WO2013138738A1 - Decision support system - Google Patents

Abstract

A system and method for a decision support system to assist in allocating funds for capital investment, including energy and water use reduction, projects using a systematic prioritization process for identifying, prioritizing, and programming projects, the sources of data, prioritization criteria, formulae and scheduling implementation, as disclosed in this disclosure.

Description

DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/612,079, filed on March 16, 2012 in the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of condition management estimation technology and more specifically a decision support system to assist in allocating funds for capital investment, including energy and water use reduction, projects using a systematic prioritization process for identifying, prioritizing, and programming projects, the sources of data, prioritization criteria, formulae and scheduling implementation.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Many entities, including the Military Services, are faced with severe financial constraints. The Department of Defense for instance is attempting to rein in expenditures while continuing to support operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The likely result is limited funding available for maintenance of installations' infrastructure. Accordingly, it is even more important to have a systematic process of identifying and prioritizing requirements to ensure the most cost efficient and effective use of these limited funds.

[0003] To compound the challenge, the President has issued several Executive Orders that direct Federal Agencies to achieve reductions in energy and water goals. Key goals include the following:

• 30% reduction in energy use by 2015 (2003 is the baseline year),

• 26% reduction in water use by 2017 (2007 is the baseline year), and

• The ability to collect and report relevant reductions in greenhouse gas emission caused by the above actions.

[0004] The Army, Air Force, Marines and Navy, (the "Military Services") among others, need to implement a systematic process that helps them identify and prioritize energy and water use reduction projects that best meet the Executive Orders' goals. The Military Services have set funds aside for energy and water use reduction projects. They have contracted to have surveys performed at selected installations to identify reduction opportunities. However, at this time, no Military Service has a complete inventory of potential projects. No Military Service knows what projects to fund for best payback. In addition, no Military Service knows whether it can meet the targets established by the Executive Orders with available funds. In short, there is no road map on how best to meet the Executive Orders' goals.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need for a decision support system to assist in allocating funds for capital investment (including energy and water use reduction) projects using a systematic prioritization process for identifying, prioritizing, and programming projects, the sources of data, prioritization criteria, formulae and scheduling implementation.

SUMMARY

[0006] The present invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art by providing a decision support system to assist in allocating funds for capital investment, including energy and water use reduction, projects using a systematic prioritization process for identifying, prioritizing, and programming projects, the sources of data, prioritization criteria, formulae and scheduling implementation. The system has a computer operable to receive input data related to requirements identification from an input module. Also, there are instructions executable on the computer for prioritization of the received input data. The system also has instructions executable on the computer for a programming phase module. The input data is requirements identification data, prioritization data, or both requirements identification data and prioritization data. In one embodiment, the identification data comprises: space use data, facilities condition assessment data, and energy audit data. In another embodiment, the identification data can comprise currently available information that is conforming standard data, non-standard data or both conforming standard data and non-standard data. The non-standard data can comprise: real property records, existing DD Form 1391s and partial space use analysis. The

identification data can further comprise: annual installation energy purchase records, annual installation water usage records, percent of electricity provided by one or more than one commercial company that is generated from fossil fuel for each installation, current and forecasted rates for each energy source and for water at each installation, and Department of Defense inflation rate projections.

[0007] The instructions for prioritization of the received input data has a user input module for selecting criteria and weighting for prioritizing all requirements. The selected criteria are selected from the group consisting of a mission dependency index, collateral damage, safety and health, a condition index, useful life and system criticality. The instructions for prioritization of the received input data comprise instructions for: a scoring algorithm for capital investment requirements, a ranking algorithm for capital investment requirements, a scoring algorithm for special interest requirements, and a ranking algorithm for special interest requirements. The special interest requirements also comprise energy use reduction requirements, where the energy use reduction requirements are selected from the group consisting of energy use reduction, energy cost reduction, energy intensity reduction, energy payback period and greenhouse gas reduction. The special interest requirements can also comprise water use reduction requirements. The water use reduction requirements are selected from the group consisting of water use reduction, water cost reduction and water payback period.

[0008] In another embodiment, the instructions supporting the programming phase comprise a project development module, a funding module and a document development module. The project development module has instructions for project identification and grouping different requirements into one project, component requirements recalculations for the cost of the project by combining the cost of all component requirements, capital investment projects prioritization by the highest component requirement, energy and water use reduction projects reprioritization by combining the attributes of the component requirements, priority order changing of specific projects and a manual override module. The document development module outputs one or more than one report that guides programming actions. The reports can comprise a prioritized list of capital investments, a special interest projects report or both a prioritized list of capital investments and a special interest projects report. The one or more than one report can be selected from the group consisting of a list of prioritized capital investment projects by installation, a list of energy use reduction projects by installation; a report list of water use reduction projects by installation, a list of capital investment projects funded by fiscal year based on projected funding, a list of energy use reduction projects funded by fiscal year based on projected funding at service and major command levels and a list of water use reduction projects funded by fiscal year .

[0009] In another embodiment, there is provided a decision support system to assist in allocating funds for capital investment, including energy and water use reduction, projects using a systematic prioritization process for identifying, prioritizing, and programming projects, the sources of data, prioritization criteria, formulae and scheduling implementation. The system comprises modules for requirements identification, prioritization and programming. The requirements identification module comprises modules for retrieving available data and calculating default information. The prioritization module comprises modules to calculate one or more than one score for each criterion from one or more than one database, prioritize all requirements in accordance with pre-determined weighting of criteria and prioritize special interest requirements. The programming module comprises modules to support manual manipulation of requirements into projects and produce reports that support both programming and other management actions.

[00010] In another embodiment, there is provided a method for a decision support system to assist in allocating funds for capital investment, including energy and water use reduction, projects using a systematic prioritization process for identifying, prioritizing, and programming projects, the sources of data, prioritization criteria, formulae and scheduling implementation. The method comprising the steps of: a) receiving input data related to a project for a requirements identification phase; b) identification of requirements; c) prioritizing requirements; d) programming requirements and e) outputting reports with empirical data to support the decision making process using a programming process module. The requirements identification module comprises modules for retrieving available data and calculating default information. The prioritization module comprises modules for calculating one or more than one score for each criterion from the one or more than one database; prioritizing all

requirements in accordance with pre-determined weighting of criteria and prioritizing special interest requirements. The step of calculating one or more than one score is calculated using a formula, where the formula is: Project Ranking Score = Weight l*(Mission Dependency Index Score) + Weight 2*(Collateral Damage Score) + Weight 3*(Safety and Human Health Score) + Weight 4*(Condition Index) + Weight 5*(Useful Life Score) + Weight 6*(System Criticality Score). The step of prioritizing all requirements is done by normalizing the data received using a consistent scale, where the consistent scale is 0-100. The step of prioritizing special interest requirements prioritizes one or more than one capital investment score, where the score is selected from the group consisting of mission dependency index, collateral damage, safety and human heath, useful life and system criticality. The step of prioritizing special interest requirements also can prioritize one or more energy use reduction score, where one or more energy use reduction scores are selected from the group consisting of prorated energy use reduction, energy cost savings in United States dollars, energy payback period in years, energy use intensity reduction and greenhouse gas emissions reduction in tons. The step of prioritizing special interest requirements prioritizes one or more than one water use reduction score, in gallons, cubic feet or both gallons and cubic feet, where the one or more than one water use reduction score is selected from the group consisting of water use reduction, water cost savings in United States Dollars, and water payback period in years. The programming module further comprises modules for supporting manual manipulation of requirements into projects; and producing reports that support both programming and other management actions.

[00011] In another embodiment, there is provided a method for a decision support system to assist in allocating funds for capital investment, including energy and water use reduction, projects using a systematic prioritization process for identifying, prioritizing, and programming projects, the sources of data, prioritization criteria, formulae and scheduling implementation. The method comprises the steps of a) inputting available data, initial criteria and weighting; b) prioritizing all requirements the available data, the initial criteria and weighting; c) creating a prioritized list of all investment requirements. The method further comprises the step of prioritizing energy, water or both energy and water reduction criteria and weighting. The method also further comprising the steps of creating a prioritized requirements list of capital investments including energy and water, manually inputting programming overrides and creating a prioritized project list for capital investments, energy and water.

