BAS). Right away, the system identifies the issue and sends a detailed alert to the team, clearly explaining what's wrong and what to do next. This might mean setting up a maintenance check or making adjustments to equipment settings. Unlike traditional alerts, operational intelligence doesn't leave your team guessing. It continuously provides guidance and easy-to-follow instructions until the problem is fully resolved.
How Automated FDD Differs from Traditional, Reactive Maintenance Strategies
Reactive HVAC/R maintenance approaches, like traditional alarm systems, mean that teams only respond after a problem has already occurred or when it's clearly impacting equipment performance or comfort in the building. This approach often causes delays, unexpected breakdowns, and disruptions in daily operations.
| Aspect | Automated FDD Solutions | Traditional Reactive Maintenance Approaches |
| Approach | Predictive, anticipates issues | Reactive, addresses problems after occurrence |
| Response | Immediate, proactive | Delayed, triggered by failure or noticeable issues |
| Planning Horizon | Long-term and strategic | Short-term and tactical |
| Response Window | Ongoing, continuous monitoring | Intermittent, periodic checks |
| Impact on Operations | Minimizes downtime, enhances reliability | Increased downtime and potential disruptions |
| Maintenance Efficiency | High, focused on priority and prevention | Lower, often involves unnecessary site visits |
Common Myths About Operational Intelligence
Myth: Operational intelligence is only beneficial for large-scale facilities.
Fact: While large facilities can significantly benefit from operational intelligence, small to medium-sized buildings also experience improved efficiency and enhanced system reliability.
Myth: Implementing systems that use operational intelligence is overly complex and requires extensive system overhauls.
Fact: Intelligent solutions are designed to integrate seamlessly with existing Building Management Systems (BMS) or Building Automation Systems (BAS), minimizing the need for extensive modifications.
Myth: Systems that use operational intelligence generate excessive false alarms, which lead to alarm fatigue.
Fact: OI uses sophisticated algorithms to prioritize alerts based on severity and impact to reduce false positives and help facility teams focus on critical issues.
Benefits of Automated FDD Tools for Commercial HVAC Teams
Reduced Downtime and Equipment Failure
Minimized downtime: Address problems early, avoiding unexpected breakdowns.
Reduced emergencies: Schedule preventive maintenance instead of rushing to handle sudden repairs.
Longer equipment life: Timely fixes keep equipment running smoothly for longer.
Less stress on teams: Clear alerts help teams handle issues calmly and confidently, and save time troubleshooting problems.
Lower Operational and Maintenance Costs
Prevent costly losses: Quickly catching faults protects facilities from expensive losses.
Better planning: Historical trend data supports smarter decisions for future investments and budgeting.
Prioritize effectively: Real-time data helps your team quickly identify and tackle the most urgent issues first.
Clear savings: By improving efficiency, operational intelligence delivers measurable cost reductions throughout your facility.
Improved Energy Efficiency and Sustainability
Spots energy waste fast: Quickly identify issues like short cycling, blocked airflow, or refrigerant problems.
Immediate fixes: Pinpoint exactly what's wrong so your team can correct problems immediately and stop energy loss.
Proactive management: Stay ahead of problems, boosting your facility’s efficiency.
Supports benchmarking and reporting: Provides data to meet energy targets and compliance requirements.
Achieve sustainability goals: Aligns with your facility’s ESG initiatives, making it easier to track and reach environmental objectives.
Predictive leak detection: Proactive detection is critical since refrigeration accounts for 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions.
Stronger Regulatory Compliance
Simplified compliance: Easy-to-use dashboards clearly track refrigerant use and emissions for hassle-free reporting.
Effortless reporting: Meet key regulations like Section 608, California’s SB 253, Scope 1 emissions requirements, and other state-specific mandates.
Fits into your workflow: Smart tools smoothly integrate into existing compliance processes.
Stay ahead of regulations: Adapt to changing compliance requirements without stress or extra work.
Scalability and Multi-Site Visibility
Monitor remotely: Easily track system health and performance across all your facilities from one place.
Centralized dashboards: Get a clear, unified view of alerts and diagnostics to prevent missed issues.
Fewer oversight gaps: Standardized alerts help teams quickly spot and respond to problems at any site.
Efficient multi-site management: Keep operations streamlined and efficient, no matter how many buildings you're managing.
Refrigerant Leak Statistics
A 20% leakage could increase indirect carbon emissions by 6.3%
60% of troubleshooting related to refrigerant leaks occurs when the temperature is already too high
HVAC systems alone account for approximately 14% of global energy usage
Each year, 99.9% of refrigerants escape into the atmosphere
Leak Detection and the Importance of Intelligent FDD Tools
In today's HVAC landscape, tariffs and regulatory changes have heightened the urgency of intelligent, proactive refrigerant leak detection methods.
