When it comes to optimizing your business there are certainly many things you need to consider. If you are looking for a competitive edge for your business, lowering cost is something that you absolutely cannot afford to overlook. Many organizations and businesses look for various ways to cut down costs without looking at some of the most obvious and easiest ones. One of the easiest ways you can reduce your expenses is take better control of your energy consumption and HVAC controls play a big role in that. In fact, heating, ventilating, and cooling (HVAC) accounts for almost 50 percent of a building’s total power usage. Hence it is only logical to look for ways to enhance building efficiency through HVAC controls and achieve energy savings.
HVAC Controls
HVAC controls have been around for a very long time and they give you complete control over ambient variables in your building system such as heating, ventilation, and cooling.
Through HVAC controls, we are not only talking about being able to control these three variables in your building or office environment but also, they allow easy access to automated features that make the job of running your building in a smooth and efficient manner. This results in reduced cost, improved efficiency, and a comfortable environment.
Some industries became acquainted with HVAC controls a lot earlier than others out of necessity. For instance, industrial producers know very well that their machinery needs to operate within certain temperature thresholds, or they start to break down or underperform. Hence investing in efficient HVAC system is important to them.
On the other hand, if you are mainly focused on retail or customer service, you may not have yet considered this as a need as you may think you do not require it with as small business space or building size. However, if you are looking to minimize energy costs while ensuring comfort of occupants, HVAC controls is a must-have in today’s energy conscious era. Let us outline a few of the main reasons of why it is beneficial to have HVAC control system for your building.
Saving Energy Saves the World
Today’s world is one where environmental concerns are present at every level of analysis. Our society has become increasingly aware of its potential to either damage or preserve the natural balance. With ecological considerations at the front of our concerns, we find that from the highest tiers of government to the individual level, we are all doing our part to contribute to this effort.
Automated HVAC controls leverage the power of digital technology and high-quality sensors to provide real-time data that can be used in several beneficial ways. One of these is that you can know for sure that you are always spending the optimum amount of energy possible. No more and no less than what is needed will ever be spent to maintain the parameters that your business requires to function. There are applications like HVAC monitoring app through which you can monitor the data coming from sensors and make the necessary adjustments in real-time. You will always have complete control and can choose to set your desired parameters from anywhere with IoT. With HVAC controls, the system will do its work to ensure comfort and energy saving with minimal input.
Saving Energy Saves You a Lot of Money
Of course, saving the environment is important – after all we are part of the same ecosystem. However, you are also running a business. There is no way to work for a sustainable environment if your own business is not sustainable. That is one of the biggest reasons why you should consider acquiring automated building HVAC controls.
Energy bills can be very expensive depending on your needs, location as well as other factors. Our metrics show that we can help cut energy costs by as high as 30%, which can make a huge difference in the short, medium, and long term. In today’s highly competitive market, there is very little margin of error, no matter what your line of business is. So, if you can reduce almost a third of the cost of any aspect of your business, that is an opportunity you do not want to miss.
Although there are a few costs that are associated with installing this equipment if this is a first for you, the good news is that our services are designed to work with most of the main brands and models of equipment. That means that you are very likely to be able to keep most of your HVAC equipment and still take full advantage of what building automation system has to offer you.
You should also keep in mind that most of these are one-time expenses. Once you are set up you will not have to worry about special equipment or adapting existing installations anymore. Things will be up and running and will stay that way for as long as you need them to.
Leveraging Data Analytics for Increasing Efficiency
Do you find yourself wanting to know more about certain conditions in your working environment? If the answer is yes, then data analytics from automated HVAC controls system can empower you and your business with fast and reliable insights which you can use to better manage your building system. The data collected from HVAC monitoring app gives you alerts and notification in your chosen form and frequency so that you are always on top of your building automation system. You can utilize building analytics to make prompt and proactive decision and carry out preventive maintenance tasks to minimize service and repair costs.
Another benefit of automated HVAC controls is that the automation means you no longer require specially trained employees to deal with the data analytics and translate the information for your business. The technology will enable you to get exactly what you need from the system with minimum effort as everything is simplified and readily available.
Easy Access to Data with IoT solutions
In today’s smart technological era, our lives are completely dependent on our mobile devices. Like it or not that is the reality that we are living in right now. We use our phones, tablets, and portable computers for doing a lot of things, and controlling HVAC is no exception here. Nobody wants to have to work with specialized equipment when we have powerful computers right in our pockets. That is why all our services are built with connectivity in mind, and you will have no trouble at all to set the services in your device of choice. You will have access to all the data that the equipment provides at your fingertips no matter where you are.
