As winter has officially arrived in Canada, it brings on a myriad of troubles and unseen issues when it comes to keeping your HVAC system running. This makes the onset of winter the perfect time to start prepping your commercial building so that you do not run into last minute issues, resulting in costly repairs, downtime, and a dent in your profit margin. Although there are several ways you can optimize your HVAC system for tackling winter challenges, investing in an efficient building automation system can definitely take a lot off your plate and keep your HVAC system running smoothly and efficiently.
Importance of Building Automation System for HVAC system
Are you sure that your heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system can handle this winter season without giving you any trouble? If you are a commercial building owner or facility manager, then pretty sure you know the energy spikes that take place during winter season to keep the premises running and the occupants comfortable, which is why it is imperative that your HVAC system is functioning efficiently. So how can building automation system help you manage your HVAC system better during the winter season?
Building automation and control system offers a distributed control system tailored to track and manage several building components such as mechanical, HVAC, lighting, security, and so on within a building or several buildings. The ultimate goal of building automation system is to maintain building ambiance in a specific range based on the presence of occupants. In addition, it also helps to monitor the various system and provide updates and alerts regarding any system issues. With HVAC system overworking during the winter season, it makes sense for commercial building owners and managers to invest in such a system that can do all of these without any hassle or expert help.
Common HVAC problems in winter and how to solve them
Frozen or malfunctioning heat pump
Rooftop commercial HVAC units are exposed to extreme cold temperatures during harsh winters. Although slight frosting is not an issue, prolonged and repeated exposure can be detrimental to your HVAC system. For example, the HVAC coil could be covered in snow or other debris or may have frosted in freezing rain. Often these rooftop units are out of sight and maintenance is neglected until it is too late. Having a building automation system can help you provide remote HVAC monitoring and alerting while automated defrost setting can ensure your heat pump does not freeze and malfunction. Otherwise, if the coils or fans are frozen and this setting is broken, then you would need to manually remove the frosting.
Dirty air filters
During winter, due to extreme weather conditions as well as negligence in proper maintenance of HVAC system can result in dirty air filters. This can obstruct airflow and reduce HVAC system efficiency, making the system put in twice as much work to maintain the building environment. Clogged filters also have a secondary impact on the coils which result in poor heat conduction, improper humidity level and decreased efficiency of the compressor. With building automation system of your HVAC, it can notify you of any anomalies in airflow, pressure change, so that you can take corrective actions. Also, if the filter is permanently discolored or disfigured, you need to replace it with a new one.
Improper airflow
During winter, the required quantity of airflow to heat a space differs than the required airflow in summer as the goal in summer is to cool a room rather than heat. Also, different areas in your building will have different requirements so you may feel one room is colder than others. When you are a commercial building owner or manager, it can be hard for you to track these small nuances. With a building automation system, you can adjust airflow supply settings remotely and make changes in real-time to not only increase your HVAC efficiency but also enhance occupants’ comfort.
Incorrect temperature settings
It is very common for humans to forget obvious things like changing temperature settings during the winter season. If you have a thermostat that is not properly calibrated, then your HVAC system will not provide proper heating, whereas investing in a smart thermostat or building automation, allows you to control the heating and cooling of your commercial building much more effectively. With this, you can find out which areas are using unnecessary heating and cut down costs by 20%-50%.
Leaks and improper refrigerant level
Sometimes, your HVAC system can give out cold air even if the thermostat is working properly in case of improper refrigerant level or leaks. When you invest in building automation and controls, you can stay ahead of these issues with alerts even before a major problem occurs and prevent damage to your equipment.
Carbon monoxide leaks
Although new HVAC systems will be efficient and only release hot or cool air, with time your HVAC system will get rusty and release toxic fumes. Carbon monoxide leaks can be extremely detrimental to health so if you own or manage a commercial building, you must be vigilant about carbon monoxide HVAC problems and have carbon monoxide detectors installed and checked routinely. Also, inspect your heating and cooling equipment by professionals like A-TECH Engineering – a leading HVAC Contractor based in Toronto for making sure they are safe and sound.
