Jan Wei of Stantec argues that building operators are trained to run systems, not optimize them, and that calibrated virtual digital twins can close that gap. He walks through NYC's Local Law 97 path and why heat pumps and thermal storage will keep the industry busy.

Jan Wei, Principal, Stantec

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In this conversation

How a high school guidance counselor who could not explain engineering set Jan on the path to mechanical engineering and building commissioning.

Why computerized controls made buildings harder to run, and why operators trained to operate rather than optimize often override them.

His push to keep the energy model built during design, calibrate it to the as-built building, and compare its baseline with actual use.

How a virtual twin lets data centers, hospitals and pharmaceutical plants test failure and shutdown scenarios they cannot try on live systems.

A walk through New York City's local laws, from benchmarking under Local Law 84 to Local Law 97 limits that drop by about half in 2030.

Why he expects heat pumps paired with thermal energy storage to keep the industry busy, since heat is the city's hardest problem.

Most building operators are trained on how to operate the building. They are not trained on how to optimize building operation.

Jan Wei

Chapters

From Taiwan to commissioning

Jan's move from Taiwan at 12, his accidental start in engineering, and why he sees a building as one integrated system.

Operating is not optimizing

How computerized controls changed building operation and why many operators fall back on the old methods.

What a digital twin really is

The levels of a digital twin, from asset information to a calibrated virtual model that can simulate failures.

New York's road to Local Law 97

The city's step-by-step laws, the free NYC Accelerator program, and how many buildings are expected to comply.

By the numbers

95%

Filing Article 320 properties that met their 2024 Local Law 97 emissions limits

Jan says the city first expected about 80% of buildings to meet the 2024 to 2029 limits and was projecting 85 to 90%. The first year of filings came in higher.

Source: NYC Department of Buildings, Local Law 97: 2024 Compliance and Reporting Rates ↗

When a building falls short

Why older buildings and tight-budget multifamily lag, and why owners should plan now for the 2030 limits.

Heat pumps and thermal storage

Where the retrofit work will go, and his advice to students to get involved in industry groups early.

It's just like a human body: it's not just the mechanical bones, or the blood vessels, or the brain, eyes and ears.

Jan Wei

Takeaways

Most building operators are trained to operate systems, not to optimize them, so many override complex controls and fall back to old methods.

Energy models built from Revit are usually thrown away after design; Wei wants them calibrated to the as-built building and compared to actual use.

A virtual twin lets mission-critical facilities simulate failure and shutdown scenarios they cannot safely test on live systems.

Under Local Law 97, allowable emissions drop by about half from the 2024 to 2029 period to the 2030 to 2034 period.

NYC's biggest decarbonization challenge is heat, so heat pumps paired with thermal energy storage are where Wei expects the work to go.

So the biggest challenge is how to effectively produce heat while reducing greenhouse gases.

Jan Wei