When you think of the Internet of Things and the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) industry, what first comes to mind? It might be the infamous Nest Learning Thermostat, the first connected heating and cooling system of its kind. According to Emerson Climate Technologies, 33 percent of thermostats sold in 2014 were wifi-enabled. This number will climb to a whopping 75 percent by 2019. But the IoT’s reach extends far beyond residential applications, whether you realize it or not. The Internet of Things is truly revolutionizing the commercial HVAC industry in nine pivotal ways, from remote diagnostics to increased efficiency.
Real-Time Monitoring
Internet-connected heating and cooling systems have the ability to continuously monitor conditions and system functionality with the help of smart sensors. Once information is gathered, it can immediately be shared with system managers, engineers, technicians and so on. IoT, which is powered by a proper OS and an Intel processor, allows users to monitor and control equipment with real-time data that’s delivered to them in an easily digestible format.
Predictive Maintenance
As retrieving the data is one thing – making use of it is where the value lies. Connected systems are able to analyse the information they gather and actually alert managers to unusual equipment behaviour or system failure, which results in quicker response times and the ability to avoid potentially devastating problems. Additionally, internet-based systems help reduce maintenance and repair costs over time.
Remote Diagnostics
This point goes hand-in-hand with predictive maintenance. Without the help of the Internet of Things, a problem must be recognized (in person) and subsequently diagnosed once an analysis has been performed (by a human). However, a connected system can detect a change or issue and send a notification within minutes of the occurrence. This process allows the user to review the data and issue a diagnosis from anywhere (maybe on an iPad or a smart phone) at any time (say, over the weekend) so the situation can be addressed immediately, ultimately saving both time and energy costs.
Total Controllability
Consumers in our soon-to-be-IoT-ridden world don’t just want a ‘smart’ system. No, that’s not quite enough. What they really want is total control (world domination is presumably next). Back to residential thermostats for a second climate technologies allows users to create upto nine different weekly temperature schedules and control multiple thermostats (in the same house or off-site locations) from a single app. These days you no longer need to physically touch the systems in your house to manage them.
System Adaptation
Sure, internet-based systems can be entirely controlled by their users, but the coolest part is that they don’t need to be. The most advanced systems have actually been designed to adapt to their surroundings like never before. With the help of smart sensors, systems can measure temperature; humidity and air flow throughout an entire building as well as determine external factors such as the weather forecast and current utility rates. With this rich information in hand (or in “brain”), the system adjusts its settings to plan for upcoming situations, thus boosting efficiency. By learning how to alter its behaviour based on current or upcoming situational factors, it’s able to proactively create a comfortable environment instead of reacting to changes after they occur.
Example: Let’s say a heat wave is due to hit your area in two days. A connected system will note this temperature spike and cool your office building down overnight – when it’s most cost-effective to do so – to save energy costs and ensure the climate is comfortable when workers arrive in the morning.
Continuous Comforts
Comfort is subjective. However, there is some science behind it. While you may think a comfortable room is driven solely by temperature, humidity is a major player in this equation. Humidity levels affect the amount of latent heat present in the air, and that can determine the level of comfort. As mentioned in the point above, these web-based systems are incredibly receptive. They observe and learn. They gather information and adapt. Not only are they shooting for optimum efficiency – they’re also maintaining a comfortable environment (based on user behaviour and external factors) at all times.
Increased Efficiency
HVAC units and buildings outfitted with smart, connected sensors simultaneously track both external sources and interior performance to optimize efficiency. Remember the Daikin Applied equipment I mentioned earlier? The company has said their system can offer at least 20 percent reduction in energy costs by utilizing a technology called “demand response.” Although several factors are fueling the ubiquity of IoT in this industry, the potential energy savings alone are enough to keep the fire fueled, so to speak.
Another example of energy-saving equipment is Wellington’s Smart Control Solutions (SCS). The SCS product line includes intelligent electronic thermostats and energy management devices (EMDs) for commercial refrigeration systems. See the visual below to read about how this system offers cost-savings through energy efficiency.
Inherent Connectivity
These smart sensors I keep mentioning don’t simply pick up clues and collect data. They also enable systems to communicate directly with other systems and devices in a building without the use of a controller. IoT-capable options are replacing traditional building automation systems (BAS). BAS provide controllability, but web-based alternatives add the benefit of sophisticated data collection, analytics and greater connectivity opportunities.
Communication and connectivity are not limited solely to heating and cooling functions. Other systems, including security and lighting, could share a set of occupancy sensors with an HVAC system so all are in sync and communicating seamlessly.
One consideration when it comes to investing in new, connected systems is compatibility with older ones. While integration is possible in many cases, it could be more work than it’s worth in the end. Upgrading your entire system to newer, smarter technology is probably your best bet.
Focus on UX
The technologies emerging today are extremely user-friendly. Those that gloss over User eXperience (UX) will not thrive. Period. Connected systems are collecting massive loads of data that is then made available to users, so the ease of accessing and understanding this data is critical. If information cannot be properly digested, then what’s the point? Good data is timely, accurate and comprehensible.
HVAC contractors are hearing more and more about the IoT these days. Some installers in the construction industry are already at the forefront of using the technology associated with it. So, what is the IoT? Simply put, it means the Internet of Things and refers to the vast network of objects or “things” that are connected together using the Internet. Each “thing” is assigned an IP (Internet Protocol) address, a series of numbers divided by periods or dots that is (hopefully) unique.
The term Internet of Things was first used in 1999 by Kevin Ashton, Executive Director of the Auto-ID Center at MIT. He had been involved with installing chips into product packaging to improve tracking of inventory by communicating wirelessly with computers.
