Summer 2013 Volume 10, Number 2
The Impact of Cloud Computing on Intelligent Buildings Casey Talon notes that the next generation of intelligent building technologies will leverage cloud-based computing.
www.caba.org/ihomesandbuildings
“Sentrollers” and “The Internet of Things” Modeling Building Automation and Control Systems Transactive Energy for Balancing Smart Grids Toward Connected and Interconnected Home Technologies
CABA’s Intelligent & Integrated Buildings Council (IIBC) focused on areas of research that address the needs and priorities of high performance and intelligent buildings. The IIBC identified two key areas of exploration in its 2011 Landmark Research study - the impact of smart grid development on intelligent buildings, and the progression of intelligent buildings towards net zero energy. There is a growing marketplace outlook that achieving energy sustainability and the growth of building intelligence are interdependent and exert a collective influence in the progression of high performance intelligent buildings. Consequently, CABA’s IIBC members focussed the research study on an investigation and assessment of the impact of the smart grid on the commercial buildings sector. Though still early in development and deployment, the research also examined the relationship of smart grids and the progression towards net zero energy output in intelligent buildings. The purpose of this study was to identify, define and size the principle business opportunities presented by the growth of smart grids, in relation to “intelligent buildings”. An examination of smart grid should yield immediate value to all stakeholders in the intelligent building industry, as smart grid and auto demand response holds more relevance in the industry today - with opportunities in existing buildings and new construction. Energy capacity/supply problems need to be addressed in the short-term, and made available in emerging technology. This will serve to add to market education and understanding, and address market knowledge gaps. As well, open and interoperable communication between energy suppliers and commercial energy users is an eventuality - which was further explored in relation to smart grid development and intelligent buildings. The purpose of these initiatives is two fold – an educational and validation exercise for industry participants and a means to drive public opinion and facilitate policy decisions at industry stakeholder, public authority and government organization levels. The study was funded by these CABA members:
RUBY SPONSOR
EMERALD SPONSORS
DIAMOND SPONSORS
The research was undertaken by research and buildings technology consultancy, BSRIA, on behalf of CABA.
Your Information Source For Home & Building Automation www.CABA.org
To purchase this and other available research reports or explore new research opportunities contact: George Grimes CABA Business Development Manager 613.686.1814 x226 or grimes@caba.org
More Information available at: www.caba.org/estore
Summer 2013, Volume 10, Number 2 Contents Features Home Systems
“Sentrollers” and “The Internet of Things” by Cees Links........................................................................................7
Large Building Automation
Modeling Building Automation and Control Systems by Jim Sinopoli...................................................................11
Columns CABA President & CEO’s Message.................................................................................................................................3 CABA Research Briefs
Energy Management in Commercial Buildings: The Value of Best Practices.........................................................5
HomePlug AV2 Technology...................................................................................................................................... 6
Research Viewpoints
The Impact of Cloud Computing on Intelligent Buildings by Casey Talon........................................................... 13
Ken Wacks’ Perspectives
Transactive Energy for Balancing Smart Grids....................................................................................................... 15
Opinion
Toward Connected and Interconnected Home Technologies By John Antonchick............................................. 19
Departments New Members.................................................................................................................................................................. 4 Networking and Events..................................................................................................................................................10 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
Ken Gallinger
Steven Brown CSA Group
George Grimes
David Labuskes RTKL Associates, Inc.
Editor
Labib Matta NeXgen Advisory Group FZ-LLC
Rawlson O’Neil King
Robert Knight Environmental Systems Design Harshad Shah Eagle Technology, Inc Jim Sinopoli Smart Buildings 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
Larry Ehlinger Pella Corporation
Barry Rogers SecurTek Monitoring Solutions
Scot Adams Cadillac Fairview Corporation
Eric Fournier WattStopper/Legrand
Tom Semler Hydro One Networks Inc.
Jerine Ahmed Southern California Edison Company
Bob Gohn Navigant Research
Dana “Deke” Smith National Institute of Building Sciences
Scott Burnett IBM
Jeff Hamilton Ingersoll Rand
Mark Trayer Samsung Electronics, Co. Ltd.
Brian Casey Honeywell International, Inc.
Elizabeth Jacobs Siemens Industry, Inc.
Hélène Vaillancourt CSA Group
Jonathan Cluts Microsoft Corporation
Grant Kroeger Qualcomm Incorporated
Michel Dostie Hydro-Québec
Stephen Nardi RealView, LLC
CABA President & CEO’s Message Ron Zimmer The “connected home and intelligent buildings” industry helped CABA celebrate and recognize its 25th Anniversary at special events that took place April 24 – 25 in Toronto. In addition to the congratulatory toasts and networking receptions, there was a great deal of industry business that occurred. The CABA Board of Directors some time ago had selected CABA Board member Hydro One Networks to host the Spring CABA Board meeting. However, to capitalize on time and reduce travel costs, there were a number of other key CABA industry events that were also scheduled for this time period. Building on the success of the Qualcommhosted CABA Digital Home Forum and Connected Home Council, these events were again held. The Intelligent Buildings Forum was also held with the Intelligent & Integrated Buildings Council meeting. There were five building tours, including the: CN Tower, Rogers Centre, TELUS Tower, condominiums built by Tridel Corporation, and the MaRS facilities. This new formula for hosting CABA events around the CABA Board meeting proved very beneficial as it brought together 70+ industry leaders and a record turn-out of 21 CABA Board members. The event was also sponsored by Cadillac Fairview Corporation and Pella Corporation, which allowed CABA to feature key industry speakers and also cap the event with dinner at the famous 360 Restaurant at the CN Tower for the CABA Board. (There were no volunteers for the sky-walk!) Since there was positive feedback and support for this new format, the CABA Board has decided that a similar program should occur November 19 – 20 in Philadelphia. These CABA events will be held in conjunction with the USGBC Greenbuild, which will be held Novemeber 20 – 22 in the same city. Many CABA members speak, exhibit and attend Greenbuild, so this should be an excellent opportunity for the “connected home and intelligent buildings” industry to gather. The CABA Board of Directors again thanks the many members and volunteers that helped CABA over the last 25 years. They also welcome the many new industry stakeholders that are now joining CABA and the sector. On that note, they extend a warm welcome to the newest CABA Board appointee, Penn State University (PSU). Laurie Actman, Deputy Director of the Energy Efficient Buildings Hub (EEB Hub), will be the PSU representative on the CABA Board.