COVID-19 Proofing
With COVID-19 pandemic, we have all adapted to the new normal to continue doing our jobs or carrying out business in new and innovative ways. There are several challenges and requirements to be fulfilled daily and many of these seem to be here to stay for as long as COVID-19 will be around. And with the recent news of COVID-19 being an air-borne disease, it is now even more important to take preventive steps to ensure occupant safety of the building. At A-TECH Engineering – which is a leading HVAC controls contractor, we are offering free COVID-19 assessment of your site to show our solidarity to the local community during this difficult time.
HVAC controls can range from a great-to-have feature to absolute necessity depending on your business. However, if you are looking to optimize your business resources, improve efficiency and save energy costs, automated HVAC system is something you should seriously consider for your business no matter which industry you belong to. Contact our team of experts at A-TECH Engineering for more info on the energy saving potential of smart HVAC system that translates into actual savings for your business.
Helpful energy saving checklist for facility managers to reduce energy costs and increase efficiency
Facility managers have the essential task to ensure that everything in the building runs smoothly as well as efficiently for the occupants all the time. Over time, the role of facility managers has broadened and includes making sure that the building is energy efficient as well. This results in occupants having a comfortable working environment while minimizing energy costs of the building.
As per EPA, 32% energy consumption and 19% greenhouse gas emission arise from buildings. As companies today work towards reducing energy waste, they are turning to facility managers who are greatly involved in improving the building condition. Facility managers are at an advantage to identify scope of improvement and take corrective actions to improvise energy efficiency of the building. In this article we take a look at steps facility managers can take to improve efficiency of the facility building and transform it into an energy saving building.
Inspect energy consuming equipment and employ regular maintenance
In order to maintain functionality, efficiency, and comfort of a facility building, it is imperative to consistently manage the energy-using equipment through routine check-ups along with preventive maintenance. When energy consuming equipment are left without any monitoring system or check ups, the equipment not only loses efficiency but can also be irrevocably damaged. Regular, consistent maintenance for equipment through a building automation system can help identify issues such as leaks, repairs, and replacements. Routine check-ups and maintenance can be held for boilers, chillers, fans, lighting system, computers, electronics, HVAC system and so on. In addition, data analytics can equip facility managers with valuable insights into performance measurement which can be utilized to improve the energy efficiency of the building.
Also, as a facility manager, you must take note of equipment that are obsolete, require frequent repairs and get rid of these. Replacing these with energy-rated machines will not only enhance performance but also bring down energy costs significantly.
Utilize submetering to accurately picture energy costs of the facility
When you are a facility manager, it is important that you know exactly how much energy the building is using, how much energy is being wasted, and identify areas of improvement to lower energy cost.
For this, you can look at trends in your utility bills and take note for any inaccurate meter readings and charges that do not make sense. You should also be aware of any controllable factors that can be leveraged to reduce energy consumption.
Also, using submetering in facility buildings is a great way to effectively control and use the resources in the building. Instead of using a single device to determine total energy use, facility management firms are increasingly switching to submeters in facilities to accurately monitor and manage utility costs. Submetering makes it relatively easier to see which areas of the facility consume high power and come up with alternative energy efficient solutions. It also allows precision data-collection methods that facilitate in identifying problems, scheduling corrective measures, and applying better energy saving solutions to improve overall energy efficiency of the building.
Use lighting and HVAC controls effectively in facility buildings
It is no doubt that lighting and HVAC systems account for a huge portion of the electricity bill. In order to cut down energy cost of your facility building, increasing efficiency of these systems can greatly reduce your building’s energy cost. For example, it is very likely for occupants to forget turning on and off these systems when not required, and as a result energy is being wasted. You can have motion sensor lighting that automatically turns on and off depending on the presence of users in the area. Installing efficient building automation system can help to reduce the cost of energy by automated daylight harvesting feature which allows detection of daylight and minimizes the use of artificial lighting in those periods. Nowadays there are many energy saving lights available in the market such as LED lighting, combining this with an automated lighting control system will surely have a beneficial effect on reducing energy costs of your facility.
Similarly, automated HVAC controls and smart thermostats can be utilized in your facility building to control HVAC system. As a facility manager, it is important that you monitor the thermostats and HVAC control settings so that occupants of the building are working in a comfortable condition. There are many automated systems available these days that give you access to these controls through Wi-Fi on your phone, making them easy to use.
Educate facility occupants about ways to reduce energy costs and properly use the facility
Only using an energy efficient machine and transforming the building into an energy saving one will not save money if occupants do not learn how to use it properly. As a facility manager, educate them through meetings, sessions and let them know the proper use of the equipment so that they run efficiently and minimize energy costs.
