TecMarket Works: Data Collection and Analysis

TecMarket Works uses state of the art data collection and analysis techniques. We operate in both Windows and Macintosh environments. Our philosophy is to use the tool that fits rather than forcing the work to fit the tool. We are experienced with MAPINFO, ArcView GIS, SAS, SPSS, Loadstar, DSMore, Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, Excel, Access, PRISM, Lotus, Canvas, Aldus Freehand, Filemaker Pro, FoxPro, Paradox and a host of other software packages. We use Computer Aided Telephone Interviewing (CATI) and automated collection of survey and metered data in the field.

Electronic Metering and Data Analysis
TecMarket Works has had substantial experience in creating and designing metering systems to deal with technology evaluation problems. Several of these designs go beyond the standard power circuit monitoring designs that are often used to establish energy savings.

Sampling Rate and High Speed Monitoring
TecMarket Works personnel have used monitoring with extremely high sampling rates, 500 to 5,000 samples per second to observer events taking place on power substation circuits. Two different applications were undertaken. The first was to observe the shedding of load control receivers on a circuit. The second was to see if the signatures of various types of appliances could be observed on a substation circuit. TecMarket Works staff were able to show that the switching of a single appliance (air conditioner) could be detected from among the load for several hundred homes and businesses.

Monitoring the Effects of Daylighting
This application required determining the savings resulting from daylighting controls installed in a commercial building. In order to understand the effects of the controls it was necessary to understand the degree to which each of the dimming photocells controlled the lights in its zone. However, the power circuits and the fixtures controlled by the dimming photocells did not correspond. The alternatives were to rewire the power lines to the fixtures to correspond to the control zones or to monitor the power being fed to selected fixtures by installing a CT within the fixture and running special wiring to the monitoring device. TecMarket Works personnel developed a third alternative which measured changes in the control voltages. Since the existing control voltage wiring was low voltage wiring which was strung in the plenum there was no need to open junction boxes. The same type of wiring could be run to the metering device. By using the control voltage as a proxy for power usage it was possible to calculate the savings.

Milwaukee Business School Occupancy Controls
In this application the problem was to determine the savings from an occupancy controller and two different types of dimming controls that were installed in 62 different rooms. In this application, the TecMarket Works' design made use of a spare set of relay contacts in the occupancy sensor in each room to determine if the room was occupied. When the room was occupied the relay closed causing the monitor to see a low voltage signal. In addition, current transformers were installed on the fixtures in each room so that it was possible to determine how many bulbs were being used in each room at any given time. Occupancy and power consumption were monitored at 1 minute intervals. Based on the data from the two sensors in each office, it was possible to determine which occupants were switching their lights and which were letting the occupancy sensor control the lights, whether the occupant was using one or two switches, and to determine the savings from using occupancy sensors in addition to the switches. This required uploading, managing, and analyzing approximately 1 megabyte of data per day.

Demand Reduction and Indoor Temperature Changes from Direct Load Control
This application required monitoring three key values, air conditioner demand, indoor temperature, and the status of the control receiver relay to determine the reliability of the receiver. A thermocouple was installed near the entrance of the cold air return to monitor the indoor temperature. The choice of location was driven by the need for a location that was consistent from site to site. Special circuitry was also installed so that the status of the control relay could be monitored. Then by detecting whether the contact opened on demand and comparing this value with information from the air conditioner channel it was possible to detect whether the load control receivers were functioning correctly.

Monitoring to Determine the Effects of Electric Vehicle Charging
In this project TecMarket Works monitored the use of electric vehicle battery charges in 85 homes to identify when residential customers charged their vehicles. We identified system load impacts for weekdays and weekend and holiday charging patterns. During this study we were able to successfully install timers on charging systems to gain a 20% to 30% demand reduction during peak hours by moving charging load to early AM hours.

Tools we utilize in this area:

One-to-one Data Collection
Interviews - structured and unstructured
Surveys - mail, fax, telephone and Internet

One-to-many Data Collection
Focus groups
Delphi panels
Workshops for problem definition and solution
Expert panels

Observation
Billing Data
End-use Metering
Diaries and trip logs
Observation in experimental settings
Content analysis

Existing Data
Bibliographic searches
Data from Federal state and local sources
Market databases
National opinion data
Corporate databases
Internet searches

Integrated Data Tracking and Management
Database design and testing
Forms design
Automated field data collection with personal digital assistants and remote data
collection hardware

Analytical Techniques
Univariate analysis
Contingency table analysis
Multivariate analysis
Discrete choice
Discriminate analysis
Billing analysis
Statistical adjusted engineering analyses
Analysis of metered data

Services and Capabilities

Evaluation Services

Market Analysis

Customer Needs and Satisfaction

Performance Measurement and Management

Innovative Research Designs, Methods and Analysis

Product Development and Evaluation

Data Collection and Analysis