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cooling of the UK’s building stock contributes up to 40 per cent of the country’s energy consumpon and carbon emissions. Paul Taylor, UK sales manager at Panasonic, explores how smart controllers can help increase energy eciency, reduce costs and lower the UK’s carbon emissions


ith a government directive* for all commercial buildings to have smart meters in place by 2020, the


industry is seeing an increase in demand for user-friendly and smarter heating and cooling solutions to manage energy consumption and help save costs. Panasonic is at the forefront of developing such smart technology across all of its product ranges.


Easy and powerful energy management


By being able to remotely monitor energy consumption within a building via smart controllers, property owners (both commercial and residential) can look to save costs by monitoring when a room is unoccupied and taking action to adjust settings for applications such as heating and cooling which can be switched off when not in use. Such management can deliver considerable savings, particularly so for hotels and large commercial office spaces. An example of such a project can be seen in Cambridgeshire, where homeowner, Vincent Haines chose two Panasonic Aquarea T-Cap air to water heat pumps to be installed in his home and connected with smart controllers. Mr Haines explains: “As an IT consultant working from home, we opted to have smart remote controllers throughout the property, thus allowing us to monitor usage in each room. Our installation was completed over two years ago, and since its installation, we have found the system to be reliable and energy efficient. Panasonic is a well-known, reliable efficient brand and the system has proved to be excellent value for money.” Wireless sensors are available to detect the presence or absence of occupants, and the opening and closing of doors and windows within buildings to achieve the most efficient energy management for exceptional efficiency and energy savings. The Panasonic VRF Smart Controller is one such product where the manufacturer teamed up with Schneider Electric to offer high-quality occupancy control and automatic IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) with the added benefit of built in PIR, humidity, and CO2 sensors to aid in providing greater energy savings and comfort as well as simple installation, operation and running costs. The same can be said for social housing providers. For example, by using the same technology we can assist tenants with the most efficient and cost-effective ways to heat their home and ensure there is copious hot water available. With this type of controls, we can monitor remotely and make small adjustments, watch for any problems that could arise and provide support remotely.


Panasonic’s Aquarea Smart Cloud system uses wireless LAN, a wired LAN or a 3G Network to connect users to the Cloud portal where they can remotely operate all the unit functions. Additionally, they can also permit their heating provider or maintenance company to access functions for remote maintenance and monitoring


FOCUS: SMART BUILDINGS


Smart buildings can help increase efficiency, reduce costs and lower carbon emissions


with visualisation and control functions, remote scheduling, energy statistics and malfunction notifications/warnings. This further improves the user experience and helps to reduce waste heat/energy consumption.


Voice control


With the end user in mind, to offer improved usability for both commercial and residential installations, Panasonic has also recently introduced Voice Control compatible with Google Assistant [1] and Amazon Alexa to its heating and cooling portfolio. Panasonic’s solutions that utilise its Comfort Cloud app, including all its domestic air-conditioners and PACi systems, can now be voice-activated to provide simple and user-friendly convenient control.


This new functionality offers an alternative and quick way for users to control their systems. For example, homeowners who are used to controlling their lighting, TV or audio systems with their voice can now also set preferences for their Panasonic heating and cooling system to create the desired environment. Once paired with a Panasonic air-conditioning unit via the Comfort Cloud app, commercial users and homeowners can use Google Assistant [2] or Amazon Alexa for simple tasks such as on/off, operating modes, temperature settings and checking operating status. For optimum comfort, a customised routine can also be created via settings in the Google Home app or Alexa Routines. Commands such as “OK, Google, good morning” can be programmed to set the desired temperature, saving users time for a more relaxed morning. Voice control is also compatible with Panasonic PACi solutions for the commercial sector. Users can easily pre-determine working environments to provide the most suitable climate. For example, settings on the Comfort Cloud app such as temperature can be activated by voice command to pre-cool an office before employees arrive. This service can be easily administered by any worker via Amazon Alexa, or by inviting them to join via the Google Home app. Panasonic Voice Control is now available in English [3] with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant, with other languages rolling out over the following months. Panasonic Voice Control helps save time and provides convenience and comfort for Panasonic customers.


Cascade control


To further assist property owners with more than one property or for larger commercial premises, Panasonic has introduced a new Aquarea Cascade Controller, with a highly integrated interface, to deliver increased energy-efficiency.


The controller can operate up to 10 Aquarea air-to-water heat pumps (160kW) simultaneously or in cascade mode, helping to meet the heating or cooling demand of commercial buildings more efficiently.


For large projects, efficiency is the key to creating a more sustainable building


24 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2019


uVRF Smart connecvity connects Panasonic ECOi and PACi indoor units by wired or wireless connecon. A remote controller is all that’s required for occupancy control and opmum automac indoor air quality (IAQ) control


and reducing heating and cooling costs. Cascade control is increasingly being utilised, making use of parallel- connected heat pumps and switching on the most efficient number of these as demand is increased or decreased. The new Aquarea Cascade Controller makes it possible to connect up to 10 Aquarea heat pumps in parallel, to suit the needs of large-scale applications such as shops and hotels. Each heat pump within the cascade requires its own Modbus Interface (PAW-AW-MBS- H) to allow it to communicate with the Aquarea Cascade Controller. The Aquarea Cascade Controller directly integrates with the building’s BEMS by a built-in modbus for a smart way to manage heating, cooling, domestic hot water (DHW) and monitor energy-usage. Photovoltaic solar panel functions, a three-way external valve for cooling and up to three external heat meters can also be connected to the controller at one time, enabling facilities managers and maintenance professionals to oversee all operations and view essential information in one place.


In addition, the controller includes a touch screen display with information about each of the connected heat pumps - ideal for quick servicing and maintenance tasks.


Panasonic’s Aquarea Smart Cloud system uses wireless LAN, a wired LAN or a 3G Network to connect users to the Cloud portal where they can remotely operate all the unit functions. This scale of cascade control presents a more efficient solution for commercial buildings. It helps to maximise the lifespan of the Aquarea units, which can be intelligently managed to balance the load, and offers a contingency solution if maintenance is required, minimising downtime.


www.panasonic.eu


*https://greenallianceblog.org.uk/2019/07/22 /the-new-government-will-need-more-than- willpower-and-confidence-to-solve-the-envir onment-crisis/


1. Requires Internet connection 2. Requires compatible device 3. The Google Assistant is not available in certain languages and countries


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By being able


to remotely monitor energy consumpon within a building via smart controllers, property owners can look to save costs


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