Spring 2014 Volume 11, Number 1
Innovation in High Performance Buildings In an exclusive interview, Morad Atif, General Manager, NRC Construction, shares his perspectives on the building systems sector and its very bright future.
www.caba.org/ihomesandbuildings
Broadband Internet to Fuel Connected Home Applications Risk, Responsibility and Reputation: What You Need to Know about Non-Compliant Cable Broadcast Communications for Energy Management
The Continental Automated Buildings Association through its Connected Home Council (CHC) conducted a Landmark Research Project called the ‘Monetization of the Connected Home’. Rapid transformation continues to shape the Connected Homes Market in North America. Shifting technologies; intense competition; and growing consumer expectations have placed increased demands across the industry.
Highlights of the report included an in-depth look at: • What North American consumers ‘really want’ in home automation. What are they are willing to pay for? How much are they willing to pay? • What are current attitudes towards home automation?
In response to these challenges, the CABA Connected Home Council conducted a landmark research project called the ‘Monetization of the Connected Home’.
• What home automation features appeal to consumers? What are consumer expectations? What about future interest?
The study, completed November of 2013, has great relevance for CABA Members and for the Home Automation market – for designers, manufacturers, installers and for retailers – by increasing our understanding of new market entrants; rising consumer demand and willingness to pay; potential areas for growth; and industry rationale for use of select business models.
• How connected are consumers?
For more information and pricing contact: George Grimes, CABA’s Business Development Manager, at: 613.686.1814 x226 or Grimes@CABA.org
• What features of home automation are considered unique by the industry? Why? • How can we increase the value placed on home automation by consumers – both users and nonusers? How does this vary by age, income, education level? • What are growth expectations for companies? • Who are the new entrants to the market? What is the impact on competitors? • How does industry meet challenges such as increased competition or enhancing consumer adoption?
Your Information Source For Home & Building Automation www.CABA.org
• What business models do companies currently use? Why? • What are current implementation strategies?
Spring 2014, Volume 11, Number 1 Contents Features Large Building Automation
Risk, Responsibility and Reputation: What You Need to Know about Non-Compliant Cable
by Frank Peri.............................................................................................................................................................. 9
Home Systems
Broadband Internet to Fuel Connected Home Applications by Rawlson O’Neil King.......................................... 12
Columns CABA President & CEO’s Message.................................................................................................................................3 CABA Research Briefs
Monetization of the Connected Home.....................................................................................................................5
Life Cycle Costing of Intelligent Buildings.............................................................................................................. 6
Research Viewpoints
Innovation in High Performance Buildings...............................................................................................................7
Ken Wacks’ Perspectives
Broadcast Communications for Energy Management........................................................................................... 14
Opinion
Smart buildings and cities to take center stage by Allan P. McHale..................................................................... 19
Departments New Members.................................................................................................................................................................. 4 Industry Trends................................................................................................................................................................11 Networking and Events.................................................................................................................................................. 18 Upcoming Events........................................................................................................................................................... 21
CABA NewsBrief
Please go to the CABA Web site at www.caba.org to learn how to freely subscribe and sponsor
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
MANAGING EDITOR
CONTRIBUTORS
Dr. Kenneth Wacks Ken Wacks Associates (Chair)
Ronald J. Zimmer, CAE
George Grimes
Steven Brown CSA Group
Greg Walker
David Labuskes RTKL Associates, Inc.
EDITOR
Labib Matta NeXgen Advisory Group FZ-LLC
Rawlson O’Neil King
Robert Knight Environmental Systems Design Ken Sinclair AutomatedBuildings.com Harshad Shah Eagle Technology, Inc. Association Office Continental Automated Buildings Association 1173 Cyrville Road, Suite 210 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1J 7S6 Tel: 613.686.1814; 888.798.CABA (2222) Fax: 613.744.7833
Further editorial use of the articles in this magazine is encouraged. For subscriptions, circulation, and change of address enquiries email caba@caba.org. For editorial and advertising opportunities: www.caba.org/ihomesandbuildings
The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those held by the Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA). CABA shall not be under any liability whatsoever with respect to the contents of contributed articles. The organization reserves the right to edit, abridge or alter articles for publication.
CABA BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIR
VICE-CHAIR
Dr. Satyen Mukherjee Philips
Dr. Morad Atif National Research Council Canada DIRECTORS
Laurie Actman Penn State University
Michel Dostie Hydro-Québec
Zouheir Mansourati TELUS Corporation
Scot Adams Cadillac Fairview Corporation
Daniel Drolet PNC Technology, Inc.
Stephen Nardi RealView, LLC
Jerine Ahmed Southern California Edison Company
Larry Ehlinger Pella Corporation
Tom Semler Hydro One Networks Inc.
Debra Gondeck-Becker Honeywell Building Solutions
Eric Fournier WattStopper/Legrand
Mark Trayer Samsung Electronics, Co. Ltd.
Scott Burnett IBM
Jeff Hamilton Ingersoll Rand
Hélène Vaillancourt CSA Group
Jonathan Cluts Microsoft Corporation
Raphael Imhof Siemens Industry, Inc.
Clint Wheelock Navigant Research
Xavier Datin Schneider Electric
Darrell Jones SecurTek Monitoring Solutions
Jeffery Donne, Robert Bosch LLC
Grant Kroeger Qualcomm Incorporated
CABA PRESIDENT & CEO’S MESSAGE Ron Zimmer The recently concluded Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia provided many lasting moments, highlights and legacies. Russia was a great host to the athletes, teams and fans from around the world. So what do the Olympic Games have to do with “connected homes, intelligent buildings and the Internet of Things”? The athletes and sports were front and center at these games, as should be expected. However, technology helped make these games one of the safest and most successful ever hosted. The spectacular venues were not only architecturally pleasing, but technological marvels. This was clearly evident in the amazing opening and closing ceremonies. Integrated systems
Athletes and fans enjoyed great atmosphere in the Bolshoy Ice Dome
were used in multiple ways to transform buildings and accommodate sporting events, performers and dignitaries. The generous use of lighting and digital signage on roofs and throughout the many venues was very innovative. Concerns over security and life-safety were expressed by many people prior to the games. As a result, the Russian government and organizers made this issue a top priority to ensure the games would not be marred by violence. Security and life-safety technology was evident and utilized throughout the athlete’s village, sporting venues, airport and Sochi. Integrated systems for security, like biometrics, helped keep much of the usual human interaction to a minimum, which all participants appreciated. Sports continue to evolve with greater use of technology to ensure that timing, scoring and drug testing are done accurately and correctly. One of the least known technologies is lights in a curling rock controlled by wireless technology. This technology, (developed in Saskatchewan, Canada) removes the human element. Officials previously judged if an athlete released their rock before the “hog line”. Again the buildings and venues had incredible technology, to ensure that the official results were accurate. More importantly for fans who couldn’t attend the Olympics, the athletic events were broadcast to every corner of the globe in real-time! In fact , service providers and OEMs made sure that audiences had a vast array of devices and screens to view these sports 24/7. Finally, compliments to the many CABA members that had their products proudly displayed and featured throughout the Olympics. Special thanks go to all the organizations that support local athletes, teams and the entire Olympic movement through donations, sponsorships and advertising. This support allows not just the athletes to fulfill their dreams, but it allows billions of people to share these special moments. As one advertiser smartly stated…”it’s priceless!”