Remember – CABA works for you!
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2013
3
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.
Arrayent
Switch Automation
Arrayent has devised a software platform that lets manufacturers and retailers connect their products to the Internet with unprecedented simplicity and low-cost.
Switch Automation provides a cloud-based intelligent building platform for sustainable, connected buildings that delivers energy management and automation to homes, multi-residential and commercial buildings.
Forest City Enterprises, Inc.
Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI)
Smartenit Smartenit is dedicated to delivering automation solutions that save electricity and water while providing comfort in modern homes and buildings. Smartenit provides costeffective, easy-to-use products that are part of an expandable and comprehensive system to monitor and effectively manage energy use.
Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is a nonprofit R&D organization engaging in applied research and technical services. Founded in 1973, ITRI has played a vital role in transforming Taiwan’s economy from labor-intensive to high-technology production.
ZENO Controls LLC ZENO Controls is the developer of the ZENO wireless gateway and universal controller, which provides energy savings and management solutions to the hospitality industry.
Negawatt Business Solution
Zonoff
Negawatt Business Solutions provides customers with cutting-edge strategies, state-of-the-art energy management tools, revenue programs, and a highly-skilled team of energy experts.
Zonoff, Inc. provides comprehensive wireless technology and commerce solutions to channel partners who, in turn, deliver connected home products and services to the consumer mass market.
Forest City Enterprises, Inc. is an NYSE-listed real estate company with $10.6 billion in total assets. The company is principally engaged in the ownership, development, management and acquisition of commercial and residential real estate and land throughout the United States.
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
4
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2013
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.
Energy Management in Commercial Buildings: The Value of Best Practices This report by the Conference Board of Canada details the energy consumption profile of commercial buildings within Canada. Based upon a literature review and subsequent interviews, it highlights some of the issues that constrain a wider adoption of energy management strategies within the industry, such as how investment decisions are made. Guidance is then provided through the definition of a collection of best practices that can be employed to overcome identified barriers. Topics related to technology, data, training, investment, and communications are included in the analysis. Equipment and Technology Best Practices
Description
Basic implementation
Best implementation
Use automatic controls to optimize efficient operations.
Automatic controls are becoming the standard, but many smaller buildings are still lacking.
Fully automated control systems that allow the building operator to optimize performance, compare with other buildings in the portfolio, and notify occupants of opportunities to improve their energy consumption.
Operate equipment only when needed.
Equipment runs during business hours.
Equipment is shut down when not required, or cycled down based on actual building occupancy.
Equip O&M staff with state-of-the-art diagnostic tools.
O&M staff use equipment manuals, automated control systems, and experience to diagnose and address performance issues or opportunities to improve.
Advanced diagnostic software is used in combination with control systems data to identify issues and propose solutions for further evaluation.
Include energy efficiency items in preventive maintenance.
Preventive maintenance is scheduled to ensure availability and reliability of equipment.
Preventive maintenance is expanded to include items that will enhance energy efficiency.
Automated controls are becoming the standard for new buildings. These technologies are “encouraging building owners, operators, managers, designers, and occupants to reassess their respective roles, and how they relate to the buildings in which they hold an investment.� The major systems in any building can be automated, and automation can be used to improve performance.
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2013
5
caba research briefs
Common themes in the literature and in our interviews include: the extent to which automation can, and should be, implemented in smaller buildings; the training required for building operators; the need for specialized installation and commissioning services; and ongoing tracking to ensure continuous improvement. Automated building information systems can allow tenants a more active role in monitoring and improving their energy consumption, and are perceived to add to the value of a building. One of the challenges in implementing these systems is the perception of higher first costs. The area of automated demand response in the United States has also been highlighted as having the potential to reduce peak electricity demand in a building by 10–14 percent. Where time-of-use electricity pricing has been implemented for commercial buildings, computer software is used to monitor real-time pricing information and send signals to the building control system to reduce energy consumption in times of price peaks.
HomePlug AV2 Technology This report, published by the HomePlug Powerline Alliance, provides an in-depth review of HomePlug AV2 Technology. HomePlug AV2 provides a major step forward in high-bandwidth capabilities and interoperability for cost-effective “no new wires” networking that supports HD / 3-D video and other bandwidth-hungry applications by leveraging existing powerline wiring throughout the whole home. The convergence of voice, video and data within a variety of multi-function devices and new applications, along with the evolution of high-definition and 3-D video, is driving the need for increased high throughput connectivity throughout the home while assuring a high level of reliability and sustained performance. Home networks are now expected to support applications such as whole-home audio systems, interactive
Demand for Home Connectivity is Exploding
gaming, smart grid utilities management and security monitoring. The rise of HDTV, IPTV and multi-room HD DVR services are significantly raising the throughput requirements for home networking. In addition, the proliferation of connected devices and methods for accessing and consuming multimedia
Digital Entertainment
Broadband Access
Mobile Data
Smart Energy
content within the home is requiring network technologies to both deliver more throughput and provide more adaptability to meet ad hoc configuration needs. For example, streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, Amazon Prime, Pandora, etc.) and diverse access devices such as iPads and Xbox, are giving users more options for using digital content within the home – and they do not want to be limited as to where and how they use it. Despite the ongoing drive for convergence of video, voice and data, home networks often leave disconnected islands in the home (dead spots) where digital content is not available without pulling new cabling or hassling with the inherent coverage limitations of wireless networking. In contrast, standards-based powerline for fixed devices and a combination of powerline and Wi-Fi for mobile devices can deliver a truly comprehensive whole-home solution that bridges all of these digital islands into a comprehensive network of interconnected content for access and viewing anywhere, anytime, and on any screen.
6
•
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2013
home systems “Sentrollers” and “The Internet of Things” Cees Links describes how the emerging Internet of Things is challenging the existing Internet of People. The new buzzword floating around the world is the ‘Internet of Things’, almost positioning the current Internet as already something from the past. What exactly is the Internet of Things and how will it affect your business? And what are “sentrollers”? Let’s take a closer look and try to understand the drivers of this new development in communication and networking and what this means for the Internet as we know it today.
overwhelm the number of connected people. Predictions range up to a factor of 100 to one or more: the Internet of People will transform into the Internet of Things.