[00012] In another embodiment, there is provided a method for a decision support system to assist in allocating funds for capital investment, including energy and water use reduction, projects using a systematic prioritization process for identifying, prioritizing, and programming projects, the sources of data, prioritization criteria, formulae and scheduling implementation. The method comprising the steps of a) inputting available data into storage, b) validating the available data, c) storing the validated inventory into one or more than one database, d) inputting mission requirements and space utilization studies, e) storing the mission requirements and space utilization studies, f) processing the mission requirements and the space utilization studies using a facility condition assessment module, g) transmitting the data to a cost estimate for unsatisfactory items and to an energy audit module, h) accessing data from the one or more than one database by a decision support model module and i) outputting results of the calculations conducted within the decision support model module to produce one or more than one requirement report. One or more than one of the available data is selected from the group consisting of real property records, space use maintenance summaries, energy audits and water audits. The method further comprising the step of combining the mission requirements and the space utilization studies with any manually input revisions. The method further comprises storing the combined data, revising the space utilization study based on cost estimates calculated and storing the cost estimate for unsatisfactory items in the one or more than one database.

[00013] In another embodiment, the method further comprises the steps of: a) transferring the energy audit module data to a cost estimation for energy reduction

recommendations module; b) calculating a cost estimation for energy reduction; c) storing the cost estimation for energy reduction; d) transferring the cost estimation for energy reduction to a pay back period module; e) calculating a payback period for an amount of time that the energy reductions will take to save the money expended on the facility to reduce the energy usage; f) storing the calculated payback period in the one or more than one database and receiving input from a criteria module. The criteria module can comprise risk weighting, budgets and inflation rates that the user can select using the criteria module as a criteria selection interface. The one or more than one requirement report can be selected from the group consisting of a requirements report, an integrated priorities report, a projects report, a programs report, and an assessments report.

[00014] In yet another embodiment, there is provided a method for a decision support system to assist in allocating funds for capital investment, including energy and water use reduction, projects using a systematic prioritization process for identifying, prioritizing, and programming projects, the sources of data, prioritization criteria, formulae and scheduling implementation. The method comprises the steps of: a) inputting one or more than on data requirements into a decision support tool module; b) performing calculations on the data requirements; c) storing the calculations; and d) creating reports to be output. One or more than one of the data requirements are selected from the group consisting of real property records, a space use study, facility condition assessments, energy and water use, energy audits, programmed projects, facility energy criteria, water criteria, weighting criteria, combined requirements and identified program funding by fiscal year.

[00015] The method also has the steps of manually, automatically or both manually and automatically inputting requirements data into the decision support tool module, performing calculations on the data requirements using various functions and algorithms to produce the final output reports, transferring calculated data to a requirements of buildings to be demolished module, storing the calculated data for the buildings to be demolished in storage, storing calculated data to a requirements for facilities not programmed for demolition module in storage, determining if requirements for buildings exceed a 70% rule, storing the results in storage, determining requirements for facilities that are deemed economical to maintain, performing a series of three additional analyses on the requirements for facilities that are deemed economical to maintain, and compiling and outputting reports for further processing and user interaction. The output can be hard copy, displayed, or both hard copy and displayed. Determining requirements for facilities that are deemed economical to maintain further includes special facilities to be maintained.

[00016] A first analysis is calculated on capital investment requirements. The calculation comprises determining a prioritized list of capital investment requirements;

determining a prioritized list of capital investment projects; determining a list by fiscal year of funded projects; analyzing the lists using functions and calculations; and storing the results of the analysis.

[00017] A second analysis is calculated on energy use reduction requirements. The calculation comprises: a) determining a prioritized list of energy use reduction requirements; b) determining a prioritized list of energy use reduction projects; c) determining a list of funded projects by fiscal year; d) analyzing the lists using functions and calculations; and e) storing the results of the analysis.

[00018] A third analysis is calculated on water use reduction requirements. The calculation comprises: a) determining a prioritized list of water use reduction requirements; b) determining a prioritized list of water use reduction projects; c) determining a list by fiscal year of funded projects; d) analyzing the lists using functions and calculations; and e) storing the results of the analysis. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[00019] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying figures where:

[00020] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a project identification, prioritization and programming process;

[00021] Figure 2 is a flowchart diagram of an integrated system decision-support model according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[00022] Figure 3 is a workflow diagram of an integrated assessment, prioritization and programming process according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[00023] Figure 4 is a database interface screenshot of an energy and condition management estimation technology computer program useful in the system of Figure 1 ;

[00024] Figure 5 is a flowchart diagram showing the integration between the energy and condition management estimation technology computer program of Figure 4 and the system of Figure 1;

[00025] Figure 6 is a sample report produced by the system of Figure 1 useful for determining what projects can be funded for a given time period;

[00026] Figure 7 is a screenshot of a user interface showing a specific user level access summary report produced by the system of Figure 1 ;

[00027] Figure 8 is a detailed flowchart of the integrated system of Figure 1;

[00028] Figure 9 is a screenshot displaying a summary level data view of an overall facility assessment;

[00029] Figure 10 is a screenshot displaying energy meter data from a facility assessment stored in the system of Figure 1 ;

[00030] Figure 11 is a screenshot of an energy analysis worksheet from a facility assessment stored in the system of Figure 1 ;

[00031] Figure 12 is a screenshot of a report displaying building level energy

recommendations ;

[00032] Figure 13 is a flowchart diagram of a decision support system logic flow useful for the system of Figure 1 ;

[00033] Figure 14 is a screenshot of data displayed from other data storage systems; [00034] Figure 15 is a table of prioritization requirements for a project based on user criteria selection and weighting;

[00035] Figure 16 is a screenshot displaying a list of prioritized facility repair requirements;

[00036] Figure 17 is a screenshot displaying a list of prioritized energy use reduction opportunities calculated by the system of Figure 1;

[00037] Figure 18 is a screenshot displaying combined requirements to form viable projects;

[00038] Figure 19 is a screenshot displaying a list of prioritized projects allocated to fiscal years based on projected annual budgets;

[00039] Figure 20 is a screenshot displaying a list of reports that can be generated and converted to DD Forms 1391;

[00040] Figure 21 is a screenshot displaying prioritized renewable energy opportunities using weighted criteria; and

[00041] Figure 22 is a screenshot displaying graphical reports to support net zero planning.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[00042] Methods and devices that implement the embodiments of the various features of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate embodiments of the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention. Reference in the specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" is intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" or "an embodiment" in various places in the specifications are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

[00043] Throughout the drawings, reference numbers are re-used to indicate

correspondence between referenced elements. In addition, the first digit of each reference number indicates the Figure where the element first appears.

[00044] As used in this disclosure, except where the context requires otherwise, the term "comprise" and variations of the term, such as "comprising", "comprises" and "comprised" are not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps. [00045] In the following description, specific details are given to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments can be practiced without these specific details. Well-known circuits, structures and techniques may not be shown in detail in order not to obscure the embodiments. For example, circuits can be shown in block diagrams in order not to obscure the embodiments in unnecessary detail.

[00046] Also, it is noted that the embodiments can be described as a process that is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart can describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations can be rearranged. A process is terminated when its operations are completed. A process can correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination corresponds to a return of the function to the calling function or the main function.

[00047] Moreover, a storage can represent one or more devices for storing data, including read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage mediums, optical storage mediums, flash memory devices and/or other machine readable mediums for storing information. The term "machine readable medium" includes, but is not limited to, portable or fixed storage devices, optical storage devices, wireless channels and various other mediums capable of storing, containing or carrying instruction(s) and/or data.

[00048] Furthermore, embodiments can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, or a combination thereof. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware or microcode, the program code or code segments to perform the necessary tasks can be stored in a machine-readable medium such as a storage medium or other storage(s). One or more than one processor can perform the necessary tasks in series, concurrently, distributed or in parallel. A code segment can represent a procedure, a function, a subprogram, a program, a routine, a subroutine, a module, a software package, a class, or a combination of instructions, data structures, or program statements. A code segment can be coupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passing and/or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc. can be passed, forwarded, or transmitted through a suitable means including memory sharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc.

