SMART CONTROLS


Time to join the smart set?


Smart control, which can be used for remote control and monitoring of HVAC equipment, has been around for a while, but continues to develop apace, as Tim Mitchell, sales and marketing director of Klima-Therm, explains.


T


he use of WiFi technology has exploded since it was first introduced in 1997. Indeed, it has grown so much that,


just 20 years later, the number of connected devices had reached a staggering 18 billion. WiFi (ostensibly an abbreviation of ‘wireless fidelity’) allows a PC, laptop, mobile phone, or tablet device to connect to the internet without the need for a physical wired connection, using wireless transmitters and radio signals to exchange information. Wireless networks are ubiquitous in the


modern world, comprising an ever-expanding range of heterogeneous consumer devices and communication technologies. As well as wirelessly connecting devices to the worldwide web, WiFi has also created opportunities to manage technology such as chillers and heat pumps all at once. WiFi operates though a ‘router’ (a device


26 July 2021 • www.acr-news.com


that forwards ‘packets’ of information between computer networks), and in the case of building services installations, often employs ‘open’ communication protocols such as BACNet (an object-based data communication protocol for building automation and control networks) and Modbus (typically used to connect industrial electronic devices such as programmable logic controllers). BACNet has as long history with HVAC


controls. It became ASHRAE/ANSI Standard 135 as far back as 1995 (https://bit.ly/3eHuhBi) and ISO 16484-5 (https://bit.ly/2QdjhlI) in 2003. In 1996, US building automation systems manufacturer Alerton (now part of Honeywell) announced a complete BACnet product line for HVAC controls; other manufacturers soon followed. WiFi is an obvious choice to facilitate


Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity because


in-building WiFi coverage is now almost ubiquitous. IoT is the interconnection via the internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data. Developments in IoT have led to advanced


controls for HVAC systems, which can reduce consumption in unoccupied zones of a building. Indeed, the International Energy Agency (IEA) revealed in a 2017 report – Digitalization and energy savings (https://bit.ly/3fd6KHn) – that this sort of digitisation could save around 10% of total energy consumption in residential and commercial buildings by 2040. Advanced control devices are typically based on sensors and use control strategies to modulate various parameters such as temperature, flow rates and capacity. This allows them to adapt the operation of HVAC technology to fit the demand.


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