The Changing Internet
The current Internet, known as the “Internet of People”, has become a huge success since it really accelerated in the 1990s. Moreover, the current young generation is struggling to recognize that there was “life before the Internet”. Sharing information, distributing content in a way that is upsetting industries (i.e., YouTube replacing TV) and creating new paradigms for communicating (i.e., Skype, Twitter) and working together (integrated end-to-end logistical systems), leaves no doubt that the Internet has had a profound effect on our lives. The Internet has evolved to be the essential information sharing medium and communication backbone of our society – from metropolitan citizens to farmers in the countryside. However, the Internet as we know it today is just a beginning, because more and more equipment is being connected. Today, most of the end-nodes on the Internet are people, using smartphones, tablets, laptops and computers. But this is changing: equipment and devices – machines – connected to the Internet, such as set-top boxes, cameras and cars, are starting to shift the balance away from people towards things. The future is clearly moving into a direction where the number of things connected to the Internet will
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2013
Sentrollers: Sensors, Actuators and Controllers
There is another significant change happening at the same time. The current Internet is really about content sharing and distribution: high data rates and large amounts of data are driving the IT industry, from gigabits/second to terabytes, sparking new and exciting developments in “cloud” data storing and analysis. Many of the new devices connected to the Internet of Things will be different: these devices are usually sensors, controllers, actuators or combinations, all which can be denoted by the convenient all-encompassing term of “Sentroller”. For instance: a thermostat senses the temperature, compares this with a desired temperature and activates a heater or air conditioner, controlling, or essentially “sentrolling”, the temperature.
7
home systems
In practice sentrollers absorb and/or produce very limited amounts of information, but connectivity to the Internet is essential. The Internet of Things will host the applications that know how to interpret the information provided by sentrollers and what action to be taken. The “smarts” within the smart home or smart buildings can actually reside in the cloud. The sentrollers are the end-nodes that will populate the Internet of Things. One sort of mini example of this is today’s sophisticated digital automobile. From behind the steering wheel almost everything in the car can be checked, or “sensed”, and controlled. The car is filled with sensors (for temperature, oil pressure, etc.) and controllers (from the steering wheel itself to little servos to adjust chairs and mirrors, etc.). The reason for all this automation is obvious: the driver must be able to understand, handle and control everything, while concentrating on safely driving on the road. The Internet of Things is replicating this concept on a much larger scale. The Smart Home
The starting point of the Internet of Things is clearly the smart home. In a way the digital car is a precursor of the smart home. In the smart home however, we are not sitting constantly in the same chair: we will have access to many sentrollers from different locations. In our home we already see many ‘sentrollers’ in many places. Just looking around we can find thermostats, security control panels with motion sensors and utility meters (electricity, gas, water). We also have many remote controls laying around the coffee table and everywhere else, along with sun shades, lights and light switches and door locks. In a way, these are all sentrollers around the house. We can continue ad nauseam. Unfortunately, today, these are all “generation-zero” sentrollers: sometimes largely mechanical, and in most situations, stand-alone. In the real smart home of the future, all devices will be connected with the Internet. The role of these devices is also not tied to a single application. Because the devices are connected to the Internet they can play different roles under different circumstances. An example of this is a motion sensor in a room. In normal conditions, a motion sensor will turn on the lights and the heating if someone is detected in the room. However, if the house-alarm is switched on, the motion sensor actually triggers an alarm if the motion sensor is detecting someone. This is when we really can
8
start talking about a smart home: the sentroller is disconnected from a specific application and connected to a “smart” application running in the cloud of the Internet of Things. Utilities and Service Providers How will these sentrollers in the home become part of the Internet of Things? The main drivers are the utilities and the MSOs, who see their current four mainstream business (telephone, TV/radio, Internet and cellular) under pressure and who are looking to offer new services to their subscribers. Their new so-called “fifth play” offerings include home security, energy management, home care, and many others. The fifth play also includes devices that connect to the smart meter, the set-top box or the home gateway, and from there on to the Internet, enabling users to control their equipment and their energy bill with their smartphone. Looking at an average household today, people may be connected with between five and 10 devices (computers, laptops, smart phones, TVs) to the Internet. In the next few years, this number will be easily dwarfed when maybe 100 sentrollers per household are connected to an Internet of Things. The Internet of Things
Some interesting observations can be made regarding how the Internet of Things will change the Internet as we know it. In the first place the stellar increase in the number of nodes will require an increase of the number of Internet addresses available (each “thing” on the Internet of Things needs a unique identification number). This problem has already been addressed by the IETF through the introduction of IPv6, succeeding IPv4. The other observation is that the Internet of Things will not likely (and definitely not initially) create a lot of additional network traffic. People have a tendency to produce or absorb a lot of data, such as high definition video, but in comparison sentrollers are relatively minimal in data production and consumption. This means that building the Internet of Things does not require a lot of extra infrastructure. With the new IPv6 addressing scheme the current infrastructure is capable of handling the Internet of Things alongside the Internet of People. People may ask themselves however, whether the growing dependency on the Internet not only for content, but also for sentrollers, is going to put higher demands on
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2013
home systems
the security and reliability of the Internet. Definitely more work needs to be done to avoid a critical dependency on the Internet, which could cause a massive disruption of society in the case of disruption. ZigBee
The next interesting question about the Internet of Things is: How will it be built up, and what role will existing wired, and in particular, wireless technologies be playing? The most challenging part is concerning how to get a device “on the network” concerns the access technology itself. What technologies and service models are required to enable cost effective connectivity? And do devices need roaming, that is, do they move around while staying connected to the Internet. In this last respect it is probably good to notice that “things” by nature are more static than “people”, so roaming may be less of a requirement. At the same time, cost is a serious requirement: the cost of connecting a “thing” may quickly outpace the cost of the thing itself. In this respect, it is also interesting to notice that the requirement for high data rates is replaced by the requirement for long battery life. For instance most of the Wi-Fi devices today are connected to the mains power, and if not, say with a laptop or a smart phone, everyone has his own regular routine to make sure the batteries of the devices are regularly charged. The world of sentrollers however is different. Connecting sentrollers to “mains” power can be cumbersome, involving expensive wiring and expert installation. But 100 devices in your home with a battery life of one year would mean that you have to change on average two batteries every week. So, for sentrollers, the data rate is of low priority compared to the device’s energy consumption. This means that the battery life of the device preferably should exceed its life. ZigBee is an open standard like Wi-Fi that describes the protocols for data-communication of sentrollers in the 2.4 GHz band worldwide. The ZigBee name is owned by the ZigBee Alliance, an industry group with more than 400 members, including most of the large semiconductor companies, who make chips for building products that will be connected to the Internet of Things. The ZigBee standard describes the radio protocols (based on IEEE 802.15.4) as well as the network layers and application profiles. This makes it possible for devices of different vendors to interoperate in a way as expected by the end-user.
