Building management Remote control


saving levels to the electricity supply companies by way of permanent internet connections to ‘cloud-based’ computing applications, which are intelligent enough to manage individual white goods in potentially tens of thousands of homes in order to better match demand with provision.


Intelligent control Many household appliance manufacturers are already inserting intelligent microprocessor controllers into their products as standard. Once a new intelligent device is added to a network it will ‘introduce’ itself and receive the necessary information for its ongoing operation directly and automatically from the rest of the network. It will also adjust its own operation in line with


The use of controls is key to saving energy in buildings


> This avoids the huge carbon burden created by power


stations’ generation process and transmission losses; and, with the UK rapidly approaching ‘peak electricity’ where demand outstrips central generating capacity, it will be absolutely essential to provide alternatives to the National Grid. Again, this does not require a hugely complex roll-out


of new technology. Instead, it calls for a new approach to using what is already available and, in many cases, already installed. In order to make smart grid electricity supply


possible, we have to consider a shared intelligence in the energy management of our white goods in our homes. This would see the arrival of pervasive machine-to-machine technology in the home, where energy-using devices could intelligently ‘offer’ energy


Who benefits from BIM? CIBSE is holding a one-day conference on the 2nd of December in London entitled ‘BIM: Who Benefits?’ The aim of the conference is to facilitate the adoption of building information modelling (BIM) within building services. The event will bring together lead practitioners in


this new technology, who will be sharing their latest achievements and lessons learned. BIM presents opportunities for success


– and for risk for the unprepared. It requires innovative thinking and a creative approach to implementation in a field that erroneously thought that CAD was revolutionary. BIM is rapidly changing all stages of building services design and construction, from creating vitual building models, to assisting in the success of integrated product delivery. While it may be argued that BIM will become a de facto standard, it cannot be ignored, and there remain many unanswered questions. Speakers on the day include CIBSE president Rob Manning, of AECOM; Terry Dix of Arup; and Anne King of BSRIA. The event will finish with a debate. For the full programme, and to book for the event, visit www.cibsetraining.co.uk/conferences


changing conditions. You could call this a ‘plug and play’ system for all domestic appliances that consume energy.


With smart technology becoming


cheaper every day as it is distributed on a huge scale, we can speed up the delivery of fully integrated, intelligent homes


To many, this might sound like scary science fiction,


with machines taking over the world. It is, in fact, science reality and an intelligent approach that allows humans to deliver a better, cleaner and more carbon free future. Currently, we rely on end-users to interpret the


information they receive from devices such as smart meters and intervene (often in quite sophisticated ways) to reset systems for more efficient operation. The emerging approach will mean that most devices can make those decisions for themselves. Keys to unlocking this potential rely on an open standard for the control and broadcast of load-shedding availability for all elements in our homes. Equally, machine-to-machine devices need an internet protocol (IP) address, and until the advent of IP6, we were running out of addresses. So the question now is, if the energy companies have to deliver a system of energy management right down to small household goods, who is going to lead the way with creating the necessary standards for this interoperation between the goods themselves and, ultimately, the energy providers? Is this not an opportunity for the building services


industry to create the networks that will allow all the devices to communicate and interoperate? Or are we going to miss this chance, leaving it down to the white goods manufacturers to do this? The choice is ours. l


Ged Tyrrell is managing director of systems integrator Tyrrell Systems www.tyrrellsystems.com


52


CIBSE Journal November 2010


www.cibsejournal.com


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