Triage
In this module, we'll review the difference between PTS votes and work orders, questions to consider before deciding how you'll respond to submissions, what to expect, and different types of users and how it affects triage. Lastly, we'll end with a few workflows that have come up repeatedly in our team's triage of TherMOOstat submissions.
In considering how to handle incoming PTS data, it is useful to review the goals of a PTS system compared to a traditional work order system. Although both PTS and traditional work orders can be channels for temperature complaints, they are quite different in several ways.
At UC Davis, our work order system is reactive and every work order is responded to, while our PTS system is proactive because we aggregate submissions to find opportunities to increase energy efficiency. We use submissions proactively on a longer time-scale, and on a shorter time-scale, we triage feedback to find and act on malfunctioning HVAC equipment.
Questions to Consider
At UC Davis, the main purpose of our Comfort Tool, TherMOOstat, is to collect comfort data that can be used to find opportunities for energy efficiency. We emphasize that we think comfort and energy efficiency go hand-in-hand.
To share these priorities we have for the project, we have a template email to send to users of the Comfort Tool. We copy certain sentences of this template into an email we're writing to users depending on what we want to emphasize to the user.
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An Example from UC DavisJohn Coon is a project manager in the office who performs triage and short-term analysis on PTS data. He spends roughly 15% of his time on TherMOOstat related work. In real-time, he fields PTS submissions and checks against the HVAC controls system for broken or malfunctioning equipment. At the end of th week, he spends 1-2 hours a reviewing feedback and trending data as needed. John's well-suited for this role because he has 20 years of experience with campus buildings, and is well acquainted with their comfort issues as well as what is "normal" for a particular building.
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The Role of Building Maintenance ServicesAt UC Davis, the Building Maintanance Services (BMS) group is a sister to the Energy & Engineering group (which is the home of TherMOOstat). In other words, we are two of the several branches within the Facilities Management Department. The HVAC technicians in the BMS group aren't involved in the triage of PTS data. This choice was strategic because the HVAC technicians have their work orders to handle, and that is their main focus. To insure the PTS data doesn't add to their workload, John investigates PTS data in the HVSC controls system and only 1 issue every 2-3 weeks is passed on to the HVAC technicians (who are responding to at least a dozen work orders in any given week).
What to Expect
This comfort tool program can be as small or as far-reaching as your campus finds appropriate. At UC Davis, patterns have shown us our average rate of thermal comfort feedback, and we can show you what that means in terms of actionable data and interaction with our comfort tool users.
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An Example from UC DavisJohn Coon is a project manager in the office who performs triage and short-term analysis on PTS data. He spends roughly 15% of his time on TherMOOstat related work. In real-time, he fields PTS submissions and checks against the HVAC controls system for broken or malfunctioning equipment. At the end of th week, he spends 1-2 hours a reviewing feedback and trending data as needed. John's well-suited for this role because he has 20 years of experience with campus buildings, and is well acquainted with their comfort issues as well as what is "normal" for a particular building.
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The Role of Building Maintenance ServicesAt UC Davis, the Building Maintanance Services (BMS) group is a sister to the Energy & Engineering group (which is the home of TherMOOstat). In other words, we are two of the several branches within the Facilities Management Department. The HVAC technicians in the BMS group aren't involved in the triage of PTS data. This choice was strategic because the HVAC technicians have their work orders to handle, and that is their main focus. To insure the PTS data doesn't add to their workload, John investigates PTS data in the HVSC controls system and only 1 issue every 2-3 weeks is passed on to the HVAC technicians (who are responding to at least a dozen work orders in any given week).
Comparing PTS Votes and Work Orders
Facilities' Response
User Options
Staff Responsibilities
PTS Vote
Most submissions don't require a response.
Votes are roughly 60% student votes and 40% staff votes.
Thermal comfort feedback only, with a "comfortable" option and other comfort-related questions.
Requires time to read and investigate incoming votes.
Work Order
Always requires a response, typically a site visit.
Students cannot submit work orders.
Temperature complaints are one of the many types of work orders, e.g. lighting, plumbing, custodial, etc.
Requires multiple technicians to diagnose and address problem.
It's Important to Know Your Users
Understanding your users is a big help when it comes to deciding how to respond to their feedback. At UC Davis, we’ve described different kinds of TherMOOstat users based on experience and research with the tool over the past 5+ years. We characterize users by their expectations and how much they move around the campus. We suggest actions during data triage based on user segments.
Comparing Different Types of Users
Representative Comment
Characteristics
Suggested Response
Frustrated User
"Sersiously, we are freezing. People are trying to use their backpacks and bits of paper for warmth."
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Expects immediate action
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Uses CAPS and exclamations in comments
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May confuse PTS with a work order
Try to connect expectations of the PTS program and address misconceptions about the building.
Engaged User
"The sides of the room have vents in the ceiling, so the constant air flow makes it feel especially cold."
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Invested in their space and campus
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Gives insightful and specific comments
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Wants to learn more about campus energy use
Show them success stories and encourage them to share the PTS program with others.
Frequent User
"This room is really warm every week when I go to class on Tuesdays from 3-4 PM"
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Submits feedback often, wants to see change
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Does not usually leave comments
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Loves Joules, the UC Davis mascot
Share applications of aggregate PTS data to show that their votes count.
Workflow
Download a workflow checklist for student interns to perform comfort data triage.
Download a template workflow to brainstorm with your team who will take on what portions of the workflow.
Managing Workflow
Not all thermal comfort feedback is equal! You will want to respond differently based on a number of factors, such as multiple submissions from the same room around the same time, and users’ tone or extra details given in open-ended comments. The flowchart below depicts general rules we have set for triaging incoming feedback from TherMOOstat and examples of the rules in action. You should decide which of these rules to adopt and any other useful rules tailored to your campus, climate, and community.
Look through the slides below to see the corresponding workflow of actual scenarios from the TherMOOstat program.
SCENARIO 1: Temperature Not Meeting the Setpoint
When room temperature was outside its deadband, we investigated the issue. In one room, we found an issue with a set point stuck in a manual override. Notes from John the Analyst: “Room setpoint in operator mode at 72°F per HVAC technician. Released 60 degree supply air setpoint (SAS) override on AHU-1 (air handler 1).”
In November 2013, President Janet Napolitano announced the Carbon Neutrality Initiative, which commits UC to emitting net zero greenhouse gases from its buildings and vehicle fleet by 2025, something no other major university system has done.
Created by Facilities Energy & Engineering at UC Davis
Get in touch with the team by contacting Kiernan Salmon at kmsalmon@ucdavis.edu
See our guides to Campus Comfort, as well as TherMOOstat Success Stories on Campus Comfort 101 site.