ZigBee has not been introduced with the same fanfare with which Apple introduced Wi-Fi and gave the acceleration of the Internet of People a major boost with the Apple Airport, the first home router/access point in the industry. But the reality is that many utilities and large operators worldwide, led by Comcast and their Xfinity program, are equipping their set-top boxes and gateways today with ZigBee, effectively building a cornerstone for the Internet of Things in every home. For the cable operators, one financial justification comes from the standardization of remote controls, replacing infrared with radio technology, thereby reducing service calls. But considering the fact that a remote control essentially is a ‘sentroller’, it effectively implements the Internet of Things already in a cost effective way, preparing for the roll-out of new smart home services, like security, energy management and home care. Comparing
This may be a good point to summarize the Internet of People with the Internet of Things. Internet of People
Internet of Things
Computers: Smartphones, Tablets, Laptops, Desktop Computers, TVs, Game Consoles
Sentrollers: Smart meters, Thermostats, Motion sensors, Remote controls
Content sharing and distribution
Sense and controls
Key Requirement
High data rate
Long battery life
Roaming
Dynamic roaming
Static (roaming)
Outdoor/mobile
GSM/3G/LTE
Neul
Indoor/static
Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11)
ZigBee (IEEE 802.15.4)
Volume
Average 5-10 units per household and growing
Emerging, growing 100 units per household and beyond
Devices
Characteristics Main Function
Access Technologies
Continues on page 20 CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2013
9
Networking & Events Over the past 25 years, CABA has brought together industry and thought leaders at numerous workshops and events.
CABA President & CEO Ron Zimmer (left) with dignitaries at the 6th Ajman International Urban Planning Conference in March.
CABA President & CEO Ron Zimmer addresses the 6th Ajman International Urban Planning Conference in March.
Jeff Hamilton (Ingersoll Rand/Trane), Larry Ehlinger (Pella Corporation), Ken Gallinger (CABA), Melissa Simpler (Affinegy), Michael Baetz (Past CABA Board Chair) and Mernaz Malozewski (Hydro One) enjoyed a building automation tour of Rogers Centre in Toronto during the CABA Home & Building Automation Networking Forums in April.
10
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2013
Large Building Automation Modeling Building Automation and Control Systems Jim Sinopoli, PE, RCDD notes that BIM can provide property managers with better automation systems documentation. Many building owners and facility managers lack good documentation for their automation control systems. Documentation has value; lack of system documentation can cost an organization and will increase risk. Lack of documentation means troubleshooting and work orders take longer, are more expensive and it extends the time it takes to resolve issues for tenants or occupants. It also may mean preventative maintenance isn’t done because you don’t know what the PM schedule is, possibly shortening the life of the equipment. Or it may mean that facility personnel really do know a lot about their systems but if they move to another organization or company or retire, all that knowledge or “system documentation” leaves with them. This lack of documentation for automation and control systems is caused by inadequate organization and planning in the hand-off from construction to building operations and the fact that much of the documentation is in a paper format. Help is on its way. The buildingSMART alliance with the input of the US Army Corps of Engineers has developed and proposed a data structure for representing information related to automation and controls. It falls under a large umbrella called Building Information Modeling or BIM. BIM If you’ve had any involvement in new building design and construction you’re probably familiar with BIM. You may be aware or exposed to the 3-D modeling of a building and its components and understand the value it can provide in avoiding potential “collisions” between the designs created by different engineers. Likewise, the usefulness this modeling can provide to contractors in fabricating building systems and components. Major designers and construction
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2013
companies have embraced BIM and rightfully so; it can reduce change orders, assist in maintaining schedules and generally produce better buildings. The larger picture and the utilization of BIM should be an approach of a life-cycle asset management tool. Such a tool is used in creating and acquiring data during design and construction which is then delivered to facility management. It’s the building operations that will be 85 to 95 percent of a building’s lifecycle. To facilitate the exchange of information from design and construction to building operation, a standard called Construction Operations Building Information Exchange (COBie) was developed by a laboratory of the US Army Corps of Engineers. COBie is a format of data for building assets. It’s associated with BIM, but doesn’t involve spatial modeling. It is part of the National Building Information Model. COBie may include data such as preventative maintenance schedules, model numbers, warranty information, product data sheets, and everything needed to operate and maintain the particular asset. Industry Foundation Class (IFC)
The modeling of automation systems involves the development of a specific IFC for automation and control systems. An IFC is an open and neutral data model that describes building and construction industry data to facilitate interoperability of the data between designers, contractors and facility management. The IFC model specification is registered by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and is an official International Standard (ISO 16739:2013). The effort is referred to as Building Automation Modeling Information Exchange or BAMie.
