What is the Secret of Automated Buildings?
Net X Automation are a software vendor that allows system integrators to interconnect all kinds of protocols that appear in buildings.
In this episode, we discussed the secret of building automation with Reinhard Mayr, the Quality Manager at NET X Automation. To listen to the conversation, click here; otherwise, below are some key highlights from the discussion.
Reinhard explains that an automated building can do a lot of things for you. For instance, in an office building, automated settings can be applied that match the pathway of the sun throughout the day; this can cause different light settings to be applied for maximum comfort and energy saving. Shading can also be automated, which means that occupants of buildings don’t have to interact with it. Temperature control can be very intuitive; occupants expect that the building will control the optimum temperature for them and turn HVAC/heating off and on based on occupancy. Another service is air quality monitoring, carbon dioxide sensors should be installed in an automated building, and these should be connected to the ventilation system to provide the best experience. All of this impacts productivity, mood and overall occupant wellbeing. In short, the less interaction a user has with the building, the better it is for the user. The building you don't notice is actually the best building.
“Cost is always going to be a strong motivator, in my opinion. And this is the case when implementing ESG strategies; as energy costs have increased so dramatically, it has become a very strong driver. Of course, in many regions of the world, there is also specific legislation on the energy standards of buildings, which is causing owners to act. This is also linked to cost, as there is the threat of fines if they do not comply with the law. I also think that occupants are a driver; if we take a look at the premium market segment, where people are willing to pay more money, there is demand for additional services that improve comfort and useability. E.g., this would be expected from a five-star hotel,” Reinhard Mayr.
Automation can also improve the lives of facility managers who run, manage and monitor buildings.
Reinhard believes the first step is to take a look at the repetitive, manual tasks carried out by the facilities team and automate elements of them. There are various tests and checks carried out, and there may be SLAs in place that have to be adhered to, especially if it is a public building with a large number of people inside on a daily basis. For example, there are tests that have to be carried out on lighting; we know that the bulbs, as well as the lighting cubes, have a limited lifetime and considering the fact that many systems already provide an operating hours counter, you can plan maintenance tasks like replacing the lighting on a larger scale and reducing the manual effort. It makes a difference if you replace each broken light one by one or if there are a number of fixtures approaching end of life in the short future; the data insight can save resources and allow all of the work to be carried out in one go rather than going back and forth multiple times.
It's also possible to automate reports, e.g. a facility manager could receive a report every morning saying there are X number of light fixtures which have to be repaired.
“I think a big issue in buildings is the ease of use, some solutions are overcomplicated, and dashboards cause confusion. As I said before, the building that you don't notice is the best building; automation can deliver a seamless experience that improves usability. It will also provide feedback on the wellbeing of the users, and ideally, this will also be interlinked with energy-saving aspects and financial aspects, which makes the owner of the building happy as well as the users of it. It's a win-win situation” - Reinhard Mayr.