Get guaranteed 10% Energy Savings when you use A-TECH Engineering Energy Management Services for your facility.
With businesses and organizations becoming more energy conscious over the days, facility managers play an important role in tackling issues, identifying areas of improvement that can enhance building efficiency. A-TECH Engineering Ltd. – a leading building automation contractor in Toronto offers energy audit and energy management systems that can transform your facility building into an energy saving building, give better control over the building, reduce energy costs, and at the same time ensure comfort of the occupants. Contact us to get a quote and discuss the energy saving potential of your facility.
Are you tired of paying high bills for your car dealership? You can save over 40% by increasing energy efficiency of your building. Read on to find out how to improve energy efficiency of your car dealership and reduce energy costs.
Starting from early November 2020, electric bills in Ontario will increase by at least 2% as fixed pricing comes to an end. With COVID-19 pandemic still looming over us, it is no doubt that the surge will have a dual negative impact on businesses that are already affected – including car dealership businesses that typically consume more energy per square foot than conventional office buildings. As such, car dealership owners can greatly benefit from an energy management program that will not only reduce its carbon footprint but also reduce its utility bills. In this article, we will take a look at the cost effective areas in which car dealership can reduce use of energy such as heating, lighting, air compressors and so on, while at the same time maintaining functionality and comfort of the building.
Lighting – It is no secret that car dealerships tend to consume a lot of energy in the lighting department as the place needs to showcase the car in the best way possible. Most of the car dealerships that have been operational for a long time use outdated, energy inefficient bulbs that are not only poor in service but also need frequent replacement, thereby increasing overall cost.
Having a building automation system can greatly aid dealerships to effectively use lighting only when necessary thereby reducing extra costs. In addition, dealerships can also invest in energy efficient LED bulbs instead of being fixated on using age-old light bulbs that consume a lot of energy and give rise to a high electricity bill at the end of the month. This will surely result in improved energy efficiency of car dealership.
Heating– Another area car dealerships lose a lot of energy is the heating department. Having outdated heating system, leaving doors and windows open while heating or air-conditioning is on, outdated boiler heating controls are some of the many ways through which energy loss occurs, resulting in high utility costs. On average, 30% of car dealership energy costs are pertaining to heating.
One of the long term cost effective ways to reduce energy costs from heating is to have a smart building technology which controls its heating settings, automatic opening and closing of bay doors, smart thermostat and so on. A smart building knows when to turn the power on and off on its own so even if you have a forgetful mind, you are assured that at the end of the month you are not going to get a high bill because you simply forgot to turn off the power.
Air-compressors – Air-compressors also play an important role in dealerships and are another source of high energy consumption. To improve energy efficiency of your car dealership, it is essential to keep track of air compressor maintenance and performance. Often energy is lost due to leaks in air compressor, presence of condensate and moisture, pressure fluctuations, high source pressure and so on.
Having an energy management system in place ensures accurate assessment of air-compressors through techniques such as metering and measuring. This gives insight into air compressor performance as well as identify windows for improvement. It is also important to use energy rated products, for instance an energy rated air compressor will not only save money but also curb air pollution.
Most dealership owners do not want to partake in energy audit or energy management programs as they feel like these would be an additional and unnecessary cost. What is the need to fix something if it is not broken, right? However, when you are not changing or upgrading your system, you not only run into unforeseen problems but also incur additional cost in the long run. With a little bit of foresight and innovation, as a car dealership owner, you can save a lot of money if you are keen in making your dealership up-to-date and energy efficient. Having an ongoing energy audit and management system will equip your dealership with data, insight and control on how to reduce energy usage, find existing faults, and suggest preventive maintenance and repairs.
At A-TECH Engineering Ltd. – which is a building automation and energy company, we have a host of energy management and building automation systems that are geared to improving your dealership’s energy efficiency and reducing energy cost while ensuring quality, functionality and comfort of the building.
Optimizing resources can be a challenging task in any given environment. Putting the available tools in use to obtain the best results possible expending as little as you can is a full-time job and requires a lot of careful consideration. This is especially the case in the current state of technological development. Many options are constantly arising, evolving, and improving, and one must consider at least some of them with care since they can make a big difference.
This is the case when it comes to Energy Management. The technology involved in this field has evolved so much that it is now possible to cut down on costs and increase the efficiency of HVAC systems if a good solution to automation of variables such as temperature is properly implemented.
Today we are going to focus on the Energy Management of Schools and commercial buildings. Practically every industry, as well as end-users, can benefit from some kind of Energy Management System, both here in Toronto and around the world. We are focusing today on these two because their particular characteristics set them apart from other sectors and we will try to cover these differences in a certain amount of detail.