There isn’t another group like CABA! CABA iHomes and Buildings Spring 2014
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NEW MEMBERS The Continental Automated Buildings Association is a not-for-profit industry association that promotes advanced technologies for the automation of homes and buildings. CABA members benefit from timely, competitive intelligence on the integrated systems industry. Here is a sampling of our latest members.
Intermatic
Intermatic is the leader in time-based energy control products. Since 1940, Intermatic has been focused on developing and manufacturing products that save energy. Known for the “yellow dial time clock”, which is still popular today, to multi-voltage, high performance, programmable systems, the firm remains dedicated to providing energy savings solutions for today’s demanding needs for energy reduction. Memoori Business Intelligence Ltd. Memoori is a consultancy company based in London, England that provides market research, business intelligence and financial deal tracking services to clients across several industries. ON World ON World Inc. provides world class business intelligence on smart technology markets, including wireless sensor networking, home area networks, advanced metering and cloud computing. SkyFoundry, LLC SkyFoundry’s mission is to provide software solutions for the age of “the Internet of things”. Areas of focus include: building automation and facility management; energy management, utility data analytics; remote device and equipment monitoring; and asset management. Thermokon Americas LP
Thermokon Americas LP provides a complete portfolio of building automation products to the North American market. This includes EasySens EnOcean-based wireless, batteryless sensors and controls, self-powered by light and motion, and compatible to major building controls communication protocols.
A complete CABA member listing with both product and service information and Web links is available at: www.caba.org
Connect with us at www.caba.org
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CABA iHomes and Buildings Spring 2014
CABA RESEARCH BRIEFS CABA Research Briefs provide a condensed synopsis of specific research papers available in the organization’s research libraries. CABA research libraries provide industry intelligence to the home and large building automation and integrated systems sector.
MONETIZATION OF THE CONNECTED HOME The Continental Automated Buildings Association, through its Connected Home Council, undertook a collaborative research study entitled “Monetization of the Connected Home.” The purpose of the landmark study was to improve understanding of consumer attitudes towards home automation, to explore business models currently in use by select industry participants and importantly, to identify areas of potential for maximizing profit. The executive summary is available to CABA members in the CABA Member Research Library. There is a wide variety of ways to monetize the connected home. This includes not only revenue streams driven by consumers (such as hardware costs or service fees), but also other industry-driven revenue opportunities, such as the monetization of connected home data or e-commerce platforms. The figure below presents an overview of some of the different ways to monetize the connected home.
Expanding System Functionality (e.g., connected neighborhoods)
Industry-Specific Strategies (e.g., Home Health, PV)
er um ns Co
Energy Management
Cloud-based Platform
y str du In
Safety & Security
E-Commerce & UI Advertising
Remote Diagnostics
Big Data & Data Analytics Health & Wellness Entertainment & Convenience
CABA iHomes and Buildings Spring 2014
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CABA RESEARCH BRIEFS
LIFE CYCLE COSTING OF INTELLIGENT BUILDINGS The core objective of CABA’s “Life Cycle Costing of Intelligent Buildings” research report is to identify what needs to be done, and by whom, to make life cycle costing a mainstream criteria for building system evaluation in North America. Life cycle costs analysis calculates the cost of a building system over its entire life span. The process allows commercial property owners and operators to analyze the long-term impact of construction processes and infrastructure costs on forecasted operational costs throughout the expected life of a building. CABA’s research project identifies the barriers to adopting life cycle costing and determines what issues need to be rectified in order to make life cycle cost processes more understandable.
Key findings from the report: remained largely confined to project evaluations within the federal sector, with very limited frequency of ments. This is attributed to a variety
First Costs Training Costs
Recycle/Reuse/ Dispose
Manufacturing Intelligent Integrated Building
Life Cycle
use witnessed in other vertical segof factors including inconsistent
Full Integration Life Cycle Costs
Resources Extraction
• Despite gaining early focus, LCC has
Demolition
methodologies, lack of valid data,
Construction
Disposal/ Deconstruction Costs
apathy of building owners, vendors, and service providers to voluntarily incorporate LCC into the early phases
Service Agreement Costs Upgrade/Retrofit Costs
Occupancy/ Maintenance
irreconcilable values, and above all,
O&M Costs
Typical Life Cycle of Buildings and Associated Costs
of a project. • LCC is often substituted by simple payback analysis and other capital cost justification methods to meet the same objective. They offer the minimum required incentive to bridge the gap between having to accommodate untendered costs, as opposed to allowing parametrically justified investment. • Intelligent buildings essentially fall within two major categories—partially integrated and fully integrated. The true value of effective operation and maintenance (O&M), progressive asset management, and cost savings via predictive energy management are only achievable with a fully integrated approach. This, in turn, is reliant on the building industry’s motivation to adopt open standards and integrated systems, selected on the basis of their ability to offer lowest life cycle costs. • The intelligent buildings industry participants are showing gradual signs of moving away from putting undue emphasis on initial costs and simple payback and towards a more holistic approach where recurring costs, incentives, and life cycle assessments are taken into consideration. • Among prevalent LCC tools, the National Institute of Standards and Technologies building life cycle costing tool is by far the most widely accepted and forms the basis of various customized LCC techniques. • There is a greater need for consultants, owners, vendors, and service providers to collaborate and create a market approach to promote inclusive decision making so that integrated design and delivery approaches are supported. • The immediate need for industry participants is to organize initiatives to work together and create structural frameworks for joint collaboration in technology deployment as well as propagating LCC adoption. CABA’s “Life Cycle Costing of Intelligent Buildings” research report is available for free download at: www.caba.org/LCCIB.