Having a professional HVAC inspection
Apart from investing in building automation system to keep your HVAC running smoothly, you should also make sure that the HVAC system is inspected by a professional annually. These inspections should be done in fall, spring or before onset of winter to prevent major issues when HVAC demand is the highest. Also, it is recommended to have a HVAC maintenance agreement with a qualified and reputable HVAC contractor so you get on time and priority service any time there is an issue.
You can contact A-TECH Engineering Ltd. to optimize your HVAC system through smart building automation, professional contracting services and discover untapped potential while increasing the lifespan of your HVAC system.
During the winter season, it is a given that your commercial buildings consume more energy because of shorter days, increased use of lighting and heating systems. In commercial buildings, Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning (HVAC) as well as lighting are the biggest energy consumers as per EPA. As a commercial business owner or property manager, you might be struggling with running your business and paying the utility bills, especially in these trying times of COVID-19. Finding out how much energy your building systems are using can help you with useful information on how to mitigate energy consumption, reduce energy costs and increase the net profitability. This is where building analytics services come to the rescue.
So what is building analytics?
Building analytics services provide you with valuable insights and data pertaining to your building systems such as lighting, heating, temperature, humidity, automation building system and so on. It facilitates you to make improved and faster building management decisions, resulting in a better energy saving building and reduced carbon footprint.
In winter, your commercial building has higher energy consumption, and without building analytics services, it becomes harder to track and identify how energy is being used. In addition, large commercial buildings contain a plethora of data within their myriad of systems and equipment. However, all this data is useless if there is no analytical system to track, monitor and utilize those to implement actions that can improve the overall building system.
Although many progressive business owners have turned to Building Automation System to get better control over their various building systems, the system still has some shortcomings. For instance, not having a way to store data, set benchmark performance and so on are issues of a building automation system without the back up of building analytics services. A-TECH Engineering Ltd. provides building analytics services in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada that augment your Building Automation System and provide important data and insights pertaining to the various building systems. This facilitates business owners and building operators to observe and track the systems minutely in real-time, increase operational efficiency, reduce waste while ensuring occupants’ comfort.
How building analytics can help reduce energy cost in winter?
Winter can wreak havoc on your utility bills, especially when you have businesses operating in climate as harsh as that in Canada. It is your HVAC system that pulls most of the work to keep the building running as well as provide comfort to the occupants. In addition, the HVAC is also a critical component that affects air quality in your building, which is now more important than ever in the time of covid-19. Hence, it is imperative to ensure its servicing and maintenance is carried out regularly to prevent nasty interruptions.
With building analytics services, you can easily optimize your HVAC performance by monitoring it acutely, getting insights on its usage, identifying sources of inefficiencies and making corrective actions faster. For example, with the internet of things – IoT solutions, combined with building analytics services, it is possible to get predictive analysis which can tell you of impending problems and save you major repair costs and reduce downtime.
In addition, having building analytics technology gives you remote access building systems data at all times to be monitored and analysed efficiently. For HVAC systems, this monitoring system measures and analyzes how frequently the system is running, how fast set points are met as well as when the building has occupants inside. For instance, your HVAC system may have a refrigerant leak due to which it is not performing optimally and on top of that wasting precious energy. Using data analytics, you can identify the system error and take corrective measures to rectify the problem sooner. This way, building analytics can be translated into actions that drive HVAC optimization, increase lifespan, reduce energy cost, and at the same time enhance the comfort of the building users.
Building analytics systems are a vast analytical tool that encompasses not only data related to your HVAC system but also lighting, automation systems, meters, alarms and so on providing you with insightful information that you can leverage to reduce energy consumption and maximize building efficiency. For example, during the winter period, due to shorter days, the lighting system can wreak up your electricity bills especially in commercial buildings. With data analytics, you can get real-time data on energy use, find out discrepancies and take actions to optimize use of lighting and lower energy costs.
Building analytics services can be implemented in any kind of industries – be it large commercial buildings, hotels and resorts, shopping malls, apartment complexes, or industrial facilities.
A-TECH Engineering Ltd provides building analytics services in Toronto as well as GTA and major cities in Canada that help you better manage your building facility and reduce energy costs while ensuring building efficiency. Connect with an A-TECH team member to discover your building’s potential savings.