This is an area that can benefit greatly from proper HVAC controls, given the fact that it is very common to see, especially in Schools, that there is actually no system in place to manage the temperature remotely at all. Commercial buildings, on the other hand, display a very wide array of solutions, ranging from none to rather advanced systems in the higher end of the spectrum. Advanced is not always optimal, though. Since, as we have mentioned above, this field is constantly evolving it is always good to reassess periodically.
HVAC
First of all, we should unpack this term so that we are all on the same page. HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning. It refers to the technology used to control these environmental variables. It has come a long way in the last few years, and it is now possible to interact and command vast systems using practically any modern device with access to the internet. There are PC, Mac, Android, and iPhone solutions that provide an interface with which to manage these systems. When this is properly implemented a lot of time and money can be saved.
Currently available apps, such as A-TECH Engineering Ltd’s brand new iPhone and Android app are designed to provide detailed reporting and the ability to control a few key aspects of the machinery in place. They interact through industry-standard protocols and with all the best-known brands out there to ensure compatibility.
Schools
Schools are often big buildings, and the age of these buildings varies greatly. There are certainly newer buildings that have been constructed recently and there are quite a few older ones in use in our education system, too. Often the newer buildings benefit from being a bit more energy-efficient due to the construction techniques applied and the materials that were used during the process. Some may even be already equipped with HVAC systems that are compatible with remote management.
On the other hand, the older buildings will probably not benefit from all of these things or any at all.
Because of its size and the number of hours that a school is active every day throughout the year proper energy management is crucial. An effort to bring up-to-date the environment controls of schools is needed and would be very beneficial. It would ensure that temperature and other factors are kept at an optimal level using the least amount of energy possible.
Commercial Buildings
There are similarities between Schools and Commercial buildings when it comes to this issue. These kinds of buildings vary in size and construction features. Some of them may be very big, while others are rather small. The key difference here is that commercial buildings will probably have less access to aid from the government to put the kind of system that we have been discussing in place. Some of these businesses will be able to afford it, while others will not.
The other factor that comes into play is that, even though the business may be able to cover the costs of this investment, they may not deem it important enough to go through the process. They may reach the conclusion that it is better not to change something that is working properly.
Careful assessment is required here because even though it is in everyone’s best interest to be as energy-efficient as possible, we cannot achieve that at the cost of hurting the businesses involved. There are a few ways in which this problem can be solved, either by making incentives available to private businesses or by enforcing laws. There are examples of both of these approaches locally and internationally with varying degrees of success. If the goal of achieving efficiency with as little negative impact as possible is kept in mind a solution will surely arise that will benefit everyone involved. Let us talk a bit now about the implementation of the first steps in this process.
Initial Investment
Any sector looking to enter into the world of remote energy management will require an investment to get started. This cannot be avoided since regular HVAC equipment will not do, specific equipment that is built with connectivity is required.
This investment pays off in a very significant way as time goes on, it returns in the form of savings from energy bills and often in the fact that this new machinery will require less maintenance both because it is built with newer technology and because of its ability to report the way it is functioning, which improves the machine’s working condition and extends its lifetime.
The problem is that not everyone will be able to shoulder the initial costs of acquiring and setting the equipment up. Although many of these expenses have gone down significantly in the last decade or so, the expense is still a non-trivial amount.
Incentives from the Government
A way around this issue could be provided by the government of Ontario. There is currently an incentive program that is designed to improve energy efficiency across all sectors, including consumers. The way this has been implemented is by providing a discount on the acquisition of more efficient appliances, which spend less energy to perform the same tasks. This initiative could be expanded to include an even greater number of HVAC equipment that may be better suited for the needs of commercial buildings and Schools. There are other incentives that could take place alongside this to further simplify the task of updating or acquiring equipment.
No matter what form this aid takes, it is important to keep in mind that, since this change benefits everyone we should strive to improve energy management as much as we can in all fields. Both commercial buildings and Schools are big players when it comes to energy management and they should be part of this conversation.
Benefits
After the first step is taken things get a lot easier. As soon as the equipment is in place and doing its job the efficiency starts to rise, which translates into significant energy savings. This means cheaper energy bills and operational standards that are a lot friendlier to our environment. Because of all of the features that current equipment provides maintaining this kind of hardware and avoiding malfunctions is much easier, it takes less effort and time to keep operational levels optimal. Personnel will be freed to handle other tasks and no longer burdened with things that can now be done from a smartphone, this is another added benefit of connectivity and automation.
