No Earth Day line-up of green technology blogs would be complete without a look at developments in “green” homes. Guest blogger and CEA member Dan Fulmer, CTS., the founder and CEO of Fultech Solutions, Inc., shares his professional know-how on the benefits of systems integration. Dan has been a full-service systems integrator since 1995 and has served on CEA’s TechHome Board for the past six years.
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By Dan Fulmer, Founder and CEO, Fultech Solutions, Inc.
Few of us realize the benefit of taking many ubiquitous and existing systems in our home or office and tying them together or integrating them to produce energy savings, management and monitoring for little or no additional cost. By thinking through the various purchases one makes in outfitting a building or home, you can usually save money through careful consideration of each facet of the system and how it will function.
But this is what I do. I’m a systems integrator and install systems that monitor or “talk to” each other. Whether it’s HVAC, a music server or iPod, solar panels or home health care equipment, it doesn’t really matter, the point is, a good systems integrator can often create savings with systems that already exist.
For example, most homes and businesses install a security system, an access control system, some type of lighting control and almost always an HVAC control system. You’re going to install these systems regardless of whether you are looking for convenience, energy savings or better management. By simply taking these same systems and integrating them, you create a much more robust, user-friendly system, than if you installed each as a standalone system.
Let’s analyze system (A) the standard system installed in an office versus system (B) which is the same system, installed and, integrated.
System A includes: a security system, an access control system , the standard HVAC thermostats and incandescent, CFL or even LED lighting. The employees access the building through control cards, disarm the security using codes pressed into the security keypad and turn on the lights manually when they come to work. The owner is lucky if their employees remember to arm the security system, much less turn off any lights or HVAC systems. So this building owner may take the next step and install motion/occupancy sensors. This leaves the office with five separate systems that do not talk to each other, offer little usability, and don’t fully function together.
In System B, the owner wants the same services and systems, but would like them to communicate together for more functionality, ease of use and to provide energy management as well as savings. After hiring a systems integrator, a system is designed that fully incorporates security and access control into a single system. Additionally, a lighting control system is added to control and dim the lights around the office. This also serves as a master control system so all the systems can communicate back and forth. The owner decides to replace the regular thermostats with controllable thermostats. Finally, the owner decides to install “smart/learning” occupancy sensors that integrate with the lighting control system.
Now all the systems communicate with each other, thus providing feedback from one system to another. For instance, when each employee comes in, they have the ability to arm and disarm the security system, as they use their swipe card to gain entry. The security system can tell the control system that it is disarmed, which turns on the main corridor and area lights, turns on the HVAC system to a predetermined temperature and maybe even turns on some music. When leaving at the end of the day, any employee can arm and lock the building, which also turns off any and all lights and turns the HVAC system off. This produces about a 30 percent savings in energy consumption as well as added security and safety. The office lights are on occupancy sensors, which turn on and off as needed. The additional savings from dimming and controlling the HVAC based on doors being open/closed in many cases adds an additional 10 percent savings. Overall, the owner gained between 20 to 40 percent in energy savings, simply by consulting a systems integrator to make the existing installed systems “talk” to each other.
As you can see, the difference was minimal between the two systems, but the functional difference to an organization or a homeowner is huge. When considering “going green” be sure to discuss your options with your local systems integration expert to learn more about what they can do to help your systems function together and maximize your savings.
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