HVAC systems are important building systems when it comes to commercial space. Their core function in commercial buildings is to provide an optimum temperature for a multitude of reasons. HVAC system can differ in number and size depending on building size, functionality and so on. This is why it is imperative that you have a means to monitor your HVAC systems easily and efficiently. With the development of building automation and controls, you can find a plethora of HVAC monitoring systems, including HVAC monitoring app that allows you to remotely control your HVAC system connected through IoT.
What is a HVAC Monitoring App?
It is an application developed that can consistently track the performance as well as energy consumption of HVAC systems in a building, with an aim to provide alerts and notifications regarding any faults or inefficiencies. In addition, it also helps you reduce your energy costs as you can have better control of your system.
Importance of HVAC Monitoring Systems
HVAC is undoubtedly one of the massive energy consuming systems in a building so a proper monitoring system is crucial for maintaining the system and reducing energy costs. Without an efficient HVAC monitoring system, you may have issues that can go unnoticed for long periods of time and result in costly repairs. On top of giving you ridiculously high operating costs, persistent HVAC problems can also cause serious damage to your asset.
When you invest in monitoring your HVAC system that can screen the full system such as exhaust fans, chillers, compressors, air-filters and so on, it becomes easier for you to be on top of any impending issues and take preventive measures proactively. This results in fewer maintenance and servicing, saves you major headaches and costly repairs, thus lowering your expenses.
With a remote HVAC monitoring system, you can indulge in several benefits such as:
- Access your HVAC systems in a building from anywhere connected to IOT.
- Get real-time updates of your HVAC stats such as temperature, flow rates, pressure differential and so on.
- Control temperature settings from anywhere via IOT. This results in increased occupants’ comfort as well as better performance of the overall system.
- Ensure your HVAC system is operating at its maximum efficiency through better control of your HVAC system.
- HVAC monitoring app gives you a unified platform with access to entire HVAC systems including chillers, exhaust fans, etc. through which issues can be perceived early on and fixed instantly.
- In addition, energy consumption profiles can be analyzed by AI to predict when problems are going to occur so you can make minor fixes instead of costly repairs.
- With remote HVAC monitoring app, you can view, change settings and get analytical data without the need to call a technician every time you run into an issue.
So how does it work?
HVAC monitoring apps are very simple and easy to use. The app uses temperature sensors and airflow sensors in the HVAC system. While temperature sensors give you an overview of temperature settings of the HVAC system, it does not give you the bigger picture. Airflow sensors allow you to monitor changes in airflow and detect problems not so easily visible, such as when your air filters are starting to clog and making your HVAC system work harder, reducing its efficiency.
A smart HVAC monitoring and alerting app will also let you see lead-lag functions of your system. For example, if you have multiple HVAC units, they are set up in a lead-lag fashion to provide the best results through rotation. A controller assures that this lead-lag is set up correctly so that all your HVAC systems run optimally. With HVAC monitoring app, you can view for yourself the comparative performance of each HVAC system and adjust accordingly for ensuring high performance. Apart from this, it provides real-time statistics on daily usage, on-off cycle data, overall operating summary for the HVAC units and so on, keeping you on top of things.
When you are considering to invest in a HVAC monitoring app, you need to keep in mind certain factors such as how easy it is easy to install and integrate into your current system, what are the prerequisites, how user-friendly it is and so on. A remote HVAC monitoring and alerting system will do the work for you while giving you peace of mind and reduce your energy costs.
A-TECH Engineering Ltd. a leading HVAC Controls Contractor in Toronto can help you with monitoring your HVAC system remotely from anywhere right at your fingertips with advanced IoT solutions. For details, contact one of our team members today.
If you run a business or manage a commercial building, then you must be aware of the various building systems that are required to be functional in order for the business to run smoothly. On top of that most commercial buildings tend to be high energy consumers thus putting a dent on your net profitability. As a business owner or commercial property manager, you do not have to think out-of-the-box on how to lower costs as you know all too well how energy consumption costs reduce your bottom line. There are many steps you can take to transform your commercial space into an energy saving building. Let’s delve deeper into some of these:
Energy saving building
These days, the entire world is talking about conserving energy and whether you acknowledge it or not, conserving energy is not simply about making the world a better and greener place, the concept is also tied to enhancing efficiency and improving building performance. An energy saving building is any building that has been designed, constructed or upgraded in a way that it is able to get the maximum work out of energy provided to them while minimizing the loss of energy. Energy saving building also works by reducing energy demand of the building system, for example- by turning off power when not in use or in areas not required.