[00049] The software identified above can also be constructed in a module. A module is a logically self-contained and discrete part of a larger computer program, for example, a subroutine or a co-routine. Modules are typically incorporated into the program through interfaces. A module interface expresses the elements that are provided and required by the module. The elements defined in the interface are detectable by other modules. The

implementation contains the executable code that corresponds to the elements declared in the interface. Modules perform logically discrete functions. A module can interact with other modules of the system to achieve its purpose.

[00050] Various embodiments for a decision support system provide the capability to assist in allocating funds for capital investment, including energy and water use reduction, projects using a systematic prioritization process for identifying, prioritizing, and programming projects, the sources of data, prioritization criteria, formulae and scheduling implementation are disclosed. The system and methods will now be disclosed in detail.

[00051] Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown a block diagram 100 of a project identification, prioritization and programming process. As can be seen, in order to ensure the most effective use of resources, the Military Services have adopted a systematic process for the identification, prioritization, and programming of projects as shown in Figure 1. The system accepts input from requirements identification data, prioritization data, and then using a programming process module outputting report to support the decision making process with empirical data. The first step in the requirements identification phase of the process begins with the review of space use 104 and 106 to ensure that each organization is assigned space that meets its functional requirements and that facilities that exceed requirements are demolished and facilities that do not provide adequate functional support are programmed for replacement.

[00052] The second step is the facilities condition assessment 108. A team of engineers and technicians inspect and document the systems that make up a facility documenting age, condition, criticality to mission, recommended time for replacement, and anticipated cost for replacement.

[00053] The last step is the energy audit 110 and 112 that can be done in conjunction with the condition assessment. During this step, energy experts identify alternatives that can reduce energy use in a facility. This could involve upgrade of existing systems or replacement of systems that have reached the end of their economic lives with systems that operate more efficiently. Part of the documentation of the energy audit includes the cost of the upgrade or replacement, the energy use reduction savings, the anticipated payback period for the recommended action, and the estimated reduction in C02 release

[00054] At the end of these three steps, the installation civil engineer has a complete list of requirements for the installation. Some of these requirements can translate directly into projects. Most will be combined in a later phase to produce projects. For example, all roofing requirements can be combined into one project to benefit from economy of scale. All requirements for one facility can be combined into one project for more efficient execution.

[00055] The detailed analysis, assessment, and audit may not be completed at many installations for several years. In order to prepare adequate capital investment programs and associated annual budget requests in the immediate future, it is necessary to use currently available data 102. However, there are some drawbacks to this approach. For example, the available data 102 may not be complete or the data, collected by different contractors with different criteria, may not be consistent. Nevertheless, we must use this data until they are replaced by data collected under standardized procedures. Available data 102 derived from non- standardized processes should be identified.

[00056] In some cases, the available data 102 may not be available to support the prioritization process. For example, contractors performing energy audits may not have identified the reduction in greenhouse gas releases associated with the energy use reduction project. Accordingly, a default value can be calculated to support the prioritization formula. The system 100 and the decision support model 120 must be sufficiently robust to accept whatever data 102 is currently available for each installation. The following are some of the sources of data that can be used.

[00057] Data from existing condition management estimation technology databases 108, including an e-comet type database, can comprise the results of the systematic conduct of space use analyses 104, facility condition assessments 108, energy and water usage 110, and energy audits 112. The information is sufficient to support the prioritization formulae to be discussed later. Information includes at least: facility number, square footage, facility use, use, mission dependency index, requirement description, requirement cost, fiscal year of requirement cost, designation as an energy or water use reduction requirement, estimated energy use reduction, payback period, C02 greenhouse gas reduction for energy projects and estimated water use reduction and payback period for water projects. Other available data 102 include contractor reports on facility condition and energy audits. However, this information may not comprise all information identified above. A database, such as, for example, MAXIMO can identify repair requirements for all facilities, but also may not have all information identified above. Real property records 116 comprise a record of a facility number, square footage used by each occupant, and major systems. Most records are not reliable. Existing DD Form 1391s provide data from projects already developed by the installation but not yet funded.

[00058] The available SUMS data 104 for an installation can comprise completed partial analyses of space use. The system 100 is robust enough to accept available data 102 in other formats. Information developed under various contracts can be provided in non-standard formats that can by imported into the system 100 for analysis.

[00059] In addition to the various sources of available requirements data 102, other data must be collected for each installation to support operation of the decision support model 120. That available data includes at least the following:

1. Annual installation energy purchase records for electricity, fuel oil, gas, and coal for 2003, and later. These are necessary for determining success at meeting Executive Orders goals. The energy from various sources must be combined under a single energy unit (BTU).

2. Annual installation water usage records for water purchased and water extracted from installation wells for 2007 and later. These are necessary for determining success at meeting Executive Orders goals.

3. Percent of electricity provided by commercial company that is generated from fossil fuel for each installation. This supports calculations of C02 greenhouse emissions reduced as a result of reductions in electrical use.

4. Current and forecasted rates for each energy source and for water at each installation. These support calculation of savings if the requirement or project is accomplished in a future fiscal year. 5. DoD inflation rate projections. These are used to adjust costs for

projects after the prioritization process has been completed and the fiscal year of execution determined for each project.

Prioritization Phase

[00060] The prioritization phase is divided into two discrete steps. During the first step, all capital investment requirements are scored and ranked. In the second step, special interest requirements are scored and ranked. Special interest requirements are capital investment projects for a specific purpose. In the 1990s, there was special emphasis on capital investment requirements that corrected or eliminated environmental risks. In the 2010s, there is special emphasis on capital investment requirements that reduce energy and water use.

[00061] Criteria for initial prioritization (all requirements)

[00062] The calculation of the score for each criterion and the total score for ranking the requirements is discussed later in the paper. The following criteria can be used to prioritize all requirements. The user can choose the weighting for each criterion:

1. Mission Dependency Index. This is a measure of the importance of a facility to the accomplishment of the mission. The Navy has given a specific rating to each facility. The AF has given specific ratings to each type of facility.

2. Collateral Damage: This is a measure of whether additional damage could result if a requirement is not completed. For example, the failure to replace a roof could result in water damage to the facility or the failure to replace an old power panel could result in a fire. This is scored as either yes or no.

3. Safety and Health. Typically, requirements involving safety and health are funded as soon as possible after identification. This is scored as either yes or no.

4. Condition Index. This is a measure of the overall condition of a facility or system. The score is developed by a thorough assessment of all systems in a facility from the foundation to the roof. 5. Useful life. Each system has an anticipated life span. This life span could be influenced by environmental conditions. For example, an asphalt roof is Arizona would have a shorter life than a similar roof in Ohio. This is scored by the number of years the system has exceeded its estimated life.

6. System Criticality. This is a measure of the criticality of the system to the function of the facility. For example, the air conditioner can be highly critical to the function of a computer center - particularly in Arizona. The air conditioner may not be as critical to the function of an office in Massachusetts. The criticality score is provided during the facility condition assessment, and ranges from not required to highly critical.

Criteria for Special Emphasis Requirements

[00063] The second step of the prioritization process is to prioritize requirements that are focused on areas of current interest. In this paper, we address energy and water use reduction requirements. Such requirements are given a special indicator during the initial data collection and upload phase.

Energy use reduction requirements prioritization

[00064] The following criteria can be used to prioritize all energy use reduction requirements. The user can choose the weighting for each criterion:

1. Energy use reduction. In conducting energy audits, the auditors identify energy use reduction opportunities. Part of their analysis is to estimate the annual reduction in energy consumption for each opportunity. For purposes of this model, all energy, whether developed from electricity, coal, or gas must be converted into common energy units (BTUs).

2. Energy cost reduction. This is directly related to the annual energy use reduction for each opportunity and the rates charged by the local energy provider to the military installation. Local energy rates can vary greatly between locations. If this figure has not been determined by the source of the information, it will be determined by default using the local energy rates.

Energy intensity reduction. This factor is introduced by Executive Order. The goal is to reduce energy use intensity or energy use per square foot. This creates some conflicting actions since another goal is to reduce the facility inventories. As unused or underused facilities are identified and demolished, the energy use intensity of the remaining facilities would tend to increase. The energy use intensity is calculated by adding the energy from all sources (electricity, gas, and coal) on an installation and dividing by the total square footage carried on the real estate property report at the end of the year.