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CABA iHomes and Buildings Spring 2014
RESEARCH VIEWPOINTS
Innovation in High Performance Buildings
In an exclusive interview with iHomes & Buildings, Morad Atif, General Manager, NRC Construction, shares his perspectives on the building systems sector and its very bright future. In January 2012, Morad Atif was appointed General Manager of NRC Construction, the National Research council of Canada’s leading construction research and technology development agency and the custodian of the Model National Building Codes for Canada. Dr. Atif had been Director of NRC’s Indoor Environment Research Program since 1999. He joined NRC-IRC as a research officer in 1993, after spending two years as a faculty member at Texas A&M University’s College of Architecture and Department of Construction Science, where he earned a Ph.D. in Architecture and Construction Science. He also holds a Masters degree in Architectural Technology from the University of California. The chair of several international conferences and an active contributor to many committees and associations, Dr. Atif is the Canadian representative and chair of the Executive Committee of the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Energy Conservation in Buildings and Community Systems, a collaborative research partnership of 26 countries. He also serves on the Boards of Directors of the Continental Automated Building Association, the International Council on Buildings (CIB) and Communities of Tomorrow. Dr. Atif is the author of more than 80 publications and the recipient of many awards, including two NRC Outstanding Achievement Awards, a Presidential award from the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America and two Caudill Research Fellowships from Texas A&M University. We interviewed him to garner his informed perspective of the building automation industry and its prospects.
CABA iHomes and Buildings Spring 2014
Q. Can you describe some of the industry-wide efforts that NRC or IRC is involved in?
I’m pleased to take this opportunity to point out that we are no longer “IRC” – we are now “NRC Construction”. There is an important distinction between the two: NRC Construction is much better positioned to serve the construction industry through a wider range of services, that draw from our recognized expertise, not only in Construction, but also in Information & Communication Technologies (ICT); Transportation; Energy, Mining and Environment, to name a few. Add to that, NRC’s Canadian Construction Materials Center and Canadian Codes Center and we now have a unique one-stop innovation and research shop to help industry with : a) technology development and validation; b) accelerated market access and commercialization support; and c) national services for development and compliance with building codes. Our collaborative projects and technical services for industry are now part of focused and outcome-based programs in areas where there is a strong pull from industry. We now provide technical solutions and services to clients and partners from a larger value chain including building and infrastructure owners and managers, manufacturers and designers, builders and contractors, utilities, industry associations, other government departments, and regulatory authorities. NRC has recently launched programs to support technical and innovation needs of the construction industry for commercial and residential buildings and urban infrastructure. We will continue to develop future program opportunities in the coming years to adapt to other emerging industry needs. CABA members will be most interested in our High Performance Buildings program, which supports industry needs for validation and commercialization of
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RESEARCH VIEWPOINTS
energy-retrofit technologies and solutions for office, institutional and commercial buildings in three distinct areas: a) building envelope systems with superior thermal insulation and integrated PV; b) wireless and automated platforms for environmental building controls for lighting and HVAC; and c) system networks responsive to smart grids. NRC Construction is also involved in the following programs: • Mid-Rise Wood Buildings: to develop and validate technical solutions for 5-12 wood-based storey buildings; • Building Regulations for Market Access: to help firms with accelerated market access of building products, through development and deployment of innovative building codes, and development of standards and alternative solutions; • Critical Concrete Infrastructure: to develop materials and systems extending life-time of bridges, and ICTbased decision-making tools to reduce their O&M costs; and • Biomaterials: to support the development of biomaterials (for construction and transportation). Q. How will NRC’s new research programs help construction firms develop and commercialize new technologies?
Our programs assist the construction industry to address two overarching industry needs: 1) lowering costs through the construction life cycle; and 2) validation and commercialization support of new materials, systems and decision-making tools. Firms can de-risk their investment in technology development and commercialization by joining our collaborative projects. Our clients can validate most of their technology performance requirements through NRC’s national facilities, and NRC’s Canadian Code Center and Canadian Construction Material Center, which assist with code compliance and development of alternative solutions. Industry partners can also access technology validation and demonstration services in large-scale testing and in operating buildings or urban infrastructure. Finally, NRC can readily support firms with an integrated system approach by accessing in-house expertise in a wide range of fields from engineering, to materials science, to ICT.
Q. What do you see as the most important factors in accelerating the adoption of building automation technologies?
Building automation exists today. However, its adoption has been reported as slow and the rate of market penetration depends on end-use, e.g., security, energy efficiency, fault detection, or other. I can name four factors that I believe would accelerate adoption. First, it is important to reliably validate and demonstrate claimed performance improvements of building automation technologies to building owners and managers, with an acceptable return on investment. Second, a proposed building automation technology will need to be formulated as a solution or performance improvement and to account for critical design and operation requirements, such as impacts on occupants or code compliance. As a result, an integrated design system approach is necessary, drawing on partnerships between technology providers and developers. Third, a multi-disciplinary research and innovation approach is necessary at the development and validation stage and through to commercialization. Finally, a viable technology deployment path at the early stages is critical. Industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) building owners spend large amounts of their profits on energy costs alone. In order to reduce these costs, they require validated, reliable and cost-effective energy saving technologies and solutions. With the High Performance Buildings Program, NRC has assembled a multi-disciplinary team and is now working with a consortium of industry leaders and building owners to develop new technologies with a goal to see ICI building owners, not only save costs, but generate revenue by producing excess energy and selling it back to the grid. Q. What do you feel is an acceptable timetable for adoption of these technologies by property owners and developers on a wider scale?
