BSEE BUILDING CONTROLS


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uGraham Marn, Chairman and CEO, EnOcean Alliance.


BSEE Editor, Debbie Eales, interviews Graham Marn, Chairman and CEO, EnOcean Alliance, charng the evoluon of the Alliance since it was launched 10 years ago and the future for building controls.


Congratulations on your 10th anniversary. What is EnOcean Alliance and how has it evolved?


Formed in 2008 by seven visionary companies, the EnOcean Alliance is an open, non- profit, standards organisation based in California. Its focus is the creation and development of interoperable solutions for intelligent buildings, smart homes and the Internet of Things (IoT) based on energy harvesting wireless technology. In 2018, membership has grown to 400 companies who between them have created 1,500 base products using the technology. EnOcean technology is deployed in 500,000 building projects.


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How does membership translate into benefits for end users?


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EnOcean technology can be used by anyone, but


membership offers the opportunity to shape and develop the technology, gain early access to advances and use the


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specifications created to speed up and reduce cost of product development. Benefits for the end user include choice of multi-vendor product interoperability, lower costs, faster time to market of new developments as well as the long- term stability and availability offered by an open interoperable standard. Our Technical Working Groups, which create Technical Specifications and Documentation, meet by phone and in person throughout the year. Our Marketing Working Group amplifies the marketing of individual members with promotion and education on the standard and EnOcean-based solutions.


Since 2015,


we have seen the start of a move to ‘cognive’, selflearning buildings where data from the sensors is analysed and the results used to create a beer, more ecient working environment.


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What are the possibilities for building automation going forward?


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Building automation is undergoing a fascinating transition. We have seen the evolution from ‘automated’ buildings (1980-2000) to smart buildings (2000- today), which responds in real time to sensors indicating occupancy, temperature and light levels etc. Since 2015, we have seen the start of a move to ‘cognitive’, self-learning buildings where data from the sensors is analysed and the results used to create a better, more efficient working environment. Despite the huge improvements already realised, there is still huge scope for building automation to drive efficiency in building use. The majority of offices are only 60%-70% occupied during a working day and the majority of Real Estate is used less than 50% of the time. Savings of 20- 30% space and energy/running costs is possible through workspace sharing: creatively using office space during business travel, holidays, periods of sickness and other absence.


10 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER MAY 2018


10 years of change for EnOcean The evolution of building automation D


Is the lack of knowledge a barrier to such technology?


Education is key to the adoption of cognitive building technology, because facilities managers and company boards need to be equipped with the vision to see past the initial investment (which is actually quite small) to the returns, which can be very large. The biggest benefits are seen in improving Work Space Comfort – monitoring air quality (CO2,VOC (volatile organic compounds), temperature, humidity), noise levels, light levels and desk / chair comfort. A study by Mark Jewell (Re-energising efficiency) showed an increase in productivity of 15% after the installation of an automation system as well as a decrease in absenteeism also of 15%. According to the Harvard Business Journal (March 2017) the cost of the automated system was in the range of $10-40 per person, per year but the productivity benefits can be quantified at $6,500 per person per year. Without education, building and company management will focus on the $10-40 dollars figure and fail to realise the $6,500 saving.


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What have been the landmark developments over the last


10 years? G


Interoperability has always been core to the EnOcean Alliance and when we started in 2008, we already introduced Interoperable Communication Profiles so that different members’ products would work together. I think this has been central to our success. The introduction of remote commissioning and management in 2014 was a further very significant step. We realised that ease of installation was central to enabling large scale roll-outs by global corporations and our response was very widely welcomed. We added EnOcean over IP in 2017 and also introduced a certification programme, protecting the EnOcean Alliance brand from sub-standard and non-compliant implementations.


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Can more be done to help building/facility managers adopt the technology and fully benefit from what it offers?


The EnOcean Alliance does a great deal to ease adoption by building/facility managers. It is an international standard embracing multiple interoperable products from multiple suppliers. Wireless and battery free technology is easy to install and maintenance free, bringing cost and time savings. Energy savings of up to 30% and other significant benefits can be accessed easily and flexibly.


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How is the IoT changing the building automation landscape?


Many of our members are transitioning to a service model which is attractive to facility managers because they ‘pay as they save’ rather than having to front up the investment in the automation system. For example, toilet cleaning businesses can move from a ‘price’ based model of cleaning at regular intervals to moving to guarantee a level of cleanliness and sending teams in based on the level of use a facility has had.


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Can security ever be assured with building automation?


The biggest vulnerability is at the point at which data leaves a building for the cloud. Most installations collate data at a gateway, which acts as an interface to the cloud. This gateway is a mains-driven appliance which can be fully hardened against interference or attack using advanced technologies. The EnOcean standard incorporates appropriate security protection for the wireless connectivity within the building such as encryption and rolling codes. This is only accessible to occupants but is still protected against malicious attack.


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How do you see the next 10 years shaping up?


This is a very exciting time to be in the building automation market. The transition from smart to cognitive buildings will unleash a whole new set of opportunities – and financial benefits for building operators that dwarf what has been achieved so far.


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Should installers and specifiers explore any specific markets for growth opportunities?


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There are opportunities for growth everywhere – in commercial and residential buildings in all of the developed and emerging economies in the world. Installers are in the front line of delivering solutions to these new customers but they should be aware of installation cost and flexibility. Cabling increases installation cost and kills flexibility. With wireless, batteryless technology, you can create maintenance free installations that are cheap to install and can be readily adapted to changing needs.


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How is EnOcean Alliance celebrating its first 10 years?


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By continuing our path of development and growth. We are still adding new members and promoters, including IBM. The number of buildings in which EnOcean technology is


implemented is still climbing, from 375,000 to 500,000 last year. And we are continuing to build the standard: adding certification for example in 2017. We are very much looking forward to the next ten years of success.


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Finally, what trends are you seeing/predicting?


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Truthfully, we have barely scratched the surface of the available opportunity. Under 0.1% of the electrical switches in the world use energy harvesting technology. There is a vast market opportunity out there. The semiconductor industry has advanced hugely to our advantage over the last ten years. Whereas in 2008 we had to create our own dedicated chip to meet our specifications, now we can often use off the shelf devices, making us more agile and able to respond more quickly to market shifts.


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