Energy payback period. This is defined as the annual cost savings from an energy use reduction opportunity divided by the cost of implementing the opportunity. Generally, without any other factors being considered, the shorter the payback period, the more desirable the project. This factor tends to neutralize the high energy use reduction and associated cost savings of retrofitting buildings since such work is very expensive and generally has long payback periods. On the other hand, the simple task of changing light fixtures or chillers can be relatively inexpensive but have short payback periods.

Greenhouse gas reduction. The energy auditors calculate the greenhouse gas emissions reduction based on the energy use reduction and the sources of energy used. For example, the greenhouse gas emissions reduction associated with a specific energy use reduction is less if the energy source includes renewable sources such as hydroelectric power, wind, or solar.

Water use reduction requirements prioritization

[00065] The following criteria can be used to prioritize all energy use reduction requirements. The user can choose the weighting for each criterion: Water use reduction. In conducting water audits, the auditors identify changes in procedures or upgrades in equipment that reduce water use. Actions can include conversion of irrigated, grassed areas to xeriscaped areas or the introduction of low flush toilets. A portion of the analysis can comprise an estimate of the annual reduction in water use for each opportunity/action.

Water cost reduction. This is directly related to the annual water use reduction for each opportunity and rates charged by the local water provider to the military installation. Local water rates can vary greatly between locations with the highest rates in the western states.

Water payback period. This is defined as the annual cost savings from an energy use reduction opportunity divided by the cost of implementing the opportunity. Generally, without any other factors being considered, the shorter the payback period, the more desirable the project. The shortest paybacks will be primarily in the western states due to the high cost of water.

Programming Phase

[00066] The programming phase is divided into three distinct steps. The first step is to determine the best method of completing the identified requirements. This is the project development stage. Some requirements can be converted directly into a project. Other requirements can be combined to make a viable project.

[00067] The second step of the programming phase involves the development of projects to be funded each fiscal year. To accomplish this, an integrated prioritized list of projects is developed for each Service, major command or installation. The anticipated fiscal year funding is compared with this list. The projects are funded in accordance with the priority until the funds are exhausted for each fiscal year. At this point, the Service, major command, and installation knows what projects can be expected to be funded. Note that project costs are adjusted to reflect inflation from the year that the estimate was prepared to the year in which the project will be executed. Such adjustments could cause lower ranking projects to drop into subsequent fiscal years. [00068] The third and last step of the programming phase is the development of appropriate programming documents, usually DD Forms 1391. The installations generally prepare or refine programming documents for projects that are expected to be funded in the next fiscal year.

[00069] There are many considerations that could influence the development of a project from an array of requirements. The programmer can decide to relocate all personnel from one facility to another so that all requirements in that facility can be accomplished in one efficient project. Accordingly, the programmer can want all requirements for the facility identified. In another example, the programmer may want to accomplish all re-lamping or reroofing work on single base-wide contracts. Accordingly, the programmer can want all re-lamping or re-roofing requirements identified. It is also possible that there can be overriding issues, not part of the prioritization criteria, that dictates a higher priority for a specific project or that a project be accomplished at a specific time. The following is a list of actions that can be provided during the review process:

1. Identify and tie different requirements into one project. The identification could be based on type of effort (e.g., roofing, re-lamping, etc.) or it could be based on a specific facility number.

2. Recalculate the cost of the project by combining the cost of all component requirements.

3. Prioritize capital investment projects by the highest component requirement.

4. Reprioritize energy and water use reduction projects by combining the attributes of the component requirements.

5. Change priority order of specific projects.

6. Override recommended funding year. Insert project into specific year. DSM recalculates projected costs for year based on inflation rates and cost savings for energy and water use reduction projects based on forecasted utility or commodity rate changes.

[00070] As will be understood by those with skill in the art with reference to this disclosure, other considerations can be considered during this process. Therefore, this disclosure is not made limiting, but used by way of an example of how the system 100 can be programmed with instructions executable to perform the review process. [00071] Upon completion of the project development stage, it is possible to develop a series of reports that guide programming actions. The final prioritized list of capital investment and special interest projects can be prepared. Further, when the funding is known or estimated for each fiscal year, it is possible to identify the projects that can be funded each year for each installation, major command as well as the branch of the Military Service. In addition, for special emphasis programs, it is possible, based on anticipated project funding, to forecast anticipated progress to meeting various Executive Orders goals.

[00072] The following is a list of reports that should be generated to support

management/ programming actions:

1. List of prioritized capital investment projects by installation; integrated list by major command and by Service.

2. List of energy use reduction projects by installation; integrated list by major command and by Service. List shows accumulated costs, cost savings, energy use savings, and C02 reduction for each line item.

3. List of water use reduction projects by installation; integrated list by major command and by Service. List shows accumulated costs, cost savings, and water use savings for each line item.

4. List of capital investment projects funded by fiscal year based on projected funding at Service and major command levels. Separate report generated for each installation.

5. List of energy use reduction projects funded by fiscal year based on projected funding at Service and major command levels. Separate report for each installation. Reports show at all levels accumulated costs savings, energy use saving, C02 emissions reduction, and percent achievement of Executive Orders goals.

6. List of water use reduction projects funded by fiscal year based on projected funding at Service and major command levels. Separate report for each installation. Reports show at all levels accumulated costs savings, water use saving, and percent achievement of Executive Orders goals for each year. Decision Support Model

[00073] A decision support model supports various parts of a systematic requirements identification, prioritization, and programming process. The following are the primary functions of the model.

[00074] Requirements Identification. The decision support model uses one or more than one of the following as input to the system 100 from the requirements module.

1. Retrieve available data on capital investment requirements including energy and water use reduction requirements from the various data sources;

2. Calculate default information in the absence of engineering estimates;

[00075] Prioritization. Once the requirements have been identified, then the system 100 will perform the following steps to prioritize the information:

1. Calculate scores for each criterion from the one or more than one database.

2. Prioritize all requirements in accordance with pre-determined weighting of criteria.

3. Prioritize special interest requirements such as energy and water use reduction.

[00076] After the prioritization module is complete, the system 100 executes the programming module:

1. Support manual manipulation of requirements into projects.

2. Produce reports that support both programming and other management actions.

These functions are shown in Figure 2.

[00077] The focus of this section is the mathematical process for normalizing data on a consistent scale and developing an overall score for each requirement so that it can be ranked with all other requirements.

[00078] The scoring for all criteria will be normalized to a scale of 0-100. For example, if the official score is between 0 and 5. Five would now be 100, four, eighty, etc.

[00079] Criteria Influencing Capital Investment Project/ Action Prioritization:

1. Mission Dependency Index. The actual score identified for a facility will be used and normalized to a scale of 0 -100. If there are several mission dependency scores for a specific building, the highest score will be used. Collateral damage. This would be either yes or no with a score of 100 for yes and zero for no.

Safety and Human Heath. This would likewise be either yes or no with a score of 100 for yes and zero for no.

Condition Index would be based on condition assessment scores normalized to a scale of 0-100.

Useful life. This item is scored zero until the system or facility reaches the end of it anticipated life. The score will increase each year after the economic life has been reached by the formula: years over economic life/economic life X 100. By this formula, the score will reach 100 when the unit or system has doubled its economic life.

System Criticality normally scores 1-5 and measures the importance of each system to the performance of the main mission. For example air conditioning in the Southwest would be critical to the on-going mission of a computer center whereas carpet would have minimal criticality. The score would be normalized to the 0 - 100 scale.

[00080] The final score for the action or project would be determined by the following formula:

Project Ranking Score = Weight l*(Mission Dependency Index Score) + Weight 2*(Collateral Damage Score) + Weight 3*(Safety and Human Health Score) + Weight 4*(Condition Index) + Weight 5*(Useful Life Score) + Weight

6*(System Criticality Score)

[00081] Criteria Influencing Energy Use Reduction Project Prioritization:

[00082] Factors affecting prioritization of energy use reduction projects include the following:

1. Energy Use Reduction: The project with the highest energy use reduction score can be given a score of 100. All other project can be given a prorated score.

2. Energy Cost Savings ($): The project with the highest energy cost savings can be given a score of 100 and all other projects can be given a prorated score. Energy Payback Period (Years): The project with the fastest payback can be given a score of 100 and all other projects can be given a prorated score.