This is a difficult question to answer, as it depends on several factors, including the different applications of building automation, and also by how one defines “wider scale”. The NRC’s High Performance Buildings program has an eight-year timeframe, with staged milestones, such as demonstrations Continues on page 20
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CABA iHomes and Buildings Spring 2014
LARGE BUILDING AUTOMATION Risk, Responsibility and Reputation: What You Need to Know about NonCompliant Cable CCCA addresses the safety, performance and liability risks associated with compliance. In recent years, the industry has heard a lot of buzz surrounding the risks of installing non-compliant or counterfeit communications cable for in-building, low-voltage infrastructures that support network, security, and building automation systems. With plenty of unfamiliar cable brands available at reduced cost, and purported to have fire safety listing and verified standards compliance, staying informed and maintaining a degree of due diligence can ultimately make or break your reputation. Much of the recent awareness has been fueled by testing that has brought the serious life safety risks of non-compliant or counterfeit cable to light. With greater awareness has also come confusion over the terms “non-compliant” versus “counterfeit.” While non-compliant cables are intended to meet code and standards but fall short, they are not all considered counterfeit. On the other hand, all counterfeit cables are indeed non-compliant. For the purposes of this article, the two terms are used interchangeably as neither are compliant. What Are the Risks? Fire safety and electrical performance transmission parameters have long been the industry approved set of codes and standards underpinning low-voltage communications cables. The National Electric Code (NEC®), requires communications cables installed in buildings to be listed by a recognized independent testing agency, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL). To be listed, cables must pass stringent fire safety tests that aim to ensure reduced spread of fire and heavy smoke that can limit the ability to safely evacuate occupants from a building in the event of a fire.
CABA iHomes and Buildings Spring 2014
Flame Spread (ft.) 20 15 10 5 0 Avg. of Failing Samples*
NFPA 262 Limit
Normal Expected Value
* Avg test results of 5 separate off-shore cable samples * All testing conducted by independent test laboratory * Tests conducted July, 2012; Cables procured April 2012
While some cables may be marked as listed, testing has shown that this is not always the case. In conjunction with a well-known U.S. listing agency, the Communications Cable & Connectivity Association (CCCA) tested 17 communications cable samples from 12 different manufacturers, all of which were unfamiliar yet available brands manufactured outside of the U.S. Of the 9 riser-rated (CMR) cables tested, 7 failed flame spread testing. Some failures were serious with flame spread failing within 45 seconds, cables burning the entire length of the testing chamber and temperatures reaching 2000˚F. Most of the 8 plenum-rated (CMP) cables tested also failed flame spread testing, and all 17 samples failed peak and average smoke density. While fire safety is the biggest concern, testing also showed that the cables did not meet physical construction or transmission performance standards. Under UL and
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LARGE BUILDING AUTOMATION
Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) standards, several of the samples did not meet specifications for jacket and insulation thickness and other physical parameters. All of the cables tested did not pass one or more TIA-568.C transmission performance parameters. Avg. Smoke 1.6 1.4 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 Avg. of Failing Samples*
NFPA 262 Limit
Normal Expected Value
* Avg test results of 5 separate off-shore cable samples * All testing conducted by independent test laboratory * Tests conducted July, 2012; Cables procured April 2012
A growing concern is the use of copper clad aluminum (CCA) conductors for communications cable, which may be considered counterfeit. While acceptable for use in certain electrical applications, CCA does not meet the requirements of UL 444 and TIA 568-C standards for CMP or CMR communications cable, which require solid or stranded copper conductors. CCA cables have higher resistance that is not suitable for today’s applications, poor flexibility that can cause breakage, and a tendency to oxidize and adversely impact terminations. And it’s not just cable that doesn’t pass muster. In subsequent testing, the CCCA found an 85% failure rate on patch cords with unknown brand names manufactured by offshore companies. In contrast, a second sample set of patch cords from reputable U.S. manufacturers showed 0% failure rate. Not only can non-compliant patch cords cause poor network performance and invalid system warranties, they can also damage critical active equipment due to substandard plugs. What are Your Responsibilities?
You might be asking yourself how these aforementioned risks affect you. If you are involved in specifying, buying and installing non-compliant or counterfeit cable, you have
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a duty of care, are responsible and could be exposed to legal ramifications. First of all, let’s consider that the NEC® is mandated, in part or full, in state and/or local building codes. These codes are considered law, and those involved in the construction process must be aware of and follow that law. Deployment of non-compliant or counterfeit cables could result in building code violations, regardless of whether or not there was knowledge of the non-compliance. Enforcement can come in the form of costly repairs, lawsuits to recover damages, misdemeanors, fines, or even jail time. While non-compliant or counterfeit cable is hopefully discovered and removed before causing harm, there is also the potential for civil liability if the cable does indeed cause or worsen a fire. Via civil lawsuits from property owners, building occupants or even victims’ families, potential causes of action can include negligence, fraud, or breach of contract and warranty. Depending on the judicial ruling, these suits can result in significant punitive damages. For more information, visit the CCCA Web Site where you can access a white paper prepared by the law firm of Crowell and Moring entitled, “Potential Liability for Contractors Installing or Manufacturers Marketing Falsely Labeled Copper Clad Aluminum Cable.” How Can You Protect Your Business and Your Reputation?
While much is being done to limit the influx of non-compliant and counterfeit cable into the marketplace, there are many ways you can take action to protect yourself. Very low prices and unknown brands are often an indication of suspicious cable. Cable with CCA conductors can be easily identified by scraping the thin copper surface away to reveal the aluminum. Boxes of CCA cable also weigh substantially less than solid copper cables. One of the best protections is to only purchase wellknown brands of cable from reputable manufacturers. If you are considering an unknown brand, do your due diligence before purchasing. Look for and validate authentic marks and labels. Poorly done printing or typographical errors could indicate a counterfeit cable. And, as an added layer of protection, look for the UL mark and holographic label. Although non-compliant and intrusion of counterfeit cables affects all independent testing agencies, UL in particular has initiated significant action and public awareness
CABA iHomes and Buildings Spring 2014
INDUSTRY TRENDS Building Automation A new research report expects growth in the global market for building automation systems from now until the start of next decade to exceed 60 per cent. The report, by Navigant Research, examines commercial building automation systems and sees global revenue in the field rising from $58.1 billion in 2013 to $100.8 billion by 2021. Navigant Research is a CABA Board
to assure quality and protect its brand. UL file numbers can be verified via the UL Online Certification Directory, and UL posts public notices on unauthorized numbers. Effective October 1, 2010, UL introduced a unique holographic label that features color-shifting ink and a distinct pattern. Most hologram labels are “standard” labels, and the issue or serial numbers are variable numbers assigned during the label ordering process. Also available from their Web Site at www.ul.com/marks, UL offers a credit-card sized Hologram Authenticator to identify legitimate holograms. To help further identify counterfeit cable, the CCCA launched a free CableCheck™ mobile app for use as a field-screening tool. Readily available from the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, and from Google Play for Android devices, the app checklist includes a photo of a legitimate UL holographic label, instructions for how to check markings, quick access to the UL online certification directory, approximate correct box weights and more. Above and beyond understanding the risk, knowing your responsibility and protecting your reputation, you can also help reduce the problem by making sure to alert industry agencies and associations any time you suspect non-compliant or counterfeit cable. Suspect cables can be reported to the CCCA through their Web Site at www.cccaassoc.org.