11
large building automation
The proposed IFC for the Buildings Controls Domain has core entities to represent automation and control systems. During the design phase, when different design elements are being determined, the data exchange between automation and control systems can be coordinated with other design elements. The proposed domain models for automation systems are controllers, sensors, actuators, alarms and instruments, and control elements that have integrated panels and indicators. The model definitions are organized into addresses, configurations, connections, performance and components and types. Connections – The model definition of “connections” has logical and physical connections. The “IfcRelationship entity” can then model the connections. Inputs and outputs for devices such as controllers, actuators, thermostats and sensors can be mapped. Components and Types – Initially design components may be generic but at some stage of a project specific product data is needed and a product template can be used to organize the data. In this case an “IfcType Object” entity may be used to acquire product specifications and “IfcDocument References” can be used to provide links to installation and O&M manuals. Addresses – This model definition provides an addressing format for specific data points. It also seems like an area where Project Haystack could add some value. Project Haystack is an open source initiative that has developed naming conventions and taxonomies for building equipment and operational data. Standardizing addressing formats and “binding” addresses of data points to other objects in a building or buildings facilitates integration of the data and enriches the context of the data point by incorporating related data. Configuration – BAMie is ambitious in documenting automation and control system configurations. The idea is to make the information exchange between the system contractor, other designers, contractors and the facility manager or building owner more efficient. Configuration data can include data such as set points for specific building spaces, schedules, even alarm conditions. The usefulness of documenting system configurations for information exchange
12
may depend on the specific automation and control system, specifically the management workstations of the system, where configurations can be set. Performance – The proposed model definition for performance is interesting. Because BAMie data includes relationships between objects and artifacts and can produce a fluent exchange of data, it can facilitate the creation of performance metrics that an automation and control system would not be able to do, for example creating 3-D models or color coded floor plans of energy consumption trends over a time series. The building automation industry is abuzz with “data analytics.” Analytic software solutions for complex HVAC systems have shown substantial benefits in operations and energy management. The key is data. The proposed BAMie is not only a repository for comprehensive data in automation and control systems, but it provides a means that the data can be easily exchanged with other systems and other various colleagues involved in design, construction and operation of the building. The building automation industry needs to embrace and support the BAMie effort. Construction directors and facility managers should request designers and contractors provide system data and submittals in electronic format. Finally, the industry experience with BIM and information exchange to date is somewhat isolated to just architects, design engineers and construction companies. Not many facility management organizations have consumed and used BIM data despite the fact that the greatest benefits of BIM are in building operations. There are a number of facility management systems that can import BIM and populate FM applications such as asset management, preventative maintenance and document management. Facility Management Systems Able to Consume All or If we can acquire automation and control system data digitally in the proposed format from the start of a project, enrich the data with digital relationships within the building, coordinate it with other designers and finally populate our facility management systems, we will be on the road to better building performance.
•
James M. Sinopoli, PE, RCDD is Principal of Smart Buildings.
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2013
Research Viewpoints
The Impact of Cloud Computing on Intelligent Buildings By Casey Talon
Cloud delivery of energy management solutions is a growing trend in the smart buildings marketplace. According to IDC, cloud services are: “Consumer and business products, services, and solutions delivered and consumed in real time over a network (most often, the Internet).” The convergence of information technology and building automation is delivering increasingly sophisticated smart building solutions to the market. The IT architecture and reliance on analytics and data management that define these smart building solutions make cloud services an ideal fit. Facilities management has long been separated from information technology, so the question for the smart building industry is whether building operators and key decision makers are familiar and willing to invest in cloud-based energy management solutions. This article, extracted from the recent CABA white paper “The Impact of Cloud Computing on the Development of Intelligent Buildings” authored by IDC Energy Insights, will give building management decision makers some perspective on the trend toward cloud delivery of smart building energy management solutions and key hurdles and opportunities around integrating these solution in the United States.
a smart building as a facility that utilizes advanced automation and integration to measure, monitor, control and optimize operations and maintenance. The key concept is optimization – that is, real time, automated adaptation to internal polices and external signals. The point at which a facility can truly be characterized as a smart building is when there is complete integration of automation and control technologies enabled across energy consuming and producing equipment. IT architecture along with analytics and data management are key design components that enable this level of optimization. There is a significant increase in the amount of data management and analytics necessary to manage the kind of holistic energy management strategy driving this transformation of a facility into a smart building. The amount and variety of data derived from smart building systems require sophisticated analytics and data management solutions, and this need is amplified as owners look to smart campuses and/ or portfolios. Cloud-based energy management becomes even more attractive as facilities mature into smart buildings and the requirement for sophistication in analytics and data management become more vital.
Status of Smart Buildings
Role of Cloud Services in Developing Smart Buildings
Investment in smart building solutions is growing across business segments and regions. There is variation in demand based on business drivers, new construction versus retrofits and business segments; however, there are expectations for significant growth in the industry in the near term. The momentum in the market validates the assertion that the facilities management industry is undergoing a transformation, as information technology and building automation solutions combine to provide more sophisticated energy management capabilities. IDC Energy Insights has defined
Cloud-based computing is a growing trend in information technology due to the benefits of lower first costs associated with servers and equipment and external support services and the building management space, thereby enabling advancing energy management capabilities. Despite the straightforward definition of cloud services, there are elements of this delivery design that appears problematic to decision makers and can impact the adoption of cloud-based technologies. There is an assumption that end-users require cloud-based solutions to be flexible, elastic,
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2013
13
research viewpoints
and granular. What does this mean for energy management in commercial, industrial and institutional facilities? Interoperability. As facilities are transformed into smart buildings there is a significant shift in the level of controls, instrumentation and data associated with these systems. Furthermore, even in facilities with existing building energy management/automation systems, there will be a variety of control systems and related data formats. Cloud-based energy management solutions could provide open platform design capable of integrating data from these disparate systems with a level of granularity necessary to support the kind of holistic energy management strategies which drive smart building investment. Scalability. Cloud-based energy management solutions are marketed as flexible technologies capable of scaling as more data becomes available with the integration of smart building technologies over a growing array of building equipment. This kind of scalability reflects the elastic resource scaling. Value. Cloud-based smart building energy management solutions also utilize the elastic use based pricing models that generate interest from end-users that have limited budgets and finite resources. Table 1 highlights how critical attributes of cloud services can be applied to cloud-based smart building energy management solutions: Table 1: Cloud Computing Critical Attributes and the Development of Smart Buildings Shared, standard service
An evolution of roles and responsibilities is inherent in the transformation of a facility into a smart building due to the convergence of IT and building automation in the enabling technologies. As a result cloudbased smart building energy management solutions can serve this variety of decision makers across the enterprise cost effectively.
Selfservice
Effective cloud-based energy management solutions are designed to be used via a Web interface that clearly illustrates the energy use data associated with the control and automation systems directing the changes in equipment operations.
14
Elastic resource scaling
The transformation of a facility into a smart building requires integrating control and automation systems over a variety of building equipment. The process plays out through multiple investments and cloudbased energy management solutions must be able to scale up as the smart building technologies come online. Flexible and use based pricing models are central characteristics of cloud-based smart building energy management solutions.
Ubiquitous (authorized network access)
The cloud-based energy management solutions are by and large accessible via the Internet.
Standard UI technologies
Cloud-based smart building energy management solutions utilize standard user interface technologies
Published service interface/ API
The ability to combine services and leverage diverse data is central to the viability of cloud-based energy management solutions in the smart buildings market based on the definition of smart building analytics and data management, which requires the solution to utilize and communicate data delivered in desperate formats.