Energy Use Intensity Reduction: The project with the highest energy use intensity reduction can be given a score of 100 and all other projects can be given a prorated score.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction (tons): The project with the highest reduction in greenhouse emissions can be given a score of 100 and all other projects can be given a prorated score.

The final score for the action or project can be determined by the following

Project Ranking Score = Weight l*(Energy Savings Score) + Weight 2*(Cost Savings Score) + Weight 3*(Payback Period Score) + Weight 4*(Energy Use Intensity Reduction Score) + Weight 5* (Green House Gas Emissions Reduction Multiplier) + Factors Influencing Water Use Reduction Project Selection/Prioritization

[00084] Factors affecting prioritization of water use reduction projects include the following:

1. Water Use Reduction (Gallons or cubic feet): The project with the highest use reduction can be given a score of 100 and all other projects can be given a prorated score.

2. Water Cost Savings ($): The project with the highest cost savings can be given a score of 100 and all other projects can be given a prorated score. 3. Water Payback Period (Years): The project with the shortest payback period can be given a score of 100 and all other projects can be given a prorated score.

[00085] The final score for the action or project would be determined by the following formula:

Project Ranking Score = Weight l*(Water Use Reduction Score) + Weight 2*(Cost Savings Score) + Weight 3*(Payback Period Score) Additional Requirements for Various Service Branches: Air Force

[00086] The Air Force wants the tool to identify all buildings that should be considered for demolition (i.e., buildings with repair requirements greater than 70% of replacement value). The Air Force would manually select from several options. The first is to demolish buildings while moving the current occupants to an existing building or a new building. The cost of renovating existing buildings or constructing new buildings is added to the requirements list. The data on required repairs is retained (in case there is a subsequent decision to retain the building) but not included in repair requirements reports. The second option is to retain the building in use. The Air Force can exercise this option if there is no reasonable chance of obtaining funds to relocate the occupants of the building or the building is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. In implementing this option, the repair requirements are retained and included in the repair requirements reports.

Navy

[00087] The Navy wants to apply criteria sequentially rather than collectively. Its objective is to focus available repair funds on high mission dependency index buildings.

[00088] The Navy also wants to identify systems that are failed or near failure where replacement offers the potential for energy use reduction. In short, it is looking to achieve its energy use reduction goals by accomplishing required repairs.

Army

[00089] The Army wants to include implementation of renewable energy projects into the tool. It did not provide any direction on how this should be done. The following is one option:

[00090] The Army (or its contractor) identifies viable renewable energy options for each installation. These can include solar, wind, geothermal, tidal, etc. The engineer recommends the size of the project based on available land area, etc. and calculates the construction cost, the electrical or BTU output of the renewable resource, the reduction in commercial electrical or BTU purchases, the payback period, and the reduction in carbon footprint (based on the percent of commercial energy coming from fossil fuels).

[00091] The Army uses the decision support tool to prioritize renewable energy projects based on weighted criteria to include cost reduction, commercial energy use reduction, payback period, and reduced carbon footprint.

[00092] The Army identifies funding at installation, major command, or Service levels for renewable energy projects. Based on available funding, the tool identifies the projects that can be funded each fiscal year. The tool adjusts costs for each fiscal year based on the OMB inflation rates.

[00093] The tool also forecasts by installation, major command, and Service the percent of total energy requirements met by renewable resources. For purpose of this forecast, the tool assumes that the projects are completed at the end of the fiscal year in which they are funded.

[00094] What has been described is a new and improved system and method for a realtime social brand management system that provides a balanced approach to listening, posting and reporting, overcoming the limitations and disadvantages inherent in the related art.

[00095] Although the present invention has been described with a degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example. As various changes could be made in the above description without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be illustrative and not used in a limiting sense.

Additional Features

[00096] Additional requirements can be incorporated into the decision support tool. These additional requirements can be based on discussions with potential clients including the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Air Force

[00097] The Air Force wants the tool to identify all buildings that should be considered for demolition (i.e., buildings with repair requirements greater than 70% of replacement value). The Air Force would manually select from several options. The first is to demolish buildings while moving the current occupants to an existing building or a new building. The cost of renovating existing buildings or constructing new buildings is added to the requirements list. The data on required repairs is retained (in case there is a subsequent decision to retain the building) but not included in repair requirements reports. The second option is to retain the building in use. The Air Force can exercise this option if there is no reasonable chance of obtaining funds to relocate the occupants of the building or the building is eligible for the

National Register of Historic Places. In implementing this option, the repair requirements are retained and included in repair requirements reports.

Navy

[00098] The Navy wants to apply criteria sequentially rather than collectively. Its objective is to focus available repair funds on high mission dependency index buildings.

[00099] The Navy also wants to identify systems that are failed or near failure where a replacement offers the potential for energy use reduction. In short, it is looking to achieve its energy use reduction goals by accomplishing required repairs.

Army

[000100] The Army wants to include implementation of renewable energy projects into the tool. It did not provide any direction on how this should be done. The following is one option:

[000101] The Army (or its contractor) identifies viable renewable energy options for each installation. These can include solar, wind, geothermal, tidal, etc. The engineer recommends the size of the project based on available land area, etc. and calculates the construction cost, the electrical or BTU output of the renewable resource, the reduction in commercial electrical or BTU purchases, the payback period, and the reduction in carbon footprint (based on the percent of commercial energy coming from fossil fuels).

[000102] The Army uses the decision support tool to prioritize renewable energy projects based on weighted criteria to include cost reduction, commercial energy use reduction, payback period, and reduced carbon footprint.

[000103] The Army identifies funding at installation, major command, or Service levels for renewable energy projects. Based on available funding, the tool identifies the projects that can be funded each fiscal year. The tool adjusts costs for each fiscal year based on the OMB inflation rates.

[000104] The tool also forecasts by installation, major command, and Service the percent of total energy requirements met by renewable resources. For purpose of this forecast, the tool assumes that the projects are completed at the end.

[000105] Factors for the Primary Prioritization:

Health, safety, environment, 0, 100

MDI, 0-100

• Consequential damage, 0, 100

· System criticality, 1 -5, -> 0 -100

• Beyond useful life - = # of years exceeding the system useful life divided by the year of the useful life and multiplied by 100. where the system reaches useful life, this factor will be 0 and when the system reaches twice its useful life, the factor will be 100.

CI, 0 -100

[000106] Secondary Factors:

• energy reduction, BTU/sf

• waster reduction, gallons

· carbon emission reduction (no decision factor)

• annual cost saving, $

• space utilization index

• ROI, present value, SIR, saving over investment ration

• project cost, $

· payback period, yr

Note: Assuming linear distribution for all factors above

[000107] The e-Comet database should be changed to include funding source. In some instances, there can be multiple funding sources. For example, an energy use reduction opportunity can be eligible for both O&M funds as well as energy funds. In these instances, the DST should be programmed to use energy funds first, and O&M funds only if there are no energy funds left and it is next in priority for funding. The following are the various sources of funds identified to-date:

O&M

Energy

Army Industrial Funds

Navy (TBD).

[000108] Percent of Replacement Value Trigger for Replacement vs. Repair. The default for Army and Navy projects is 50%; whereas the default for the AF remains 70%.

[000109] Additional Prioritization Criteria. The following criteria should be added for prioritizing repair requirements and energy use reduction opportunities:

[000110] Repair Requirements .

[000111] Security. Any AT/FP deficiency can be given the full 100 points. We will need to discuss scoring with a security expert to determine if there are degrees of need that would rate a lower score.

[000112] Energy Use reduction opportunity

[000113] eROI - Navy

[000114] Savings Investment Ration (SIR) - AF

[000115] A fully documented DD Form 1391 can be generated after the user has determined the requirements/opportunities to be included in a project.

[000116] In another embodiment the system provides action reporting based on proposed actions, include feature to inform the e-Comet database whether a specific requirement or opportunity is programmed, funded, or executed. The e-Comet database will note programmed and funded status. Upon receiving notice of execution, the e-Comet database will archive the requirement.

[000117] In anther embodiment, the system provides a recurring work plan. The e-Comet database will generate the recommended recurring work plan for each facility system using RS Means. This will be used to generate and defend budget requirements. The DST should be configured to allow the user to allocate available resources based on criteria to include Mission Dependency Index and criticality. The user should also have the ability for manual override for systems that do not conform to typical prioritization schemes. The resulting reports would identify the systems that will have appropriate recurring maintenance accomplished and those systems that will be "run to failure."