How to make your commercial building energy efficient and reduce costs?
Invest in energy management system – Energy management system offers valuable data and insights to track, monitor and regulate energy use in your commercial building and enhance building performance while reducing costs. You can invest in building data analytics that provide you with relevant and simplified data of energy use and take control.
An energy management system can be used to detect faults in your building system, provide preventive maintenance and thereby reduce maintenance costs and damage to building.
HVAC Controls and Optimization
Perhaps the most energy draining system of your building is the HVAC system. For a commercial building, HVAC system can account for up to 60% of energy consumption. Hence, it is only rationale as a business owner that you pay special attention to HVAC system efficiency.
Apart from having your HVAC system annually maintained by a professional, installing an efficient Building Automation System for your commercial HVAC can significantly improve life cycle of HVAC, provide increased HVAC efficiency while reducing your energy costs.
Building Automation and Controls allow commercial buildings of any size or industry to optimize their central HVAC system- even multiple HVAC systems can be monitored and controlled from a single interface seamlessly from anywhere through IoT. This results in fewer maintenance calls, proactive servicing, and reduced bottom line.
Retrofitting old HVAC system
Sometimes your HVAC system may be too outdated to perform efficiently and if you are not ready to change your old HVAC system, you can try and see retrofitting the old HVAC system. This is simply an upgradation where you can change parts of your old HVAC such as adding a new compressor, ventilation control, condenser fan control and so on to improve HVAC system performance, minimize energy use and reduce utility bill. Retrofitting HVAC system can save you up to 30% energy costs.
Invest in newer energy-rated appliances and equipment
An energy saving building does not only mean it is designed to be an energy efficient building. Today’s energy saving buildings run on newer, better appliances and machines that use less energy and are environmentally friendly. For example, think of simple things in your commercial building that you have not changed in a few years – it could be a refrigerator, oven, air-conditioning system, or HVAC system. Modern equipment are energy rated so that they consume less energy and reduce carbon footprint.
Improve thermal insulation
Poor insulation in a commercial building can also account for significant energy loss. You can retrofit your old building to add insulating layers that allow for lower heat loss. If retrofitting the entire building is not possible, you can take small steps like changing window glasses that are better insulators such as double or triple pane windows, sealing gaps and entryways or even checking vents, HVAC ducts, pipes and so on.
Choose smart building technology
Commercial buildings today have a lot of opportunity to improve energy use by investing in smart building technology. Through this, building managers and owners can view real-time update of energy use in building, take better control and take measures that minimize energy use. For example, smart buildings utilize various sensors to power building automation.
Sensor and controllers provide remote and real-time monitoring of various building systems such as HVAC system, lighting, security, electrical and so on via internet of things. Smart building controls remove the scope of human forgetfulness of failing to turn off lighting and HVAC settings, thereby reducing energy costs. There is also HVAC monitoring app that allows you to track, monitor and control your HVAC system remotely from anywhere.
Invest in LED Lighting
If your commercial building is still using traditional lighting, then you are simply throwing money out the window without even realizing it. While changing the entire lighting of your building may feel superfluous to you, investing in LED lighting can save you money as they are much more sustainable, energy efficient as well as environmentally friendly.
Empower your community
Investing in latest technology will not automatically solve the problem of high energy bills if the occupants or users of the building are not aware. Educate and empower your staff and residents on how to manage the building system in an energy efficient way, such as using equipment properly and so on.
If you have an energy saving building for your commercial space, it will not only reduce energy cost but also result in improved comfort, and better functionality.
A-TECH Engineering Ltd. is a leading building automation and controls provider based in Toronto and other major cities across Canada who can help you transform your commercial property into a functional, comfortable and energy saving building. Contact our team member today to learn more.
