AIR CONDITIONING
Smart moves
Although it has been relatively slow to adopt new technology, the HVAC sector is, at last, starting to embrace the digital world. Indeed, digitisation is set to be the source of transformational change, as Jorge De La Torre Jordan, business development manager, Europe at Johnson Controls, explains.
T
he HVAC sector is on the threshold of a massive technological revolution. Digitisation – the process of converting information into a digital format – is set to transform the way building services are designed, manufactured, maintained and installed. A brave new interconnected world will see building management systems fitted as a matter of course, and HVAC equipment embedded with electronics, software, sensors and actuators, enabling them to exchange data. This, in turn, will create opportunities for the direct integration of the physical world into computer-based systems, resulting in big improvements in efficiency, economic benefits and less need for human exertion. With the advent of Industry 4.0 (essentially data exchange and the automation of manufacturing technologies), manufacturers are finally beginning to catch on to the value of embracing the digital world (see box on next page).
One of the biggest benefits of Industry 4.0 is the greater transparency and insight into equipment performance that it affords. The latest networked control systems provide a variety of monitoring and reporting tools, allowing system operators and maintainers to see and understand energy consumption, system reliability and available capacity at the touch of a button. This might all sound like a distant dream. After all, buildings consume 41% of the energy consumption in the commercial sector, yet
32 September 2018
research shows that only 20% of commercial buildings have a building management system. But make no mistake; seismic changes in the way buildings are controlled are imminent and it will be incumbent on you, as an installer, to keep up with these changes.
Building services can be controlled by simple mechanisms such as manual switching, clocks, thermostats and motion detectors, or by a more complex building management system (BMS). A BMS is a computer-based system used to monitor and control building services, including: ■ Heating, ventilation and air conditioning ■ Lighting ■ Shading devices ■ Smart meters ■ Lifts ■ Integration with fire, smoke detection and alarms systems ■ Integration motion detectors, CCTV, security and access control
■ ICT systems ■ Industrial processes or equipment
It may also be used to monitor and control power distribution, energy consumption and uninterrupted power supplies and is sometimes referred to as a building energy management system. The term ‘building energy management system’ (BEMS) is often used interchangeably with ‘building management system’ (BMS). Strictly speaking, however, a BMS can be used to monitor and control a wide range of building
systems, whereas a BEMS refers specifically to energy-related systems such as HVAC, lighting and power.
A BMS can provide energy cost savings of 10-20% compared to standard controls and can repay capital investment in two to five years. It enables comfort conditions to be easily monitored and controlled from a single point and offers additional features such as security, fire detection/alarm, and teaching aids. It also enables easy allocation of energy use to specific cost centres and can easily be extended to cover future expansion and/or accommodate changing requirements
Historically, BMS has been associated with large commercial buildings. However, as equipment has become easier to control, monitoring and detection has become less expensive, and wireless technology has become available, buildings of all sizes are having increasingly complex control systems installed.
The BMS is not the only example of smart technology. The movement toward connected buildings is getting an important boost from the introduction of smart equipment which essentially brings intelligence to individual devices in the field.
An example is a connected chiller that can report its performance, including any problems or malfunctions, on a regular basis to the service technician or facility manager. This occurs via an interface on the equipment or a software program the service technician accesses on a computer or
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