Construction projects that meter the build and hand over a building with evidence.
Two jobs on one platform. During the build, temporary power, generators, site water and boundary dust are measured per feed and per package. At completion, a specified measurement layer is commissioned with the BMS, so the owner takes a building that already has a baseline instead of a design promise.
What construction teams are up against.
Water, energy, air and operations carry equal weight. Each one runs the same loop: monitor, measure, identify, act, verify.
Water: Site water with an owner
Dust suppression, concrete works, wheel wash and welfare water metered separately, so site water stops being one line in preliminaries.
Energy: Generators that run only when the load needs them
Temporary supplies, distribution boards and generators metered per feed. Idle running and oversized sets show up in the load profile.
Air: Boundary dust, measured continuously
Particulate monitoring at the site boundary, so consent conditions are shown with a record rather than defended after a complaint.
Operations: A handover that includes the operational record
Meters and sensors commissioned alongside the BMS, a baseline set before completion, and seasonal tuning run against measured data.
Problem, solution, impact.
How Aqueduct resolves each problem for construction, and what changes when it does.
Dust suppression, concrete works, wheel wash and welfare water metered separately, so site water stops being one line in preliminaries.
A live water balance across meters and sub-meters localizes the loss, routes the fix and confirms it closed at the meter.
Loss found from the balance, not the bill, and every fix verified.
Temporary supplies, distribution boards and generators metered per feed. Idle running and oversized sets show up in the load profile.
Weather-normalized baselines per building and asset show the waste in money; schedules and setpoints adjust where control is enabled.
Savings stated in money and confirmed at the meter, not estimated.
Particulate monitoring at the site boundary, so consent conditions are shown with a record rather than defended after a complaint.
Air quality per zone, overlaid with occupancy, with ventilation raised when it matters and verified back in range.
Targets held during occupied hours, with the energy cost counted.
Meters and sensors commissioned alongside the BMS, a baseline set before completion, and seasonal tuning run against measured data.
Faults diagnosed in plain language and routed into your CMMS with the fix; early signs of failure schedule maintenance first.
Fewer reactive call-outs and closures confirmed by the equipment.
One incident, from first signal to verified fix.
An illustrative example of the flywheel on a typical site.
Temporary supplies, generators and site water metered per feed from the first weeks on site.
A baseline per package and period, so consumption is attributed instead of absorbed into preliminaries.
Anomaly: a generator running through a low load weekend, flagged with its load profile.
Action routed to the site manager with the recommended change, and logged.
Fuel and run hours confirm the change. The same layer then carries the finished building into handover.
Four connected products on one data layer.
Replace what should be replaced. Connect the rest.
- Manual generator logs
- Periodic dust surveys
- Retrofitted metering after handover
- BMS through BACnet and Modbus
- Project and cost reporting exports
- Owner CMMS at handover
Three equal ways in: keep your BMS, replace it, or build Aqueduct in at design stage.
The questions each seat asks first.
“Can we report site energy, water and carbon per project, not per company?”
“Will the building hold the rating it was sold on once it is occupied?”
“Does specifying this constrain the BMS or controls procurement?”
Standards and regulations we supply evidence for.
We supply the measured inputs. You run the program and file the report.
Where site utilities leak money before the building exists
On most projects, site utilities are a preliminaries lump sum. Nobody can say which package, which week or which generator used what. These are the points we meter first.
Temporary incomer and boards
Supply capacity sized for the worst week and paid for every week. Consumption never attributed to a package.
kWh, kW peak and power factor per incomer and per distribution board, using clip-on CTs.
Splits use by board and period, so each package and phase has its own line and its own baseline.
Diesel generators
Sets left running through nights and weekends at low load, burning fuel and hours for a load that could sit on a smaller set or on the grid.
Electrical output, run hours and load factor per set, with fuel level where a sensor fits.
Flags idle running and chronic under-loading, and shows the load profile that justifies a smaller set or a shutdown window.
Site water
Dust suppression, concrete works, wheel wash and welfare all drawn through one standpipe and one bill.
Flow on each branch with pulse counters or clamp-on meters.
A site water balance, so a burst hose or a wheel wash left running shows up the same day.
Dewatering pumps
Pumps running continuously when inflow does not need it, and discharge volume unknown when a consent asks for it.
Pump energy, run state and discharge flow.
Ties pump run time to measured inflow and keeps a discharge record for the consent file.
Welfare and site offices
Cabins heated or cooled overnight and through holidays with doors open and nobody inside.
Cabin energy and temperature, with occupancy where fitted.
Finds out-of-hours conditioning and, where control is enabled, with owner approval, switches cabins to a schedule through relays.