•
Frank Peri is Executive Director of the Communications Cabling & Connectivity Association (CCCA). CCCA’s mission is to educate and create awareness on key issues affecting the structured cabling industry.
member.
Gaming Around the world, more than 1.2 billion people are playing video games, with about 700 million engaged in online gaming, according to a report by Spil Games, which makes mobile and online games for girls.
Wireless Lighting Wireless LED light bulbs will be one of the fastest growing Internet of Things markets over the next decade, according to global technology research firm ON World. ON World’s most recent survey of nearly 300 early technology adopting consumers found that wireless lighting controls is one of the most in demand smart home solutions. Nearly 50 per cent indicate that they are “interested” or “most interested” in adopting a smart lighting system. Sixty per cent would like their smart lighting system to connect with at least half of their home’s light bulbs. ON World is a CABA member.
Set-top Boxes Global shipments of Internet-connected set-top boxes will go from 65.8 million units last year to 125.6 million units in 2017, a 91 per cent increase, according to IHS Electronics & Media, a CABA member.
Physical Security According to a recent report by research company MarketsandMarkets, the advent of a wider-than-ever variety of solutions in such sub-categories as video surveillance and access control should grow the global physical security market to $85 billion by 2019, up from $55 billion in 2013.
CABA iHomes and Buildings Spring 2014
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HOME SYSTEMS Broadband Internet to Fuel Connected Home Applications Improved bandwidth throughputs will combine with home networking and monitoring offerings. North America is projected to continue to be the largest market for connected home applications over the coming years, despite growing signs of deployment in both Asia and Europe. The connected home has been defined as living space that allows people to manage all aspects of their homes in convenient ways. Connected homes typically include automation, interconnection of home electronics and appliances, paired with energy conservation tools that offer remote monitoring. Connected homes are typically recognized for performing such operations as controlling lighting, heating, air conditioning and security and lifesafety systems. Within North America, home monitoring is expected to continue to be the primary driver of system installations within the mass market. However, energy management, as well as comfort and convenience applications, are expected to grow significantly in North America as secondary value propositions. Connected home applications are completely dependent upon high-quality access to broadband or the Internet at home. As levels of broadband access increase, the range of existing companies offering connected home systems and services to consumers will also climb. The Pew Research Center estimated that in May 2013, 70 percent of American adults ages 18 and older had a highspeed broadband connection at home. According to IHS, close to four-fifths of the continental United States is now connected in some form to broadband Internet. According to their research, approximately 86.1 million U.S. households at the end of the first half of 2013 had broadband Internet access, translating into a 70.2 percent penetration of all American households. Penetration
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will reach a projected 71.3 percent at the close of 2013, up from 69.6 percent in 2012. The demographic factors most correlated with home broadband adoption continue to be educational attainment, age, and household income. Almost nine in 10 college graduates have high-speed Internet at home, compared with just 37% of adults who have not completed high school. Similarly, adults under age 50 are more likely than older adults to have broadband at home, and those living in households earning at least $50,000 per year are more likely to have home broadband than those at lower income levels. In the U.S., an increasing number of households have also been migrating to higher-bandwidth-speed broadband packages as communications service providers upgrade their networks to increase bandwidth throughput. As a result, faster broadband Internet will continue to blanket ever-larger portions of the U.S. landscape, with coverage estimated to hit 74.1 percent of households by 2017, equivalent to some 94.7 million homes in the United States. In the last five years the U.S. broadband market experienced especially dramatic growth, adding 19 million households. A recovering economy and resurgent housing market, along with an increased need for speed and connectivity, were the main reasons for the growing demand for broadband among American consumers. As consumers adopt broadband, they quickly have been adding connected devices to their home networks. Until three or four years ago, consumers primarily accessed the Internet through PCs and laptops but now consumers use multiple screens to perform various activities that require both fixed and mobile Internet connectivity, from watching and sharing videos and photos, to playing games, to accessing social networks, to banking and paying bills online. On
CABA iHomes and Buildings Spring 2014
HOME SYSTEMS
Home broadband vs. dial-up, 2000-2013 Among all American adults ages 18 and older, the % who access the internet at home via dial-up or high-speed broadband connection, over time. As of May 2013, 70% of adults have home broadband. 80%
Dial-up
Broadband
70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0 June 2000
April 2001
March 2002
March 2003
April 2004
March 2005
March 2006
March 2007
April 2008
April 2009
May 2010
Aug 2011
April 2012
May 2013
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Surveys, march 2000-May 2013. Question wording has changed slightly over time. Our method for measuring home internet use changed in 2011, which would contribute to the seeming decline in adobption. See Methods section for more information. See also: http://pewinternet.org/Trend-Data/Home-Broadband-Adoption.aspx
average, there are at least five Internet-enabled devices in the typical U.S. home today and while consumers primarily use home networks to share and view video content, they also enable other applications, such as home protection, monitoring and security, as well as fitness and health monitoring. The increase in connected devices will require reliable broadband connectivity that is networked throughout the home. Fixed broadband connection enables the most reliable and robust online experience within the home that can be shared, via a home network, to multiple Internetconnectible devices, such as tablets, TVs, set-top boxes, digital video recorders (DVRs), video players, game consoles and cameras. The combination of an increasing number of Internetconnected devices and the expanding need for Internet services beyond communication, information and entertainment to include home monitoring and security will
CABA iHomes and Buildings Spring 2014
create interesting opportunities for communications service providers. These include upselling possibilities for providers, such as selling faster fixed broadband services to preserve the user experience and to create a competitive advantage over other providers offering similar services. Improvement in bandwidth throughputs will also be combined with more sophisticated home networking and monitoring offerings. These services, mainly projected to be offered by cable and telecom providers, will ultimately constitute and underpin the core offerings of fully integrated, connected homes.