Warehouses are essential infrastructures where large volume of goods and products are stored. Owing to their large square feet area and functionality to store goods and products in safe conditions, it is imperative that warehouses are managed efficiently. Because of their purpose of use, warehouse also happens to be big on energy consumption. In today’s technological era, having a building automation system for warehouse can greatly boost efficiency and reduce costs. The key benefits of BAS for warehouses include commercial HVAC controls and energy management system. Building Automation System is also an energy management system that reduces costs by efficiently controlling air conditioning and heating as well increases system performance and enhances occupancy comfort.
Building Automation System
Building automation system refers to the central control of a building’s several systems mainly the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) as well as lighting, security system, access control, and other interrelated systems through a Building Management System (BMS) or Building Automation System (BAS). The BAS offers a centralized platform or interface which allows you to modify the control settings, monitor the system status, and identify any possible issues associated to building system performance and take preventive measures.
Having a building automation system includes several benefits such as improved occupancy comfort, efficient operation of building systems, lowering of energy consumption, reduced operational costs, enhanced security, remote access, control and operation of building systems as well increased sustainable use of resources and equipment.
Building Automation System Integration for HVAC Controls System
Many large commercials including warehouses have central HVAC system in order to provide heating and cooling to the entire facility. They can also have multiple HVAC plants depending on building size and use. Building automation system allows integration of all these multiple systems on a unified interface, thereby providing better control, reducing inefficiencies, and lowering energy consumption.
How can warehouses benefit from Building Automation System?
The major areas where warehouse uses energy include lighting, temperature control such as humidity levels, refrigeration, heated casings and so on. Regulation of accurate temperature is vital as different products and goods require varying storage conditions.
Then there are also seasonal warehouses that operate only during certain parts of the year. For example, agro-based warehouses are operational only during the season of its yield. However, the warehouse facility needs to be maintained throughout the year to ensure its functionality. Introducing an efficient building automation system to your warehouse will give you better control on energy consumption as you can track and regulate building variables easily with integrated IoT solutions. IoT solutions can help you remotely access, regulate and operate building systems of your warehouse.
Building automation system helps you cut your warehouse energy costs by giving you valuable insights and data pertaining to your warehouse. Some of these are:
- Are you heating your warehouse when it is not necessary?
- Are you heating your warehouse in areas it is not needed?
- Is your HVAC energy efficient?
- Is your lighting energy efficient?
- Are you lighting your warehouse when it is not required?
If your warehouse is still relying on traditional ways for its operation, chances are that you have no way of having all these data, all of which can translate into enhanced warehouse efficiency and reduced costs.
With building automation system you can have a better understanding of energy use in your warehouse,
identify opportunities when you can cut energy use and set benchmark on how much energy you want spent in your warehouse.
You might feel that with building automation system, you will be handing over control to automated system but think of it like a puppet with strings- the system is the puppet but you are the one pulling the strings as you have full control over the system right at your fingertips.
In addition, having automated building system for your warehouse does not only mean that you are improving efficiency of your warehouse but also increasing your productivity and ROI. For example building automation system and control uses intuitive technology that autocorrects if there is any error in the system, so if you require warehouse temperature at a certain degree to store goods, it will auto-set it and prevent damage to the goods which you may not even be aware of if you were the one overseeing these variables.
The integration of building automation system combined with data analytics, gives you easy access to a plethora of valuable insights into the working environment of your warehouse. You can easily find out heating and cooling temperatures, HVAC monitoring, indoor air quality monitoring, and lighting besides other functional aspect of your warehouse to ensure everything is in working order.
Another way building automation system enhances your warehouse productivity is by ensuring a safe workplace for your employees. Employees not only have boosted morale to work productively but also health risks with air quality monitoring and regulated temperatures are minimized. This in turn results in greater productivity and increased net profitability for your warehouse.
Running a warehouse is a massive task and you might be inclined to thinking that having an automation system is just a superfluous addition which your business does not require, when in fact it could actually help you reduce unnecessary energy costs and grow your net profitability.
A-TECH Engineering Ltd. – a leading building automation system provider in Toronto as well as other major cities in Canada can provide custom building automation and control system tailored for your warehouse requirements, which will result in better performance, reduced costs and greater comfort of occupants. Contact our team today to find out how we can help your warehouse business become more sustainable.