Cranes and hoists
Large intermittent loads that set the site's peak and drive the supply size.
Feeder level demand on each crane and hoist supply.
Shows which loads create the peak, so the next site's temporary supply is sized on evidence.
Boundary dust
Particulate limits shown by periodic surveys, so the first sign of a breach is a complaint or a notice.
PM2.5 and PM10 at the boundary, continuously, with wind direction where available.
Alerts the site team while the activity is still running, and keeps a time stamped record for the consent file.
A measurement layer that is designed in, not bolted on
The second job starts long before completion. Each stage below has a decision that is cheap to make on paper and expensive to make later.
A meter schedule that matches the rating
The meter and sensor schedule is drawn with the MEP design and aligned to the regime the owner will be judged on. That decides which systems need their own meter, which zones need air sensors, and where cables or gateways go.
- Main incomers, HVAC plant, lighting and small power separated where the rating needs it
- Water mains, major sub-meters and irrigation on their own meters
- Air sensors per zone type, not one per floor
- Measured
- energy per system, water per branch, zone air
- Target
- the rating and disclosure regime in that market
- Aqueduct
- supplies the schedule template and the data model it lands in
Vendor agnostic by design
The layer reads BACnet, Modbus and vendor APIs, so it does not dictate the BMS, the meters or the controls contractor. The specification asks for open protocols and accessible points rather than a brand.
- Open protocol requirement written into the BMS package
- Meter accuracy class and communications stated in the schedule
- Point naming agreed before the BMS contractor starts
- Measured
- nothing yet, this is the paper stage
- Target
- open, readable points on every metered system
- Aqueduct
- connects to what is bought, without a preferred vendor
Every device commissioned to its place
Installers use aQ Atria to scan, install, validate and complete each meter and sensor, so every device lands in aQ Core tagged to its site, floor and zone. Gaps show up as missing devices, not as quiet holes in the data.
- Device confirmed reporting before the installer leaves the room
- Location tagged at install, not reconstructed from drawings
- Wireless LoRaWAN devices where cable routes are hard to add
- Measured
- device status and first readings
- Target
- every scheduled point reporting
- Aqueduct
- Atria guides the install and Core holds the register
A baseline before the owner moves in
The measurement layer is commissioned with the BMS, not after it. Readings from the commissioning period become the first baseline, and systems that behave oddly during functional testing are visible in the data.
- Plant behavior during functional tests recorded
- Simultaneous heating and cooling caught before occupation
- First weather-normalized baseline started
- Measured
- plant energy, flows, zone conditions
- Target
- design intent per system
- Aqueduct
- flags systems running against each other or out of schedule
Seasonal tuning against evidence
Aftercare becomes a tuning exercise. Each season, measured use per system is compared with the design intent, and the team adjusts schedules and setpoints with data in front of them.
- Season by season comparison with design intent
- Findings routed to the FM team or the controls contractor
- Changes logged so their effect can be checked
- Measured
- use per system against weather
- Target
- the modeled performance
- Aqueduct
- locates the gap to a system and verifies each fix
The owner inherits a working record
At the end of aftercare the owner holds a commissioned layer, a baseline and a season of tuning history. The same platform then runs the building, with savings verified at the meter.
- Operational record handed over with the design documents
- Work routed into the owner's CMMS
- Benchmarking and disclosure built on measured data
- Measured
- everything specified, continuously
- Target
- the rating the building was sold on
- Aqueduct
- carries the building from handover into daily operation
The rating clock in the six markets
Proposed year EPC band B becomes the minimum for commercial lets above 1,000 square meters in England and Wales under MEES. A government proposal, not yet law.
Source: MEES tightened to EPC B for large commercial buildings (GOV.UK minimum energy efficiency standard guidance)Al Sa'fat Silver becomes the mandatory baseline for new building permits in Dubai
Source: Al Sa'fat Dubai Green Building System, Dubai Municipalityconnected load, or 120 kVA contract demand, brings a commercial building under India's ECBC
Source: Energy Conservation Building Code, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, IndiaNABERS rates Australian buildings on measured operational performance, not on the design model
Source: NABERS, National Australian Built Environment Rating SystemWhat the finished building is judged on, and what the handover record needs
Summarized for orientation, not legal advice. Requirements vary by state, province, emirate and municipality, and by building type and size.