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Rawlson O’Neil King is Communications Director at the Continental Automated Buildings Association.
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KEN WACKS’ PERSPECTIVES
Broadcast Communications for Energy Management By Ken Wacks
For more than a century power companies have kept the lights on, factories operating, and appliances running by anticipating customer demand for electricity. Power engineers are quite adept at predicting demand based on the time-of-day, weekday-versus-weekend, and the weather. They can achieve up to 95 percent accuracy, thereby reducing the need to maintain power plants in reserve for contingencies. However, supplying power at times of peak demand is expensive. Furthermore, as renewable energy sources from wind and solar proliferate, power engineers will be challenged to supplement supplies since sunlight and winds can change unpredictably. The long-term solution is to adapt demand for power to available supplies. Some factories have agreements with power companies to defer power-intensive activities when informed that electricity supplies are stretched. Utilities would like to offer similar programs, called demand response, to commercial and residential customers. The challenge is to deploy systems that operate without manual intervention. The solution is to automate energy-consuming devices and systems so they can adjust to short-term supply fluctuations. Such products may include appliances, lighting, and energy management systems. A key requirement is a communications link from energy service providers so these devices are informed when demand response is needed. I chair a committee of smart grid experts from utilities, utility equipment suppliers, consumer product developers, and trade associations called the Home-to-Grid Domain Expert Working Group. We are exploring a cost-effective communications method for energy providers to inform consumers about supply shortages. Such messages might include an event notice, such as “cut consumption 20 percent for the next two hours” or a signal that a temporary increase in the price of electricity is being instituted.
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Home-to-Grid Domain Expert Working Group
In 2008, the Home-to-Grid Domain Expert Working Group (H2G DEWG) was established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), part of the United States Department of Commerce, and the GridWise® Architecture Council (GWAC), an industry panel of 13 experts appointed by the U.S. Department of Energy. The H2G DEWG is now part of the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP, www. sgip.org), a member-funded, non-profit association created with support from NIST to identify technical and interoperability standards that support smart grids. The H2G DEWG scope includes applications and communications linking energy service providers (utilities and other third-party providers) with customer equipment in residential buildings via the electric grid and associated networks. Customer equipment may include home appliances, consumer electronics, plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and local power sources (such as photovoltaics). H2G papers are written by volunteers from the smart grid community including utilities, service providers, equipment vendors, and appliance manufacturers. A white paper on broadcast communications, described in this article, was proposed and developed by Jackson Wang of e-Radio with the support from a dedicated sub-committee of the H2G DEWG. Broadcast communications white paper
The H2G DEWG has developed a white paper entitled Broadcast-based H2G Communication Solutions. The data transmission method uses an FM subchannel available to all FM radio station operators. Digital data are broadcast to special receivers that may be embedded in appliances or in an energy management controller. There are provisions for authenticating that the data originated from the utility to
CABA iHomes and Buildings Spring 2014
KEN WACKS’ PERSPECTIVES
Utility Control System
Utility
Dispatch Signals • Price • Reliability • Events
Communication System
Internet
Customer Controls
Bridge Clients
• WiFi • Cellular • FM, RDS • Powerline • Paging • Private Network • Public Network • CEA-2045
Data Analysis Confirmation of action on signals
Gateway / HEM FM, RDS
FM, RDS
Water Heater FM, RDS
FM, RDS
Aggregate Load Data Feedback Meter
Utility Backhaul Network
Feeder/Sub
• Interruptible • Price Response • Other
Figure 1 – Feedback with FM RDS Broadcast Communications
ensure cyber security. The use of FM broadcasting provides universal real-time coverage throughout the country with messages that can be tailored to each geographic region. The following smart applications are enhanced by the fast response time and full market coverage enabled by FM broadcast communications: • • • •
Demand response Frequency regulation Integration of renewable generation Dynamic pricing schemes
Utility
Dispatch Event Signals
Benefits of broadcast communications
Power utilities may significantly reduce operating costs and increase grid reliability if appropriate pricing signals or event notices are sent to assist the balancing of power supply and demand. By sending regional prices to energy-consuming devices in the home, it is possible to modify consumption (with user cooperation) in real-time. Feedback or confirmation of load-shed characteristics can be obtained by data analysis at the feeder or substation level. These data are inherently aggregated so enduser privacy is maintained. The benefit of this approach
Single Option
Load Control Switch
Figure 2 – Direct Load Control without feedback
CABA iHomes and Buildings Spring 2014
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KEN WACKS’ PERSPECTIVES
Utility Power
Energy Management Agent (FM RDS Radio) Home Network
Stationery Battery
Fuel Cell Inside House
Figure 3 – Broadcast Communications to an Energy Management Agent
is potentially influencing a greater volume of loads more quickly and cost effectively than any current alternative that uses two-way communications with each customer. Figure 1 illustrates this feedback mechanism as compared to direct load control with no feedback provisions, shown in Figure 2. The broadcast method can potentially address some of the problems users may have with localized two-way transmitters, such as a lack of signal coverage in multiple occupancy homes or small businesses. The broadcast solution can complement optional home energy management or networking systems by providing an independent live input to the local network. Radio Data System FM radio broadcasters are authorized to carry digital data in addition to audio via the Radio Data System (RDS). Consumers use RDS for station, song, and artist displays on car radios. There is excess capacity in the RDS channel that station owners can rent. RDS distribution offers the benefit that the market coverage of an FM station is typically well matched to the service area of the electric utility in that market. RDS
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broadcast costs are shared with the primary business application of audio broadcasting.