Source: IDC Energy Insights, 2012
Conclusions Business executives are investing in smart building technologies to manage energy costs, streamline operations and maintenance, differentiate their facilities, achieve sustainability and corporate social responsibility goals, and comply with new building codes and efficiency mandates. Cloud-based energy management solutions are emerging as a valuable delivery model to manage upfront costs and overcome resource constraints. There is an expectation that cloud-based energy management solutions will become more widely adopted as decision-makers become more familiar with the benefits of smart building analytics and data management and deploying truly holistic energy management strategies. For information about the CABA White Paper series, please contact George Grimes, CABA’s Business Development Manager at 613.686.1814 x226 or grimes@caba.org.
•
Casey Talon is a Senior Analyst with IDC Energy Insights.
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2013
KEN WACKS’ PERSPECTIVES
Transactive Energy for Balancing Smart Grids By Ken Wacks
Many governments have established national goals for the proliferation of renewable energy resources. For example, in 2008 the European Union adopted the 20-20-20 Renewable Energy Directive to reach the following goals by 2020: • Twenty percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared with 1990 levels. • Twenty percent reduction in energy consumption through improved energy efficiency. • Twenty percent increase in the use of renewable energy. In 2011 California lawmakers mandated that 33 percent of electricity must come from renewable sources by 2020. The three major investor-owned utilities in California passed the 20 percent threshold in July 2012 according to Renewable Energy World magazine. Renewable energy resources such as wind and solar produce power that varies with the weather and time-ofday. When more power is produced than can be used locally, some utilities buy the excess power and allow it to be fed onto the electric grid. Presently, the levels of renewable production in most countries are so low that this insertion of power has minimal impact on grid operations. However, as renewable production reaches about 30 percent of the total power needed in a region, renewable sources could impact the business of utility power production and the technology of power distribution via the grid. In previous issues of iHomes & Buildings, I introduced the GridWise® Architecture Council (GWAC). GWAC is a panel of 13 experts appointed by the United States Department of Energy to develop smart grid strategies for the government, the electric utility industry, and equipment suppliers. We have focused on developing guidelines for achieving interoperability among smart grid elements. We are now extending interoperability to Transactive Energy. Transactive Energy is a new business and technology
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2013
approach to managing the wide-scale deployment of renewable power generation. Balancing supply and demand
An electricity system requires a balance between generation supply and customer equipment demand. If the supply is inadequate, the AC frequency of 60-Hz may sag, currents may rise, and blackouts may ensue. A traditional utility is comprised of a limited number of generating stations and lots of industrial, commercial, and residential customers connected via a tree-like structure of transmission and distribution wires. A simplified view is shown in Figure 1. Balance in a traditional grid is achieved on a very short time scale of seconds by governors on the generators. A governor senses the speed of a generator, which varies slightly according to the customer equipment load, and adjusts the speed to maintain the 60-Hz AC output. On a time scale of 15 to 30 minutes, engineers at the electric plant can bring additional generators on line or take generators off line through a dispatch process as demand changes. Engineers at generating plants and independent system operators (ISOs) can anticipate loads a day ahead with more than 90 percent accuracy based on historical data, weather predictions, time-of-day, and weekday versus weekend. This continual procedure of adjusting supplies is called load following. Renewable Energy Resources and microgrids
The future of electricity generation and consumption looks quite different from the traditional utility. The installation of renewable energy resources such as solar, wind, and stationary batteries will proliferate. Excess power not consumed locally will be transferred onto the grid. This creates two-way power flows that will vary significantly by time-of-day and
15
ken wacks’ perspectives
Industrial Commercial
Transmission
Residential Distribution Customers Figure 1 – Conventional Electric Utility
weather. A passing cloud might reduce the output quickly in a neighborhood that has lots of solar power. Power production will be shared among traditional utility plants, renewable resources from large wind and solar farms, and distributed energy resources operated by customers. Eventually, the electricity grid may evolve from a tree structure to a mesh of local power grids called microgrids, as shown in Figure 2. Overview of Transactive Energy
As renewable energy installations expand, utilities and ISOs need to: • Adjust supplies to accommodate renewable energy resources. • Expand operational tools for achieving grid balance. • Include customer equipment as active participants in achieving grid balance. Electric plants have two categories of generators to produce power: • Base-load plants • Intermediate or peak-load plants The base-load plants use fuels such as coal or nuclear that operate most efficiently when running at full capacity all the time. They generate 30-40 percent of all power. As more power is needed during busy times of the day, the intermediate or peak-load plants, typically gas-fired, are brought online. Utilities will likely scale back or shut the intermediate or peak-load plants, and sometimes the base-load plants,
16
as renewable production surpasses 30 percent. Varying the output level of a base-load plant is usually not cost effective. Therefore, the intermediate and peak load plants need to be more responsive as renewable sources fluctuate. Fluctuating output from renewable energy resources reduces the accuracy of load-following supply predictions. Therefore, new tools are needed to achieve grid balance between supplies and demand. GWAC has been developing such a tool for this grid management function called Transactive Energy. Transactive Energy is an automated strategy for balancing the supply and demand for electricity. Traditional load “following” adjusts supplies, while Transactive Energy introduces market and technology methods that adjust both supplies and loads to achieve balance. Thus, utilities and customers will use elements of Transactive Energy. Transactive Energy markets and controls
Transactive Energy (TE) combines market forces and control techniques to achieve grid balance automatically. In a TE environment, power-producing devices may offer excess power to the grid via a market bid-and-ask mechanism. The device would propose power at a specified level and time, which could be a few minutes or hours later. Loads on the grid bid for this power, a price is agreed, and the power is delivered when promised to settle the trade. The price and power data are exchanged among the devices via a network using machine-to-machine (M2M) communications. This financial transaction model is similar to a stock market, but with significant physical and business constraints. Power must flow from source to load over wires that
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2013
ken wacks’ perspectives
Industrial Microgrid
Public Utility
Commercial Microgrid
Residential Microgrid
Figure 2 – A Cluster of Microgrids
