> That data has given the team deep insights
What a shame they didn't bother to include any of them in the article. Instead they filled it with shitty similes like this:
> Microsoft’s buildings were experiencing data dissonance that would make the works of Igor Stravinsky sound like a barbershop quartet.
I was no fan of Microsoft in its Gates days, but I can't imagine it would have produced anything as bad as this article. Apparently the reason for this content-free article is that Microsoft hired some dumbshit to write it who couldn't be bothered to learn enough to understand what they were writing about:
> He projects the algorithm on a screen, and then launches into a deeply technical explanation about when a discharge air pressure set point is something-something, then the air is being overcooled by something-something for a duration of 900,000 milliseconds.
The Accenture white paper linked http://download.microsoft.com/download/4/8/8/4885BBB9-2675-4... is slightly better, but only very slightly.
Sensor networks are a promising approach for improving the efficiency of existing buildings, but the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passivhaus approach seems much better for new buildings. Instead of removing unwanted heat with finicky mechanical systems with valves that get stuck, you don't let the heat in in the first place; and similarly for maintaining warmth in the winter. There's plenty of solar energy to keep your temperature pleasant year-round, unless you're in Siberia or something, and solar energy used to heat your house is 100% efficient, rather than the 20% provided by photovoltaic panels. It's mostly stupid to use marketed energy to heat and cool things.