As system integration becomes the norm in HVAC systems in buildings where energy conservation and efficiency are the main concern, more interdependency is built-in into system components, more variables are being monitored and controlled, and more data is available for equipment, system, and user domains. This increase in complexity and real-time information is leading toward new techniques and technologies for equipment and system level monitoring, supervision, and fault detection, some of which have emerged in commercial applications. However, there is a wealth of opportunities to enhance and integrate new and on-going research in automated fault detection techniques in building management systems (BMS), or stand-alone HVAC control and supervision applications, to increase system performance, efficiency, and quality of service.

This chapter presents a review of the different types of approaches of fault-detection techniques, state-of-the-art discoveries in the field, referenced applications to industrial and HVAC settings, commercial applications with embedded fault-detection ability, challenges to be addressed in this field, and a case study of implementation of automated fault detection in a district cooling application.