[000118] Renewable Energy. The system 100 will calculate the percent of total installation's energy that is provided via renewable energy. This should be broken down as renewable energy from the energy vendor and renewable energy from installation resources.

[000119] Referring now to Figure 2, there is shown a flowchart diagram of an integrated system decision-support model according to one embodiment of the present invention. First, available data 202 and initial criteria and weighting 204 are input. Then, the available data 202 along with the initial criteria and weighting 204 are used to prioritize all requirements 206. Next, a prioritized list of all capital investment requirements 208 is created. Then, if there are any energy or water criteria and weighting 212 available, a prioritization of the energy and water reduction is calculated 210. Next, if there is prioritization of energy and water reduction to 10, then a prioritized requirements list of capital investments including energy and water is created 214. Then the user has the option of creating "what if analysis whether or not there was a prioritization of energy and water reduction 210 or not. During the "what if analysis the user can input manual programming overrides 218. Finally, once the "what if analysis 216 has been completed, a prioritized project list for capital investments and optional energy and water is created 220.

[000120] Referring now to Figure 3, there is shown a workflow diagram 300 of an integrated assessment, prioritization and programming process according to one embodiment of the present invention. As can be seen, the workflow 300 comprises an integrated process where space use, facility condition, and energy audits 302 are input into the one or more than one database 304. The one or more than one database 304 is used by the decision- support tool 306 to provide a prioritized list of facility, energy and water projects based on criteria selected by a user 308. The benefits of an integrated approach include:

• providing a clear roadmap on where to invest funds

• developing defendable programs

o demolition

o construction

o repair

o and special emphasis • minimization of time and resources lost on programming or designing projects that will not be funded.

[000121] Referring now to Figure 4, there is shown a database interface screenshot 400 of an energy and condition management estimation technology (e-Comet) computer program and database useful in the system of Figure 1. The e-Comet database stores data in and storage audit information for capital planning associated with a large number of facilities. As can be seen in this interface screenshot 400, the user can display data across an entire portfolio or a single building. The e-Comet database provides the capability for the user to manage an entire portfolio of energy programs instead of analyzing individual products as is typically done in the prior art. The e-Comet database provides the user with the capability for storing and manipulating data for:

• facility inventories;

• space use;

• system details;

• facility system condition, remaining economic life, and repair costs;

• energy use reduction recommendations, implementation costs, energy savings, and cost savings;

• environmental costs, including carbon footprint; and

• projected recurring costs

[000122] The e-comet database can be integrated with other data management systems in order to provide input into the system 100.

[000123] Referring now to Figure 5, there is shown a flowchart diagram showing the integration between the energy and condition management estimation technology computer program of Figure 4 and the system of Figure 1. As can be seen in this embodiment, a decision support tool 502 supplied inputs from the one or more than one database 504, priority criteria 506 and budget forecast 508. The decision support tool 502 then processes the inputs provided 504, 506 and 508 to produce a report of facility and energy investment programs by fiscal year 510.

[000124] Referring now to Figure 6, there is shown a sample report 600 produced by the system of figure 1, useful for determining what projects can be funded for a given time period. As can be seen, the report 600 is a list of all energy projects. These energy projects can be imported into the one or more than one database for use in the system 100.

[000125] Referring now to Figure 7, there is shown a screenshot of a user interface 700 showing a specific user level access summary report produced by the system of Figure 1. As can be seen, the user interface 700 provides an overall high-level summary of a facilities portfolio. Using the user interface 700 the user can drill down further into the data stored in the system 100 for a more detailed analysis.

[000126] Referring now to Figure 8, there is shown a detailed flowchart 800 of the integrated system of Figure 1. First, data 802 including real property records, space use maintenance summaries, energy audits, water audits etc. are input into a validation module 804. Next, the validated inventory 804 is input into the one or more than one database 806. For example, an e-Comet database. Then, mission requirements 808, and space utilization studies 810 are input into the system 800. In one embodiment the mission requirements 808 and space utilization studies 810 are combined with any revisions 812 necessary, and are then input into the one or more than one database 806. In another embodiment, the mission requirements 808 and the space utilization studies 810 are processed by a facility condition assessment module 814. From the facility condition assessment module 814 the information can go to either a cost estimate for unsatisfactory items 816, or to an energy audit module 818. From the cost estimate for unsatisfactory items module 816 the information is either sent to the space revisions module 812 or stored in the one or more than one database 806. Alternatively, from the energy audit module 818 the data can be transferred to a cost estimation for energy reduction

recommendations module 820. Next, the data is transferred to a payback period module 822 to calculate the amount of time that the energy reductions will take to save the money expended on the facility to reduce the energy usage. Then, the data from the payback period module 822 is stored in the one or more than one database 806. Next, a decision support model module 824 accesses the one or more than one database 806 and receives input from a criteria module 826. The criteria module 826 can comprise risk weighting, budgets, inflation rates, etc. among other criteria that the user can select using the criteria module 826 as a criteria selection interface. Finally, the decision support model module 824 outputs the results of the calculations conducted within the module to produce requirement reports 828. The requirement reports 828 can comprise requirements, integrated priorities, projects, programs and assessments among other reports available.

[000127] Referring now to Figure 9, there is shown a screenshot 900 displaying a summary level data view of an overall facility assessment. As can be seen, the user can view the summary level data. The summary level data can be for a single facility or an overall view of all the facilities. Using the list of facilities on the left-hand side provided by the system 100, user can drill down to more specific information comprised in the requirements database.

[000128] Referring now to Figure 10, there is shown a screenshot 1000 displaying energy meter data from a facility assessment stored in the system of Figure 1. As can be seen, the user can select to display energy meter data for a particular facility stored in the requirements database. The system 100, comprising instructions to retrieve and display 1000 the energy meter data according to the user's selection on the left side of the user interface.

[000129] Referring now to Figure 11, there is shown a screenshot 1100 of an energy analysis worksheet from a facility assessment stored in the system of Figure 1. As can be seen, the user can also select to display 1100 the energy analysis worksheet for a selected facility, or from all facilities, from the system 100.

[000130] Referring now to Figure 12, there is shown a screenshot 1200 of a report displaying building level energy recommendations. The system 100 comprises instructions and algorithms in various modules to calculate building level energy recommendations. These recommendations can then be displayed 1200 and a report is presented to the user.

[000131] Referring now to Figure 13, there is shown a flowchart diagram 1300 of a decision support system logic flow useful for the system of figure 1. A decision support tool module 1302 accepts multiple inputs from various sources to calculate the output reports 1338. Real property records 1304 can be input into the requirements section of decision-support tool module 1302. Additionally, a space use study 1306, facility condition assessment 1308, energy and water use 1310, energy audits 1312 and programmed projects 1314 can alone or in combination be entered into the requirements section 1322 of the decision support tool 1302. Optionally, facility energy and water criteria and weighting 1316 can be entered manually or automatically by the system 100. Also, combined requirements to create projects 1318 can also be entered into the system 100. Finally, identified program funding by fiscal year 1320 can also be entered into the decision support tool module 1302. Once all the data and criteria have been entered into the decision support tool module 1302 various functions, calculations and algorithms are performed to produce the final output reports 1338. From the requirements section 1322 information can be transferred to determine requirements of buildings to be demolished 1324. If a building is to be demolished the analysis is completed and the reports 1338 are produced and information regarding the buildings to be demolished are stored in a storage. Otherwise, the requirements for facilities not programmed for demolition 1326 are stored in a storage and identified for use in the system 100. Next, requirements for buildings that exceed a 70% rule 1328 are determined. If a building exceeds the 70% rule, the proper reports 1338 are generated and the decision support tool module 1302 analysis is complete. Then, an analysis is performed to determine requirements for facilities that are deemed economical to maintain 1330. Additionally, special facilities, such as, for example, a historic structure, can also be identified as a building to be maintained 1330. Next, a series of three additional analyses are performed on requirements for facilities that are deemed economical to maintain 1330. A first analysis is conducted on capital investment requirements. First, a prioritized list of capital investment requirements is determined, a prioritized list of capital investment projects and a list by fiscal year of funded projects is analyzed 1332 using functions, calculations and algorithms in the decision-support tool module 1302. Then, a prioritized list of energy use reduction requirements, a prioritized list of energy use reduction projects, and a list by fiscal year of funded projects is analyzed 1334 using the decision-support tool module 1302. Next, a prioritized list of water use reduction requirements, a prioritized list of water use reduction projects and a list by fiscal year of funded projects is analyzed 1336 using the decision support tool module 1302. After these three analyses 1332, 1334 and 1336 are completed, the decision- support tool module compiles and produces reports 1338 that can be output in either hard copy or displayed on a screen for further processing and user interaction.

