Building management Remote control


> failure to look at the whole project or a building in its entirety, or to consider occupant behaviour. A radical new approach to how systems are controlled using distributed intelligence can solve the problem at a stroke, and ensure that buildings of all shapes and sizes are better balanced and, consequently, far more energy efficient.


‘Mesh’ networks One such emerging technology is ‘mesh networking’ where individual nodes of control distributed around a building’s services also act as routers able to receive and pass on control ‘messages’ between appliances using a standard wireless high-speed network. This allows for continuous communication between devices and, even if there is a break at one point in the chain, the nodes are able to redirect the commands via a different route. Mesh networks are also self-healing: the network


can still operate when one node breaks down or a connection goes wrong, which makes this approach highly resilient. This technology is already emerging in commercial developments, but it is in the home where we can expect this technology to make the biggest impact on carbon reduction. The size, cost, and power


requirements of the nodes has fallen dramatically, making it easy and cheap to build them into standard domestic appliances. This allows the use of sophisticated control scenarios in all types of buildings.


End-users are able to measure


and monitor energy consumption closely, and service and maintenance is improved because individual products will send out alarms before they break down. One node or device can deal


with a number of different functions and can translate commands whatever network is in use – which is a huge departure from the way controls companies traditionally deployed their proprietary networks and ‘locked in’ users to expensive solutions. The connected world opens up smart control to everyone. The emergence of smart meters in


the domestic market and the universal availability of domestic broadband services means that the mesh can be extended to whole communities using the internet as the link between homes and services providers – including electricity generating companies. Key components, such as a mesh-enabled smart


meter, could cost as little as £10 as more are rolled out across the country swiftly, creating whole smart


50 CIBSE Journal November 2010 The industry has the chance to


create the networks that will allow all the devices to communicate and also to interoperate


allowing users to manage and review information from more than 260 different sub-systems, regardless of manufacturer. We believe this is at the cutting edge of powerful management and control tools that have enormous potential. With smart technology becoming cheaper every day


as it is distributed on a huge scale, we can speed up the delivery of the fully integrated, intelligent homes we must build to meet our energy efficiency goals. This connected approach also has huge power- generation potential: the creation of local smart grids means being able to share power between thousands of small microgenerators across entire housing estates. Even in socially deprived areas, greater power independence will be possible. Smart electrical devices such as hybrid cars, PV


panels, and so on, will be plugged into the community network and act as mini-power stations able to store power closer to where it is needed.


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Above and bottom left: Those wishing to control their buidlings remotely can do so with a range of high-tech handheld devices


communities that can support each other and share information wirelessly and securely. Individual homeowners and facilities managers alike


already have the capability to monitor and control their building systems from anywhere in the world using ‘apps’, which are freely available for smart devices such as phones and laptops. If the ‘mesh’ connectivity is installed in homes and commercial buildings, this brings more and more control and information to users for multiple and increasingly ubiquitous devices as they come online.


Apps Using apps, users can make adjustments, receive alarms and monitor energy performance. They are also able to interrogate graphs and logs for more detailed functions. For example, my company has developed an app to support building systems integration technology,


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