FM broadcasting offers considerable value for demand response applications with ubiquitous deployment, good building penetration, robust reliability, and relatively low costs for delivery and consumer equipment. The infrastructure already exists as “low hanging fruit” thereby reducing the implementation time and overall capital expenditures. It also eliminates otherwise needed environmental assessments, reviews, and regulatory impact studies. Furthermore, broadcast solutions utilize the existing FM radio infrastructure without introducing new local radio frequency emissions.
CABA iHomes and Buildings Spring 2014
KEN WACKS’ PERSPECTIVES
Automated demand response
Most devices that use electricity either have thermal inertia (e.g., heating, cooling, water heating, and refrigeration) or potential flexibility as to when they take power from the grid (e.g., pool pumps, dishwashers, clothes dryers, and charging of electric vehicles and battery powered devices). While many of these end-use devices have built-in intelligent controls, they lack information about when it would be most economical to use power from the grid. Broadcast communications for demand response is an inexpensive, standards-based approach, for communicating event and energy prices. This communications method could facilitate the rapid deployment of millions of devices that would automatically and continually adjust the timing of electricity usage in response to grid conditions without materially impacting the consumer’s experience. In the aggregate, such devices could provide a flexible resource. This response could help compensate for the output variation in large, renewable resources, improve generation and grid asset utilization, lower costs, enhance reliability, facilitate demand response, and remove a key barrier to efficient retail pricing. Home Energy Management System
A Home Energy Management System (HEMS) may be deployed as an agent for coordinating appliance energy consumption. Such an Energy Management Agent is specified in the international standard for energy management (ISO/IEC 15067-3, published in 2012). An HEMS Energy Management Agent may contain the FM RDS receiver, as illustrated in Figure 3. The real time pricing and other
information received via broadcast signals can then be shared with the connected devices. The H2G DEWG developed a specification for an interface between an appliance and a home network that may be part of an HEMS. This interface is now an American National Standard called Modular Communications Interface for Energy Management (ANSI/ CEA-2045). Winners with broadcast communications The innovative use of FM broadcast RDS for utility load management in smart grids represents a win-win situation. Utilities can rebalance electrical loads with low cost optimization strategies. Broadcasters can collect new non-traditional revenues by providing valuable energy management services to their communities. One of the key characteristics of broadcasting is the ability to expand without limiting the number of simultaneous listener devices. This alone is a strong case for the consideration of broadcasting as a primary tool for home-to-grid communication in support of smart grids. In addition customer compliance may be enhanced by privacy guarantees inherent in one-way communications.
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Dr. Kenneth Wacks has been a pioneer in establishing the home systems industry. He advises manufacturers and utilities worldwide on business opportunities, network alternatives, and product development in home and building systems. In 2008, the United States Department of Energy appointed him to the GridWise Architecture Council. For further information, please contact Dr. Wacks at 781.662.6211; kenn@alum.mit.edu; www.kenwacks.com.
CABA’s Intelligent Buildings & Digital Home Forum Wednesday, April 1-3 Washington, DC Register today at: http://forum.caba.org Forum attendees obtain discounted hotel rates
CABA iHomes and Buildings Spring 2014
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NETWORKING & EVENTS Over the past 25 years, CABA has brought together industry and thought leaders at numerous workshops and events.
CABA held a workshop on the “The Role of Life Cycle Costing for Intelligent Buildings” at AHR Expo 2014 in January.
Over 70 people attended the event to obtain a briefing on CABA’s recently released “Life Cycle Costing of Intelligent Buildings” Landmark Research Study.
Ronald J. Zimmer, CABA President & CEO, provided an introduction at the AHR Expo workshop session and also moderated a question and answer session.
Greg Walker, CABA Research Director (left) and Frost & Sullivan staff provided a briefing on the research.
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CABA iHomes and Buildings Spring 2014
OPINION
Smart buildings and cities to take center stage By Allan P. McHale
There is an old Irish joke in which a traveler asks for directions to Limerick and is told, “Well, you wouldn’t want to be starting from here.” That is the major problem facing the clean tech industry today. Capital-intensive renewable power projects are now at a place where governments around the world are delaying their commitment to spend – at a time of economic austerity and fear of political suicide if they allow electricity charges to go up. In addition, the centralized structure of the electrical utility industry through which most of the renewable power will be traded is not the most appropriate and is not yet fully on board. The consequences of this is that in the U.S. for the first 10 months of 2013, compared to the same period in 2012, new capacity from all sources has declined by 27.5 percent (from 17,008 MW to 12,327 MW). However, there is a more appropriate direction that will take us down the path to reach our destination of a low-carbon economy in the 21st century. This can be accomplished by simply putting a lot more effort into reducing CO2 emissions in buildings and cities. We expect that in 2014 this will be the direction and route that governments will take through providing more attractive financial inducements for all those who install plant equipment and controls that reduce energy consumption in buildings and combine this with more stringent regulatory targets. This can be achieved through private investment with technologies that are now well-proven, and a capable competitive supply structure that can deliver. Further support is coming from smart cities. As cities across the world face aging infrastructures and dwindling financial resources, city governments will increasingly undertake initiatives to manage these challenges, such as smart grid technologies for grid modernization; outage management; and integration of a variety of power
CABA iHomes and Buildings Spring 2014
generation sources, including on-premises generation and consumer energy management solutions. New York State’s clean energy industry announced in December a $210 million investment in initial capitalization for the New York Green Bank, a new initiative created to leverage public funds into private investment to boost clean-energy projects. The key to its success is moving from government subsidies to a self-sustaining clean-energy engine. Having struggled for the last 15 years to get environmental services — building energy management systems (BEMS), enterprise energy management (EEM) software, smart grids, LED lighting — to work together, we have now reached a point where connectivity can be achieved directly through IP allowing the “Internet of energy” to become a reality. For example, LED lighting controls could act as a stratagem for the “IoE” in buildings. Each new LED fixture can, in essence, become the node on an intelligent control, turning off the lights when people aren’t around or dimming them when exterior light can be harvested. But those sensors can also be used to harvest other useful data about temperature, occupancy and their surroundings that have many other applications. Historically, building control applications have been HVAC-centric since that was the element of the building where controls could add significant value, particularly in new construction applications. In many retrofit situations, the return on investment rate for HVAC-oriented building automation has not been compelling, so the majority of buildings around the world are still waiting to be converted to “smart.” The case for retrofitting buildings with LED lighting has become compelling, and wireless technology has negated the need for control wiring, reducing the installation cost.