[000132] Referring now to Figure 14, there is shown a screenshot 1400 of data displayed from other data storage systems. As can be seen, data from the one or more than one database can be displayed 1400 to the user. The user can select information for all facilities within a portfolio that the user is responsible for maintaining. The system 100 also provides modules for manually entering or correcting information in the one or more than one database.

[000133] Referring now to Figure 15, there is shown a table of prioritization requirements 1500 for a project based on user criteria selection and weighting. As can be seen, the system 100 provides a table of prioritization requirements 1500 but it can be modified to change the users' criteria selection and weighting for a particular facility or for multiple facilities.

[000134] Referring now to Figure 16, there is shown a screenshot 1600 displaying a list of prioritized facility repair requirements. Once the system 100 has completed the prioritization module and calculated facility repair requirements, a report is displayed 1600 to the user as a list.

[000135] Referring now to Figure 17, there is shown a screenshot 1700 displaying a list of prioritized energy use reduction opportunities calculated by the system 100. The system 100 also provides a list of prioritized energy use reduction opportunities that have also been calculated. The list is then displayed to the user or can be printed out or stored in the one or more than one database.

[000136] Referring now to Figure 18, there is shown a screenshot 1800 displaying combined requirements to form viable projects. In some instances, the user will select to combine requirements from a list of viable projects. In this case, there are additional savings to be had from economies of scale. The system 100 provides the user with capability of quickly calculating a variety of "what if scenarios over many facilities contained in the portfolio. This report can be stored and compared with other scenarios to maximize cost savings and/or facility expenditure reductions. As can be appreciated, this capability can decrease costs and prolong the use of the facilities and the portfolio.

[000137] Referring now to Figure 19, there is shown a screenshot 1900 displaying a list of prioritized projects allocated to fiscal years based on projected annual budgets. The user can also use the system 100 to prioritize projects based on annual budgets. Additionally, the user can also use the system 100 to quickly and easily allocate projects to specific fiscal years.

[000138] Referring now to Figure 20, there is shown a screenshot 2000 displaying a list of reports that can be generated and converted to DD Forms 1391. The user can use the system 100 to provide a list of reports but can be converted and generated to DD Forms 1391. These reports, are usually quite complex and time-consuming, but can be quickly and easily selected and converted by the user into the DD Forms 1391.

[000139] Referring now to Figure 21, there is shown a screenshot 2100 displaying prioritized renewable energy opportunities using weighted criteria. The user can also use the system 100 to display prioritized renewable energy opportunities using weighted criteria in "what if scenarios by changing either the criteria or the weighting factor. Previously, this was not possible to ascertain or to maximize efficiencies using software currently available.

[000140] Referring now to Figure 22, there is shown a screenshot 2200 displaying graphical reports to support net zero planning. The user can also select to display the information stored in one or more than one database in a graphical format 2200 to quickly view the results of the calculations conducted by the system 100.

[000141] What has been described is a new and improved decision support system to assist in allocating funds for capital investment, including energy and water use reduction, projects using a systematic prioritization process for identifying, prioritizing, and programming projects, the sources of data, prioritization criteria, formulae and scheduling implementation, overcoming the limitations and disadvantages inherent in the related art.

[000142] Although the present invention has been described with a degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example and that other versions are possible. As various changes could be made in the above description without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be illustrative and not used in a limiting sense. The spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained in this disclosure.

[000143] All features disclosed in the specification, including the claims, abstracts, and drawings, and all the steps in any method or process disclosed, can be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. Each feature disclosed in the specification, including the claims, abstract, and drawings, can be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

[000144] Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state "means" for performing a specified function or "step" for performing a specified function should not be interpreted as a "means" or "step" clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. § 112.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A decision support system to assist in allocating funds for capital investment, including energy and water use reduction, projects using a systematic prioritization process for identifying, prioritizing, and programming projects, the sources of data, prioritization criteria, formulae and scheduling implementation, the system comprising:

a) a computer operable to receive input data related to requirements identification from an input module;

b) instructions executable on the computer for prioritization of the received input data; and

c) instructions executable on the computer for a programming phase module.

2. The system of claim 1, where the input data is requirements identification data, prioritization data, or both requirements identification data and prioritization data.

3. The system of claim 2, where the identification data comprises:

a) space use data;

b) facilities condition assessment data; and

c) energy audit data.

4. The system of claim 3, where the identification data can comprise currently available information.

5. The system of claim 3, where the identification data can comprise conforming standard data, non-standard data or both conforming standard data and non-standard data.

6. The system of claim 5, where the non-standard data can comprise:

a) real property records;

b) existing DD Form 1391s; and

c) partial space use analysis.

7. The system of claim 3, where the identification data further comprises: a) annual installation energy purchase records;

b) annual installation water usage records;

c) percent of electricity provided by one or more than one commercial company that is generated from fossil fuel for each installation;

d) current and forecasted rates for each energy source and for water at each installation; and

e) Department of Defense inflation rate projections.

8. The system of claim 1, where the instructions executable on the computer for prioritization of the received input data, comprise instructions for execution of a user input module for selecting criteria and weighting for prioritizing all requirements.

9. The system of claim 8, where the selected criteria are selected from the group consisting of a mission dependency index, collateral damage, safety and health, a condition index, useful life and system criticality.

10. The system of claim 1, where the instructions executable on the computer for prioritization of the received input data, comprise instructions for:

a) executing a scoring algorithm for capital investment requirements;

b) executing a ranking algorithm for capital investment requirements;

c) executing a scoring algorithm for special interest requirements; and

d) executing a ranking algorithm for special interest requirements.

11. The system of claim 10, where the special interest requirements comprise energy use reduction requirements.

12. The system of claim 10, where the energy use reduction requirements are selected from the group consisting of energy use reduction, energy cost reduction, energy intensity reduction, energy payback period and greenhouse gas reduction.

13. The system of claim 9, where the special interest requirements comprise water use reduction requirements.

14. The system of claim 13, where the water use reduction requirements are selected from the group consisting of water use reduction, water cost reduction and water payback period.

15. The system of claim 1, where the instructions executable on the computer for supporting a programming phase further comprise:

a) a project development module;

b) a funding module; and

c) a document development module.

16. The system of claim 15, where the project development module comprises instructions for:

a) project identification and grouping different requirements into one project; b) component requirements recalculations for the cost of the project by combining the cost of all component requirements;

c) capital investment projects prioritization by the highest component requirement;

d) energy and water use reduction projects reprioritization by combining the attributes of the component requirements;

e) priority order changing of specific projects; and

f) a manual override module.

17. The system of claim 15, where the document development module comprises instructions for outputting one or more than one report that guides programming actions.

18. The system of claim 17, where the one or more than one report can comprise a prioritized list of capital investments, a special interest projects report or both a prioritized list of capital investments and a special interest projects report.

19. The system of claim 17, where the one or more than one report can be selected from the group consisting of a list of prioritized capital investment projects by installation, a list of energy use reduction projects by installation; a report list of water use reduction projects by installation, a list of capital investment projects funded by fiscal year based on projected funding, a list of energy use reduction projects funded by fiscal year based on projected funding at service and major command levels and a list of water use reduction projects funded by fiscal year .

20. A decision support system to assist in allocating funds for capital investment, including energy and water use reduction, projects using a systematic prioritization process for identifying, prioritizing, and programming projects, the sources of data, prioritization criteria, formulae and scheduling implementation, the system comprising modules executable on a computer for:

a) requirements identification;

b) prioritization; and

c) programming.

21. The system of claim 20, where the requirements identification module comprises modules executable to:

a) retrieve available data; and

b) calculate default information.