Conclusion
It can be hard to take a leap and jump into such investments at times. It is often hard to justify them when considering the costs and efforts involved. In every one of the cases we have covered here today, there are already solutions in place to handle temperature and other ambient factors. That makes this decision even harder. Why invest in something that is already resolved and performing its tasks? As we have seen the reasons are compelling and the benefits are great in the long run. It takes a bit of foresight and calculation to realize that moving into a smarter HVAC control scheme is the better option, and we should be trying to help and incentivize as much as we can to ensure that everyone involved makes the required changes as soon as the possible can without hurting their operation. This can be especially challenging in the private sector and should be considered carefully. Schools may not suffer from this challenge, but they have a set of their own to deal with.
Both of these two cases are a substantial part of the energy pie, they should be one of the main focuses of efforts to make both our city and the rest of the world more efficient when it comes to energy management.
In every building, the bigger and more complex the system, the more it’s necessary for it to have Building Automation Systems(BAS) installed.
Automation plays an important role in the Building System. It can provide secure, trouble-less and comfortable management of facilities. It is the creation of technology and its application in order to control and monitor the production and delivery of various goods and services, with the use of wired buses or wireless broad networks, which connect to high-level controllers. It is implemented through the combination of hardware and software-based solutions that automatically execute and manage repetitive network environment processes. Each controller automatically provides a Internet Protocol (IP) address that communicates to other systems and devices. It allows BAS to cross industry boundaries and interface with a wide variety of other systems. Allowing separate systems and groups of components to share the same set of wires. This reduces the overall cost of installing and maintaining several systems
Advantages of IP Based System
- IP-based control does not tie you to an individual supplier. It is flexible in nature. It can communicate to other systems regardless of its brand. Devices connected to an IP network are capable of being interoperable with other IP-connected devices. It does not require the elimination of existing controls throughout a building. A good IP-based system can talk to backward compatible, or previous-generation, equipment – regardless of any protocols it was used.
- Real Time Notification. Because they’re connected to the network, IP-based systems can send you alerts, when it detects potential problems, changes, etc. Using the Mass Notification System/MNS thru different notification devices such as speakers, digital signage and sirens. It can also be connected to the internet or any cellular devices sending alert thru text messages, calls or emails.
- Easy Maintenance. When an IP-based device goes down, it’s easy to perform troubleshooting or maintenance on that device without needing to take the entire system offline or waiting until off hours. In most cases, there’s no need for a middleware device; connections are created directly between the field device and the enterprise network.
- Cost Optimization. IP-based controllers are able to use multiple protocols – such as BACnet, LonTalk, N2 – to connect to other devices at the field bus level or at the enterprise level. This interoperability preserves the investment that has been made in the control system. Expenses are further reduced because no middleware or gateways are required to communicate across the network.
In this article we will give you guides and ideas on what to include in your building, either it’s for an initial plan or an upgrade after you’ve installed your BAS using an IP network.
IP using BACNET protocols
Building Automation and Control Networks(BACNET) is the control industry’s new preferred communications protocols, allowing systems to talk to each other over a network, like Internet of Things (IoT) technology. It is a collection of one or more IP subnetworks (IP domains) that are assigned a single BACnet network number. Connecting to an Ethernet running the IP protocol is more convenient. IP network is the quickest way to gain access to the Internet which is the world’s wide-area-network (WAN).
IP based system using POE Technology
Power over Ethernet (POE) is a technology that lets network cables carry electrical power. It can help you make the most of IP-based systems and devices. Allows you to use one cable to transport data and power instead of two separate wires/cables: one for electricity and one for data transmission. Carrying both through one cable offers many benefits for digital buildings that utilize IP-based systems.
Building system that can be an IP-based
- Mechanical and Electrical
- Heating Ventilation and Air conditioning systems
- Electronic Access Control
- Lightning
- Safety Systems
- Audio Visual Systems
Conclusion
It is important to understand IP networks and its implication in Building Automation systems, it can give comfort through means of accessibility, cost efficiency and reliance. It is indeed an era of information technology. IP is everywhere, considered as universal standards and opens up possibilities that will attract not only the interests of the building manager but the facilities manager as well. Making the most out of the Internet of Things in Building Automation.
We value your comments and suggestions. Feel free to write up in our comment section. For any inquiries about the Building Automation Design Services with IP network, please contact us or click to connect, we are glad to assist you.
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- http://www.bacnet.org/
- http://www.steves-internet-guide.com/
- https://www.belden.com/
- https://www.achrnews.com/
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261987811_IP_in_Commercial_Buildings
- https://books.google.com.ph/ -Smart Buildings Systems for Architects, Owners and Builders by James M Sinopoli