There is now a new Internet Protocol called IPv6. This features an extremely large address space that could potentially allow every single thing on the planet to have a unique ID. This, coupled with the expansion of broadband Internet and the drop in price of smart devices has led to an explosion of things being added to the IoT.
Smart Company, Smart Home
One of the most successful companies in this field has been Nest Labs. In 2011 the small company introduced their Nest Thermostat. This attractive looking device was controlled wirelessly by a smart phone, and it learned what temperature settings and timing building occupants preferred. It wasn’t long before the company was gobbled up by Google and now all kinds of companies are jumping onto the IoT bandwagon.
The IoT lends itself really well to the HVAC industry as sensors have already been used in a lot of equipment for years. The next logical step was to connect these sensors to the Internet either through wired connections or, more likely, wirelessly by WiFi to a central router or through mobility service. Once the data enters the Internet it can be stored in databases and monitored by applications.
Equipment maintenance has been an obvious area for IoT connection. An example is software from a new startup called Augury. According to their website: “Every mechanical system can be characterized by the sound that it makes – machines ‘talk’ and we understand their language.”
Their system uses data from vibration and ultrasonic sensors in HVAC equipment. It compares current data with previous data from the same machine, as well as data collected from similar machines. Their platform can detect the slightest changes and warn of developing malfunctions. This analysis is done in real-time and the results can be displayed on a smartphone within seconds.
They also provide an online management platform accessible from any Internet-connected computer that displays the status of all monitored equipment and assists in making informed, accurate and efficient maintenance decisions.
Another of the most important aspects of HVAC to be monitored is ductwork. Sensors can be placed in ducts to measure airflow, static pressure and temperatures.
In an article for Contracting Business, Rob Falke, President of the National Comfort Institute explains that static pressure allows installers to “see” the system in a new perspective. “Airflow becomes visible. The result of measuring static pressure is the ability to prescribe duct renovation work. You begin to see that the duct system is what controls comfort and efficiency. Only by getting the ducts operating properly can you assure the system as a whole is operating properly.”
Not only does this data prescribe the diameter of ducting but the best termination methods, such as which grille or diffuser to use. The IoT promises to improve many aspects of the HVAC industry from preventive maintenance, responsiveness and increased energy efficiency to improving contractors’ work processes and the comfort of their customers.
Will the Internet of Things (IoT) Revolutionise HVAC Business?
During the last couple of years our lives have been filled with more and more devices that are connected through the internet. Fitness monitors, lightbulbs, door locks and many more things in our homes can now be controlled using the internet. The research company Gartner forecasts that there will be 6,4 billion connected things in the world during 2016 and that the number will increase to 20,8 billion in 2020. We have discussed Internet of Things and smart buildings as a mega trend in an earlier post, but this time we’ll go a bit deeper.
Remote Control Systems not new, Why This Hype?
Systems for controlling different functions of a building (locally or remotely) are not new. They traditionally go by the name Building Management Systems (BMS) or Building Automation Systems (BAS). The differences between the traditional systems and systems harnessing Internet of Things are mainly two – cost and usage of data.
As broadband, sensors and smartphones get cheaper only your imagination limits what can be connected. Today it’s possible for almost anyone to automate parts of their living environment. It’s obviously a bit more complex when it comes to automating an entire building or city compared to a one family home, but the same mechanic is in motion. And it has already started, read about South Korean city Songdo that was built from the ground up to be an intelligent city.
When it comes to data, BMS and BAS systems generate a lot of data but they don’t really utilise that data to the same effect as a cloud based system have the ability to do. A system based on IoT can collect data from many different sources and act upon that data to optimise indoor climate, lighting and energy use without the need for big integration projects or for system operators to maintain the system.
From Smart Homes to Intelligent Cities
In the report The Internet of Things: Mapping The Value Beyond the Hype by McKinsey & Company it is stated that while consumer applications like fitness monitors and self-driving cars get the most attention, there is actually a bigger potential in B2B applications with a potential economic impact between $4 trillion and $11 trillion. McKinsey estimates that as much as 70 % of the potential value enabled through IoT will be generated from B2B.
How will IoT Change HVAC?
As with all shifts in technology, changes will happen in the ways we live and do business. With the actions being taken for more energy efficiency in construction and managing of buildings there is a big potential through Internet of Things. HVAC systems that can make their own intelligent decisions based on presence, weather and lots of other indicators have a great potential to cut energy use and cost.
We are also certain that new business models will emerge. HVAC systems using IoT will be able to predict situations from collected data and have automated alarms for service and maintenance that can facilitate new services.
So will there be a revolution in HVAC? Yes and it is already on-going!
Conclusion
The Internet of Things is shaping the way we interact with objects as well as each other, and its impact spans a wide range of business sectors. For the HVAC industry, IoT means better managed, maintained, connected and efficient systems. But it actually means more than just a connected system – it means a smarter environment engaged in constant communication. The opportunities look pretty promising, at least from where we’re sitting.
Speaking of the subjectivity of comfort, did you know that a recent study shows corporate offices are heated and cooled using a formula based on the metabolic rates of men? This might explain why I (a woman) run a space heater beneath my desk even in the dead of Atlanta summers, but I digress…..
AUTHORS CREDIT & PHOTOGRAPH
Dr OmPrakash G Kulkarni
Scientist, Mentor, Adviser, Technology Provider & Consulting Engineer in Automation, Instrumentation, Energy Management, IPR, CDM & Renewable Energy