22. The system of claim 20, where the prioritization module comprises modules executable to:

a) calculate one or more than one score for each criterion from one or more than one database;

b) prioritize all requirements in accordance with pre-determined weighting of criteria; and

c) prioritize special interest requirements.

23. The system of claim 20, where the programming module comprises modules executable to:

a) support manual manipulation of requirements into projects; and

b) produce reports that support both programming and other management actions.

24. A method for a decision support system to assist in allocating funds for capital investment, including energy and water use reduction, projects using a systematic prioritization process for identifying, prioritizing, and programming projects, the sources of data, prioritization criteria, formulae and scheduling implementation, the method comprising the steps of:

a) receiving input data related to a project for a requirements identification phase; b) identification of requirements;

c) prioritizing requirements;

d) programming requirements; and

e) outputting reports with empirical data to support the decision making process using a programming process module.

25. The method of claim 24, where the requirements identification module comprises modules executable for:

a) retrieving available data; and

b) calculating default information.

26. The method of claim 24, where the prioritization module comprises modules executable for:

a) calculating one or more than one score for each criterion from the one or more than one database;

b) prioritizing all requirements in accordance with pre-determined weighting of criteria; and

c) prioritizing special interest requirements.

27. The method of claim 26, where the step of calculating one or more than one score is calculated using a formula.

28. The method of claim 27, where the formula is: Project Ranking Score = Weight l*(Mission Dependency Index Score) + Weight 2*(Collateral Damage Score) + Weight

3*(Safety and Human Health Score) + Weight 4*(Condition Index) + Weight 5*(Useful Life Score) + Weight 6*(System Criticality Score).

29. The method of claim 26, where the step of prioritizing all requirements is done by normalizing the data received using a consistent scale.

30. The method of claim 29, where the consistent scale is a scale of 0-100.

31. The method of claim 26, where the step of prioritizing special interest requirements prioritizes one or more than one capital investment score.

32. The method of claim 31, where the one or more than one capital investment requirements score is selected from the group consisting of mission dependency index, collateral damage, safety and human heath, useful life and system criticality.

33. The method of claim 26, where the step of prioritizing special interest requirements prioritizes one or more energy use reduction score.

34. The method of claim 33, where one or more energy use reduction scores are selected from the group consisting of prorated energy use reduction, energy cost savings in United

States dollars, energy payback period in years, energy use intensity reduction and greenhouse gas emissions reduction in tons.

35. The method of claim 26, where the step of prioritizing special interest requirements prioritizes one or more than one water use reduction score.

36. The method of claim 35, where the one or more than one water use reduction score is selected from the group consisting of water use reduction, water cost savings in United States Dollars, and water payback period in years.

37. The method of claim 36, where the water use reduction is gallons, cubic feet or both gallons and cubic feet.

38. The method of claim 24, where the programming module further comprises modules executable for:

a) supporting manual manipulation of requirements into projects; and

b) producing reports that support both programming and other management actions.

39. A method for a decision support system to assist in allocating funds for capital investment, including energy and water use reduction, projects using a systematic prioritization process for identifying, prioritizing, and programming projects, the sources of data, prioritization criteria, formulae and scheduling implementation, the method comprising the steps of:

a) inputting available data, initial criteria and weighting;

b) prioritizing all requirements the available data, the initial criteria and weighting; and

c) creating a prioritized list of all investment requirements.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising the step of prioritizing energy, water or both energy and water reduction criteria and weighting.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising the step of creating a prioritized requirements list of capital investments including energy and water.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising the step of manually inputting

programming overrides.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising the step of creating a prioritized project list for capital investments, energy and water.

44. A method for a decision support system to assist in allocating funds for capital investment, including energy and water use reduction, projects using a systematic prioritization process for identifying, prioritizing, and programming projects, the sources of data, prioritization criteria, formulae and scheduling implementation, the method comprising the steps of:

a) inputting available data into storage;

b) validating the available data;

c) storing the validated inventory into one or more than one database;

d) inputting mission requirements and space utilization studies;

e) storing the mission requirements and space utilization studies;

f) processing the mission requirements and the space utilization studies using a facility condition assessment module;

g) transmitting the data to a cost estimate for unsatisfactory items and to an energy audit module;

h) accessing data from the one or more than one database by a decision support model module; and

i) outputting results of the calculations conducted within the decision support model module to produce one or more than one requirement report.

45. The method of claim 44, where one or more than one of the available data is selected from the group consisting of real property records, space use maintenance summaries, energy audits and water audits.

46. The method of claim 44, further comprising the step of combining the mission requirements and the space utilization studies with any manually input revisions.

47. The method of claim 46, further comprising the step of storing the combined data.

48. The method of claim 44, further comprising the step of revising the space utilization study based on cost estimates calculated.

49. The method of claim 44, further comprising the step of storing the cost estimate for unsatisfactory items in the one or more than one database.

50. The method of claim 44, further comprising the steps of:

a) transferring the energy audit module data to a cost estimation for energy reduction recommendations module;

b) calculating a cost estimation for energy reduction;

c) storing the cost estimation for energy reduction;

d) transferring the cost estimation for energy reduction to a pay back period module;

e) calculating a payback period for an amount of time that the energy reductions will take to save the money expended on the facility to reduce the energy usage; and

f) storing the calculated payback period in the one or more than one database.

51. The method of claim 44, further comprising the step of receiving input from a criteria module.

52. The method of claim 51, where the criteria module can comprise risk weighting, budgets and inflation rates that the user can select using the criteria module as a criteria selection interface.

53. The method of claim 44, where the one or more than one requirement report can be selected from the group consisting of a requirements report, an integrated priorities report, a projects report, a programs report, and an assessments report.

54. A method for a decision support system to assist in allocating funds for capital investment, including energy and water use reduction, projects using a systematic prioritization process for identifying, prioritizing, and programming projects, the sources of data, prioritization criteria, formulae and scheduling implementation, the method comprising the steps of:

a) inputting one or more than on data requirements into a decision support tool module;

b) performing calculations on the data requirements;

c) storing the calculations; and

d) creating reports to be output.

55. The method of claim 54, where one or more than one of the data requirements are selected from the group consisting of real property records, a space use study, facility condition assessments, energy and water use, energy audits, programmed projects, facility energy criteria, water criteria, weighting criteria, combined requirements, and identified program funding by fiscal year.

56. The method of claim 54, further comprising manually, automatically or both manually and automatically inputting requirements data into the decision support tool module.

57. The method of claim 54, further comprising the steps of:

a) performing calculations on the data requirements using various functions and algorithms to produce the final output reports;

b) transferring calculated data to a requirements of buildings to be demolished module;

c) storing the calculated data for the buildings to be demolished in storage;

d) storing calculated data to a requirements for facilities not programmed for demolition module in storage;

e) determining if requirements for buildings exceed a 70% rule;

f) storing the results of step e) in storage;

g) determining requirements for facilities that are deemed economical to maintain; h) performing a series of three additional analyses on the requirements for facilities that are deemed economical to maintain; and i) compiling and outputting reports for further processing and user interaction.

58. The method of claim 57, where the step of determining requirements for facilities that are deemed economical to maintain further includes special facilities to be maintained.

59. The method of claim 57, where a first analysis is calculated on capital investment requirements.

60. The method of claim 59, further comprising the steps of:

a) determining a prioritized list of capital investment requirements;

b) determining a prioritized list of capital investment projects;

c) determining a list by fiscal year of funded projects;

d) analyzing the lists using functions and calculations; and

e) storing the results of the analysis.

61. The method of claim 57, where a second analysis is calculated on energy use reduction requirements.

62. The method of claim 61, further comprising the steps of:

a) determining a prioritized list of energy use reduction requirements;

b) determining a prioritized list of energy use reduction projects;

c) determining a list of funded projects by fiscal year;

d) analyzing the lists using functions and calculations; and

e) storing the results of the analysis.

63. The method of claim 57, where a third analysis is calculated on water use reduction requirements.

64. The method of claim 63, further comprising the steps of:

a) determining a a prioritized list of water use reduction requirements;

b) determining a prioritized list of water use reduction projects; c) determining a list by fiscal year of funded projects;

d) analyzing the lists using functions and calculations; and

e) storing the results of the analysis.

65. The method of claim 57, where the output can be hard copy, displayed, or both hard copy and displayed.