have capacity limits. Customers expect lights and appliances to operate. Financial markets occasionally experience anomalies with price spikes and a temporary lack of liquidity where some buyers are shut out. The analogous situation in a retail electric market might result in some customers not able to afford power or not having power available at any price. This would be politically unacceptable. Therefore, TE balances market forces with network limitations and policies, such as a requirement to serve all customers with some minimum level of power. Elements of Transactive Energy
The GridWise Architecture Council created the GWAC Stack shown in Figure 3 to describe smart grids. As the GWAC Stack illustrates, smart grids combine communication technologies with information and organizational issues such as procedures, economics, and regulations. Drawing upon the GWAC Stack, I arranged the elements of Transactive Energy in a hierarchy as shown in Figure 4. These elements include physical devices, information, control, and policies. An important concept in TE is the establishment of a TE domain. TE is not like a national stock market, but more like
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2013
a farmers market, where buyers and sellers strike deals on a local or regional level. Eventually, TE could expand into a market comparable to an ISO. Transactive Energy challenges
Transactive Energy is a new concept that is now in field trials with some success stories. A consortium of utilities, equipment suppliers, and the Department of Energy has run successful demonstrations of TE features in the Pacific Northwest. Wide-scale deployment of TE faces challenges including: • The ability of TE to achieve grid balance consistently must be proved. • Methods must be developed for accommodating physical constraints such as feeder capacity limits. • TE must be scaled to the community or region. • Consumers need to be educated about TE, convinced of the benefits, and assured that the lights will stay on. Impact of Transactive Energy
For Transactive Energy to be effective and to proliferate, manufacturers need to adapt products such as appliances, thermostats, HVAC equipment (heating and cooling),
17
ken wacks’ perspectives
Economic/Regulatory Policy
Organizational (Pragmatics)
Business Objectives
7. Business unit strategies
Business Procedures
6. Strategies • Tactics • Workflow
Business Context
Informational (Semantics)
Technical (Syntax)
8. Political & economic objectives
5. Workflow • Messages
Semantic Understanding
4. Message meaning
Syntactic Interoperability
3. Data structure format
Network Interoperability
2. End-to-end data exchange
Basic Connectivity
1. Physical connections
Figure 3 – The GWAC Stack
Transactions
Transactive Policies
8. Price ranges, time limits, settlement
Transactive Markets
7. Offer & bid mechanism, order execution
Transactive Control
6. System dynamics, performance measures
Transactive Messages
Grid Structure
Grid Elements
5. Syntax and semantics of transactions
Grid Community
4. Transactive energy domains, participants
Grid Constraints
3. Node requirements, feeder capacity limits
Grid Interconnections Grid Nodes
2. Communications, computer networks 1. Sources, loads, storage, EM agents
Figure 4 – Elements of Transactive Energy
lighting, and distributed energy resources. Some low-cost devices may not be able to afford TE interfaces. TE functionality may be offered by systems acting as proxies for a group of these low-cost devices. These systems might include building automation systems and energy management agents (controllers for an energy management (EM) system). The GridWise Architecture Council organized the first Transactive Energy Conference on May 23 and 24, 2013. We hoped for about 50 attendees and ended up with 150 registered. The smart grid industry is starting to take note of TE. The GridWise Architecture Council will continue to work
18
with the Department of Energy to support TE integration into smart grids. Our goal is to maintain grid reliability as installations of renewable energy resources expand.
•
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 iHomes and Buildings Summer 2013
OPINION
Toward Connected and Interconnected Home Technologies By John Antonchick
Why don’t all of my networked home devices work together? This question has become more prominent with the widespread adoption of ZigBee smart energy (SE) radios running on the IEEE 802.15.4 radio platform in smart meters, while in-home consumer electronic (CE) devices typically use Z-Wave, ZigBee Pro, Wi-Fi, wired Ethernet, proprietary radio connections and cellular systems in mobile devices. At best, there is limited in-home interconnectivity between these systems. Even devices using a common communication standard (e.g., ZigBee) are often incompatible when supplied by different manufacturers or service providers. This incompatibility between various communicating products has become more widespread. In the U.S., some estimates place the installed base of “smart meters” (typically using ZigBee SE) at more than 30 million, while more than 80 percent of homes have “broadband” Internet (typically Wi-Fi and Ethernet). Millions of more in-home devices are also being installed (e.g., using Z-Wave, proprietary RF, and HomePlug). Many service providers have chosen one or two technologies to assure the services they provide will work well and have provided application software in “the cloud”. Such solutions however do not address the broader question posed above. Of course, there is more involved in creating a “connected home” vision where many devices using different communication standards and protocols interconnect. Even when devices can be physically interconnected, software applications must be able to recognize and interact appropriately. Several technology announcements made early this year promise great improvements by 2014. Below are some that caught my attention. Release of New Standards
First, the IEEE officially released its “hybrid networking” standard, P1905, which enables seamless interconnection
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2013
between Wi-Fi, powerline, and Ethernet connections. Qualcomm is calling this “HyFi” and supports this standard in their Wi-Fi and powerline products.This technology promises easier setup and interconnection (at the PHY/ MAC physical level) as well as unique identification of each connected device. Qualcomm has also developed and is supporting an open industry software standard called AllJoyn that enables functions like dynamically and automatically joining or leaving a network. AllJoyn is not part of an official standard yet, but Qualcomm has released this software and is supporting an open industry standard alliance. Qualcomm’s vision includes smarter gateways that can automatically handle interconnection and application software. Some “smart TVs” now utilize Qualcomm Snapdragon processors and Qualcomm is promoting the inclusion of hybrid interconnection (e.g., both cellular and Wi-Fi communications) in smart gateways. In April 2013, the ZigBee Alliance formally released a long-awaited specification for ZigBee SE 2.0. Current versions of ZigBee run only on radios conforming to the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. The new ZigBee SE 2.0 standard is designed to work on any suitable communication system (and supports IPv6). For practical purposes, that means that Zigbee SE 2.0 “protocols” work on Wi-Fi, powerline (HomePlug) and 802.15.4 radios; and could work on many other types of communications. This enables electric utilities as well as consumers to utilize powerlines where radios might not work. A high-speed network like Wi-Fi or Ethernet could also carry ZigBee signals and share the higher speed bandwidth of those networks with other applications, e.g., audio/video. For shared high-speed networks to satisfy utilities and consumers, priority signals must be supported and Qualcomm as an example is offering a technology they call StreamBoost to support emergency healthcare signals.