| Market | Judged on | What the handover record should already hold |
|---|---|---|
| United States | ASHRAE 90.1 at design, then annual ENERGY STAR benchmarking and, in more cities, performance standards with penalties | Whole building and system meters that feed benchmarking from the first year, with weather-normalized history |
| Canada | NECB 2020 at design, then national benchmarking against Canadian data | Complete, attributable meter data, so the benchmarking entry is not built on estimates |
| United Kingdom | EPC under MEES, ESOS action plans and SECR disclosure | Measured use per system to back improvement plans and the annual disclosure |
| Middle East | Al Sa'fat in Dubai and Estidama Pearl in Abu Dhabi at permit, increasingly questioned in operation | Cooling energy and water use measured per system, since cooling drives most of the load |
| India | ECBC at design, then BRSR Core intensity metrics with independent assurance | Numbers that trace to a meter, because assurance providers query allocated or estimated figures |
| Australia | NABERS ratings from measured data, publicly disclosed, and NCC Section J at design | Base building and tenancy meters separated so the rating can be calculated cleanly |
On a live project, from first meter to handover
Site monitoring can start on a project already under way. The handover layer joins when the building reaches design or fit-out.
Survey and first meters
Walk the temporary supply, generators and water branches. Clip-on CTs and pulse counters go on the highest-use feeds first, with a gateway on site.
Attribution and boundary air
Boards and branches mapped to packages and phases. Boundary particulate sensors added. Generator idle time and out-of-hours loads start showing up in weekly reviews.
Specified layer
The permanent meter and sensor schedule is agreed with the MEP team and the owner, aligned to the rating in that market, and installed with Atria during fit-out.
Baseline before completion
The layer is commissioned with the BMS. Commissioning data becomes the first baseline and the first list of systems to tune.
Soft landings with data
Seasonal tuning against measured use, findings routed to the FM team, and the operational record handed to the owner. Site data from the build goes into pricing the next tender.
One layer, four parties with different reasons to want it
Main contractor
Site energy, water and dust reported per project and per package, a real baseline for the next tender, and a handover that answers questions with data.
Developer and owner
A building that starts measuring before it is occupied, a weather-normalized baseline, and evidence for the rating the asset is judged on.
Learn moreMEP subcontractor
Open protocol points and a clear schedule, so integration is planned work rather than a late change, and commissioning faults are visible early.
Learn moreFM operator
A commissioned system from day one, with faults routed into the CMMS and every fix verified at the meter.
Learn moreSources9 references cited on this page
- MEES tightened to EPC B for large commercial buildings (GOV.UK minimum energy efficiency standard guidance)
- Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS), GOV.UK
- Al Sa'fat Dubai Green Building System, Dubai Municipality
- Energy Conservation Building Code, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, India
- NABERS, National Australian Built Environment Rating System
- Commercial Building Disclosure Program, Australian Government
- National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings 2020, National Research Council Canada
- ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1, ASHRAE
- ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, US EPA
Proven in live sites across sectors.
Anonymized results, verified at the meter.
sites in 21 countries run on Aqueduct.
and 9 clinics in one of India’s top hospital chains.
US airport running water intelligence on Aqueduct.
of commercial real estate under Aqueduct.
Features that matter here
Common questions
It is the difference between how a building was modeled at design stage and what it actually uses in operation. Measured use is often worse than modeled use. It matters because more rating regimes now judge buildings on measured performance, so the gap becomes the owner's rating problem.
Meter points, sensor locations, cable routes and BMS integration are cheap to draw and expensive to add to a finished, occupied building. Designing them in also lets the meter schedule match the rating the owner will be judged against.
No. Aqueduct is vendor agnostic and sits above whichever BMS is specified, reading BACnet, Modbus and vendor APIs. It does not replace the BMS or require a particular manufacturer.
Yes. Site monitoring and the handover layer are independent. Many contractors start with site utilities because the reporting request is immediate, and the data becomes a real baseline for pricing the next tender.
Through the partner tracks: referral, resell, embed or white label. Embed suits contractors who want measurement in their standard specification rather than sold job by job.
A commissioned measurement layer with every device tagged to its site, floor and zone, a baseline built during commissioning, and the operational record from the tuning period, alongside the usual design documents.
Yes. Clip-on CTs, pulse counters, wireless sensors and gateways are designed to come off when the temporary supply is removed and go onto the next site. Each project keeps its own history in aQ Core.
No. Output is read with current transformers on the generator's outgoing cables, and run state follows from the load. Fuel level can be added where the tank has a suitable sensor point.
The owner of the building, by default. Contractors and design teams keep access to what the owner agrees to share, for example the commissioning and aftercare record.
It runs in parallel with BMS commissioning rather than after it. Atria confirms each device is reporting at install, so there is no separate point-checking exercise at the end.
The record can be exported for the consent file or shared on request. What to submit and when is set by the consent conditions, not by Aqueduct.
See Aqueduct on your own facility.
Bring a site, a utility bill or a question. We will show you where the loss is.