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OPINION
This will result in LED lighting controls being installed in many more buildings that don’t have building energy management systems. Bus-based lighting controls have taken the responsibility for controlling HVAC services, but this has been on relatively small- to medium-sized projects where heating and cooling has been achieved through a combination of chilled beams and natural ventilation. This has required blinds to control solar gain, and this falls into the low-voltage category and has been engineered and designed through the electrical contract and not the mechanical, as is the case with BEMS. The key difference is that for these projects, the controls applications will be lighting-centric rather than HVACcentric, and that could result in the emergence of new players and new application delivery mechanisms, major changes to existing industry structures and a need for suppliers to adopt new business models. The technical synergy combined with the fact that the supply structure is becoming interrelated is further strengthening the ability to provide both more efficient and lower-cost solutions. BEMS and EEM are working together to deliver distributed energy and demand response services connecting across smart buildings and smart grids.
This reinforces that together they can also reach across associated applications. There is no doubt that through alliance, acquisition and integration, these two separate businesses will play a vital role in maximizing energy conservation in buildings while generating income and reducing operating costs. Leading BEMS companies have massive heritage estates and are among the world’s major energy service companies (ESCOs). They are therefore in a strong position to help EEM suppliers get a foothold in the smart building market. However, BEMS suppliers and ESCOs are also intent on taking a piece of the EEM business. Although not particularly well known for their prowess in EEM, they have been acquiring companies with this expertise for the last five years. The supply side is investing heavily in developing both hardware and software products to ensure that they have the solutions that will make the investment in energy conservation in smart buildings and smart cities a “no brainer.”
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Allan P. McHale, CEng, MIMechE, MEI, MBIM is a founder partner at Memoori Business Intelligence Ltd.
RESEARCH VIEWPOINTS continued from page 8
of automated environmental controls systems and communication networks with smart grids in large-scale labs and occupied buildings. That being said, recent market trends show that the building industry, including building automation, is experiencing a perfect storm of innovation thanks to major advances in ICT, favorable policies for innovation, higher performance requirements, and increased business partnerships throughout the value chain. Many property owners and developers are now pursuing technologies and measures for higher performance buildings. Q. How can the Government of Canada help property owners and developers implement building automation technologies in Canada?
NRC partners with industry to transfer research innovation from the lab to the marketplace to address critical issues for the future. Our research and technology programs listed above address specific and critical needs of the construction industry. In each program, we provide solutions and
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evaluations through collaborative projects and technical services to industry. We engage in multiple forms of collaborations to deliver product development and evaluation, demonstrations and validations, standardized testing and model codes development and deployment. Q. How does CABA help NRC and the industry as a whole in addressing these issues?
CABA is an important stakeholder as its core business is aligned with many outcomes of NRC’s High Performance Buildings program. Furthermore, it represents a large segment of key industry players not only in the field of automated buildings, but also utilities and property management. CABA assures that its members, including NRC, are well connected to each other and well informed of related market uptakes, technology roadmaps, and industry needs. NRC looks forward to building valuable partnerships with CABA members through our programs.
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CABA iHomes and Buildings Spring 2014
UPCOMING EVENTS Need information on upcoming industry events? Go to: www.caba.org/events
Fiatech 2014 Annual Technology Conference and Showcase
Building Solar China 2014 June 9-12, 2014
March 31-April 2, 2014
Guangzhou, China
Huntington Beach, CA
www.buildingsolarchina.com
www.fiatech.org/events/tech-conference-showcase
Guangzhou Electrical Building Technology CABA Intelligent Building & Digital Home Forum Spring 2014
June 9-12, 2014
April 1-3, 2014
bit.ly/LQqb9H
Guangzhou, China
Washington, DC forum.caba.org/2014/spring
InfoComm 2014 June 14-20, 2014
2014 Building Energy Summit
Las Vegas, NV
April 1, 2014
www.infocommshow.org
Washington, DC 2014.buildingenergysummit.com
IBCon June 18-19, 2014
Broadband Communities Summit
Las Vegas, NV
April 8-10, 2014
www.ib-con.com
Austin, TX www.bbcmag.com/2014s/
2014 Every Building Conference & Expo June 22-24, 2014
IFMA Facility Fusion Conference & Expo
Orlando, FL
April 15-17, 2014
www.bomaconvention.org
Washington, DC facilityfusion.ifma.org/dc/home
Shanghai Intelligent Building Technology (SIBT 2014)
CONNECTIONS
September 3-5, 2014
May 13-15, 2014
Shanghai, China
San Francisco, CA
bit.ly/1kU8oL2
www.parksassociates.com/events/connections-us
CEDIA EXPO 2014 LIGHTFAIR International 2014
September 10-13, 2014
June 1-5, 2014
Denver, CO
Las Vegas, NV
expo.cedia.net
www.lightfair.com/lightfair/V40
CABA iHomes and Buildings Spring 2014
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The Continental Automated Buildings Association through its Intelligent & Integrated Buildings Council conducted a Landmark Research Project called the “Life Cycle Costing (LCC) of Intelligent Buildings”. Increasingly, end-users in the Intelligent Buildings industry, such as architects, building owners, tenants, and builders are seeking ways to improve the cost efficiency of buildings and building-related systems and components. The study, completed November of 2013, has great relevance for CABA Members and for end- users in the Intelligent Buildings industry – by broadening our understanding of the benefits and viability of using LCC as an effective costing method. LCC is one measure used to evaluate cost effectiveness and takes into account all costs of acquiring, owning, and disposing of a building or building system. LCC is particularly useful when making comparisons to maximize net savings. For a complimentary copy of this report email: CABA@CABA.org
Highlights of the report include an in-depth look at: • benefits of using LCC as an efficient costing method; • a scan of alternative costing methods used by industry participants; and rationales for use; • training efforts currently available; • identification of challenges posed by using LCC; • efforts required to increase greater adoption of LCC; • recommendations for moving forward and fostering improved collaboration among industry partners; and • a wide cross-section of case studies as illustrations of best practices.
For more information and pricing contact: George Grimes, CABA’s Business Development Manager at: 613.686.1814 x226 or Grimes@CABA.org Your Information Source For Home & Building Automation www.CABA.org