19
opinion
Increasing Chip Integration Several recent chip announcements suggest radically improved communication network solutions. Qualcomm in January announced a joint effort with Itron, one of the leading electric meter suppliers, that seems oriented to enabling Wi-Fi in smart meters. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips include communication functions (i.e., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS) now, as well as several other advanced functions. Although obviously targeted for use in smartphones, these chips could also be used in combination with a suitable media access control chip to support other types of communications, e.g., 802.15.4. High potential sales typically bring down costs and might enable cost-effective solutions. Gainspan, another advanced chip supplier, announced a new chip (the GS2000) in February 2013 that includes both Wi-Fi and ZigBee/802.15.4. Gainspan says it can support ZigBee SE 2.0 and other advanced applications. For example, the company is developing a reference design for a smart communicating electrical outlet. Other companies have enabled devices to communicate both with ZigBee 1.x and Wi-Fi using separate chips in applications such as interconnecting smart meters with in-home devices. Finally, both Texas Instruments and Gainspan have said that they are beginning to sample their newest chips to designers and expect that completed products could be in full production soon.
Current vs. New Approaches Are current “silo” solutions doomed? Absolutely not! While they might not do everything, as long as they satisfy consumers, they are sufficient. Currently, there are several efforts to improve connectivity and interoperability testing, through the introduction of certified Z-Wave, ZigBee, and other devices. ZigBee has been optimized both for performance and cost for targeted, low data rate applications. As a result, these solutions will continue to be optimal, though they will also facilitate the option of adding a smart gateway later that could add further interconnectedness and functionality. Personally, I expect that in the near future consumers will have multiple devices running different systems supplied by various providers including telcos, cable MSOs, security companies and retailers. I look forward to those possibilities.
•
John Antonchick is Principal of NCN Associates, a consultancy which provides industry analysis, strategic marketing, product planning and development, and business development/alliance services related to consumer electronics and networking. Recent engagements have included consulting on new energy efficiency LED lighting products, smart communicating electric outlets and communication-enabled HVAC systems.
HOME SYSTEMS continued from page 9
However, putting the two Internets side-by-side does not mean that there will be two Internets. The existing Internet of People will easily absorb the Internet of Things with the existing infrastructure, once the transition to IPv6 is completed. Beyond the Smart Home As mentioned the Internet of Things starts at the smart home, driven by utilities and MSOs and it will not stop there. The logical next step is from the smart home to smart buildings, and a lot is already happening in this space, maybe not directly connected to the Internet of Things, but that will be just a small step further. Beyond the smart buildings there are already many ideas floating around about smart cities. One interesting example of a simple, but effective
20
application: Why should a street light burn when there is no traffic? With the increasing pressure to conserve energy, this application can be a small, but very effective contribution. All that is required is a motion sensor in a street lamp and an effective standard infrastructure that interprets the data that comes in. Also industries, logistics and agriculture will benefit from the wave of sentrollers that is currently rolling out for the smart home and will multiply the number of devices that get connected to the Internet, populating the Internet of Things.
•
Cees Links is CEO of GreenPeak Technologies.
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2013
upcoming events Need information on upcoming industry events? Go to: www.caba.org/events
4th Annual Smart Grid Modernization Summit
Expo PREDIALTEC 2013
June 12-13, 2013
September 11-13, 2013
Toronto, ON
S達o Paulo, Brazil
www.smartgridsummit.ca
www.predialtec.com
InfoComm 2013
36th World Energy Engineering Congress (WEEC)
June 12-14, 2013
September 25-27, 2013
Orlando, FL
Washington, DC
www.infocommshow.org
www.energycongress.com
Realcomm 2013
Shanghai Intelligent Building Technology
June 12-13, 2013
September 25-27, 2013
Orlando, FL
Shanghai, China
www.realcomm.com/realcomm-2013
bit.ly/11df6yV
IBCon 2013
CEDIA EXPO
June 12-13, 2013
September 25-28, 2013
Orlando, FL
Denver, CO
www.realcomm.com/ibcon-2013
expo.cedia.net
4th Annual Affordable Housing Projects
FTTH 2013 Conference & EXPO
June 17-19, 2013
September 30 - October 3, 2013
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tampa Bay, FL
www.marcusevans.com
bit.ly/XkLmDA
Funding & Financing Energy Improvement Projects
Security Canada Central
Webinar: June 21, 2013 12:30-2:00 p.m. ET
Toronto, ON
www.coradvisors.net
October 23-24, 2013 www.securitycanadaexpo.com
High-Performance Buildings Conference September 11-13, 2013
ISA Automation Week
Falls Church, VA
November 5-7, 2013
www.esmagconference.com
Nashville, TN www.isaautomationweek.org
XII Conference Live September 11-13, 2013
AHR EXPO 2014
S達o Paulo, Brazil
January 21-23, 2014
www.congressohabitar.com.br
New York, NY www.ahrexpo.com
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2013
21
The Continental Automated Buildings Association, through its Connected Home Council and new Research Program, conducted the 2012 “Impact of Smart Grid on Connected Homes� Landmark Research study to greatly improve the understanding of residential Smart Grid development and deployment throughout the industry value-chain. The broad purpose of the research study was to identify market demand and growth areas for new products; compare competing product strategies and communication of competitors; determine product preferences for end users; develop messaging that resonates with the target audience; define critical success factors to expand product offerings to end user markets; and to establish a market approach and foundation for future strategic decision-making efforts.
The Impact of Smart Grid on Connected Homes Landmark Research investigated the current and future direction of the market and the opportunities smart grid represents for participants in the value chain. The study examined the concept of connected home desirability for consumers and the perceived benefits of controllability and energy savings that homeowners may derive. Other key objectives guiding the research were to identify future opportunities within grid-enabled energy efficiency, device and systems integration, and the development of a universal platform within the home. Further to this, the research gauged the
impact of future smart technology adoption rates, the desirability of quantifying energy savings and reducing operating costs, and the types of solutions likely to be developed to serve emerging needs over the long run. Ultimately, the research provided the foundation for potential next steps for industry participants in terms of: product/services research and development, business decision recommendations, optimal vertical market strategies and strategic alliances, education and training, and providing information on product demand into other parallel market segments and other business areas.
For a copy of the Executive Summary or to order the full report contact: George Grimes, CABA’s Business Development Manager, at 613.686.1814 x226 or Grimes@CABA.org Your Information Source for Home and Building Automation www.CABA.org