Refrigerant leaks can directly impact operational reliability and environmental sustainability. Undetected leaks lead to substantial refrigerant losses, increased energy consumption, compromised system performance, and heightened risk of regulatory penalties.
Refrigerant leaks pose additional risks for the cold chain industry, including the potential spoilage of temperature-sensitive products, which can cause costly product losses and diminished safety standards. Prioritizing intelligent refrigerant leak detection systems helps facilities safeguard their assets and maintain critical operational integrity.
How Carbon Connector Delivers Smart Leak Detection Solutions
In today’s commercial HVAC/R environment, proactivity matters, especially regarding refrigerant leak detection. Carbon Connector addresses this critical need through advanced leak detection technologies and expert service. Powered by Carbon Connector, AKO’s NDIR sensor technology delivers high-quality, real-time data that fuels smarter system performance, supports predictive fault detection, and triggers optimized control responses. AKO’s sensors are stable in all environments and adaptable for various refrigerants and equipment types, making them reliable across diverse facilities.
“Our mission is to empower businesses with the data and insights they need to reduce their environmental footprint and meet the demands of a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.”
— Tammy Atwood, Co-Founder of Carbon Connector
Proactive Maintenance with Actionable Insights
AKO transforms refrigerant leak detection from a passive alert system into a critical source of operational intelligence. Its sensor data feeds into automated FDD platforms like Bueno, helping teams move from detection to diagnosis faster and more clearly.
This means:
- Faults are ranked by severity and impact.
- Dispatch decisions are based on system data, not guesswork.
- Maintenance teams respond earlier, with fewer truck rolls and more targeted repairs.
- With just one, interconnected system, teams don't experience tool fatigue.
By flagging early indicators like pressure drops or temperature shifts, AKO enhances pattern recognition models and supports a more proactive maintenance strategy.
Enabling ASHRAE 36 Performance Through Real-Time Input
ASHRAE Guideline 36 sets the foundation for efficient, standardized HVAC operation, but it requires real-time, actionable input to work as intended. Combined with operational intelligence, AKO triggers adaptive controls that align with ASHRAE 36's goal of increased efficiency through standardization.
AKO helps align with ASHRAE 36 by:
- Adjusting compressor stages to optimize efficiency.
- Activating economizer sequences automatically.
- Preventing energy waste by catching hidden issues early.
Because AKO supports the ASHRAE 36 framework, it's no longer just another sensor but a central tool for better HVAC management. It helps facilities reach their ASHRAE 36 performance goals through accurate real-time data and smarter insights.
AKO and Refrigerant Leak Detection as a Service: Built for the People Who Run the Systems
Carbon Connector's refrigerant leak detection approach is more than connecting smart tools and AKO sensors. It's a collaborative, service-first model designed around your team's needs. We combine AKO's diagnostic capabilities with operational intelligence and Carbon Connector's hands-on support to empower your team to prevent leaks and optimize your maintenance strategy. We also help your team install and learn to use our systems.
In our model, operational intelligence isn't about replacing your team but supporting them. Carbon Connector offers direct human expertise to guide interpretation and response and help your team transform data into practical actions that empower technicians. Uniting AKO’s precision sensor platform with Carbon Connector's operational intelligence and hands-on support, we help your team detect leaks early and accurately, even at minor levels below 1%.
AKO and automated FDD enhance this collaborative service model by:
- Providing clear, real-time visuals of sensor activity and overall system performance.
- Offering personalized dashboards so technicians, managers, and compliance teams see relevant information tailored to their roles.
- Delivering prioritized, actionable alerts rather than overwhelming teams with raw data.
- Maintaining historical records of events to simplify audits and support ongoing analysis of leak patterns.
- Fostering secure, seamless integration with your existing enterprise tools, including CMMS and ESG reporting platforms.
Our leak detection model helps facility teams spend less time tracking down problems and more time solving them. Supervisors gain greater confidence in data accuracy, and leadership receives transparent, reliable information for strategic planning. Ultimately, our collaborative model bridges the gap between detection technology and effective, informed action.
Empower Your Team with Carbon Connector
Refrigerant leaks present significant operational, financial, and environmental challenges. Carbon Connector addresses these issues through a human-powered leak detection model that integrates advanced technology with comprehensive managed services. Operational intelligence combined with AKO's precision sensors and Carbon Connector's service offerings emerges as a transformative solution that moves your facility management from reactive maintenance to proactive strategies.
Carbon Connector blends AKO’s hardware sensors and Bueno’s data-driven insights to provide real-time visibility and reliability. Our holistic service model boosts operational efficiency, simplifies regulatory compliance, and enhances sustainability by reducing downtime and excess emissions.
Above all else, we emphasize collaboration, continuous improvement, and the actionable use of data, so solutions aren't just installed but integrated into your facility's operations. Carbon Connector transforms refrigerant management into a sustainable process through tailored strategies and ongoing support. We equip your team with the tools needed to prevent issues before they start and help your facility remain resilient in the years ahead.
