Summer 2014 Volume 11, Number 2
Lowe’s Launches Connected Home Retail Product Kevin Meagher is Lowe’s vice president and general manager, Smart Home. In this interview, he describes Iris, Lowe’s connected home solution.
www.caba.org/ihomesandbuildings
Building Automation Prepares for the Building Internet of Things (BIoT) CABA Launches Several New Market Research Studies Apples and Oranges in Building Automation When Building Automation Fails to Deliver
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?
Summer 2014, Volume 11, Number 2 Contents Features Home Systems
Lowe’s Launches Connected Home Retail Product by Kevin Meagher...................................................................7
Large Building Automation
Building Automation Prepares for the Building Internet of Things (BIoT) by Jim McHale.....................................11
Columns CABA President & CEO’s Message.................................................................................................................................3 CABA Research Briefs
Select the Right Solution for Environmental and Energy Management..................................................................5
The Elephant in the Living Room: How Our Appliances and Gadgets are Trampling the Green Dream.............. 6
Research Viewpoints
CABA Launches Several New Market Research Studies by Rawlson O’Neil King.................................................. 9
Ken Wacks’ Perspectives
Apples and Oranges in Building Automation......................................................................................................... 14
Opinion
When Building Automation Fails to Deliver by Zach Denning............................................................................... 19
Departments New Members.................................................................................................................................................................. 4 Industry Trends............................................................................................................................................................... 12 Networking and Events.................................................................................................................................................. 16 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-CHAIRS
Dr. Satyen Mukherjee Philips
Scot Adams Cadillac Fairview Corporation
Dr. Morad Atif National Research Council Canada
Jerine Ahmed Southern California Edison Company
Daniel Drolet PCN Technology, Inc.
Dr. Zouheir Mansourati TELUS Corporation
Scott Burnett IBM
Larry Ehlinger Pella Corporation
Stephen Nardi RealView, LLC
Debra Gondeck-Becker Honeywell Building Solutions
Eric Fournier WattStopper/Legrand
Tom Semler Hydro One Networks Inc.
Dr. David E. Claridge Texas A&M University
Ryan Gorostiza Qualcomm Incorporated
Eric Simmons Rogers Communications, Inc.
Jonathan Cluts Microsoft Corporation
Jeff Hamilton Ingersoll Rand
Dr. Hélène Vaillancourt CSA Group
Xavier Datin Schneider Electric
Raphael Imhof Siemens Industry, Inc.
Clint Wheelock Navigant Research
Jeffery Donne Robert Bosch LLC
Elizabeth Jacobs Intermatic, Inc.
Michel Dostie Hydro-Québec
Darrell Jones SecurTek Monitoring Solutions
DIRECTORS
CABA PRESIDENT & CEO’S MESSAGE Ron Zimmer While the majority of industry stakeholders in the “connected home and intelligent buildings” sector have been very familiar with the term “Internet of Things (IoT)”, many others have only been recently learning about this term. Social and mainstream media are frequently discussing IoT or “Internet of Everything”. A case in point is a June 2, 2014 blog by Francesco Radicati, from Informa telecoms & media. Francesco notes “the rise of the Internet of Things has brought a renewed interest in hardware. Now that our phones can power a number of activities, from calorie counting to checking sound levels, designers are becoming more interested in the interplay between hardware and software. Fitness trackers like the Jawbone UP or Nike Fuelband are the most obvious examples, but developers are growing more interested in automating other devices, whether a smoke alarm or lighting systems or ovens.” The point is that the transformation of integrated systems is happening at a rapid pace and it will be driven by many things, not the least which is IoT and M2M. So how can those in the building sector better understand how their organizations can take advantage of these new opportunities? The CABA Board of Directors has given strong strategic direction to CABA to continue to be an “Information Source of Home and Building Automation”. Organizations can join the 350+ CABA members that access the largest “connected home, intelligent buildings, M2M and IoT” library in the world. With assistance from the CABA Information Council, a record 352 research reports, case studies and white papers were added in 2013. The CABA Research Program continues to be a major association initiative with the two Landmark Research projects moving forward: “Connected Consumer Roadmap – Driven by the IoT” and “Intelligent Buildings and Big Data”. CABA is also undertaking an update of the 2010 “Intelligent & Integrated Buildings Technologies: Market Sizing for North America” market research study and there are already 11 sponsors committed to this project. Finally, CABA is close to launching a “Zero Net Energy Buildings: Building Automation Driving Success” study. There is still time to get full details and join these exciting and collaborative research initiatives. Have a great summer.
There isn’t another group like CABA! CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2014
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.
Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
The Electric Power Research Institute conducts research, development and demonstration (RD&D) relating to the generation, delivery and use of electricity for the benefit of the public. An independent, non-profit organization, the group brings together scientists and engineers as well as experts from academia and the industry to help address challenges in electricity. Rogers Communications, Inc.
Rogers Communications is a diversified public Canadian communications and media company. It operates particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, telephone, and Internet connectivity with significant additional telecommunications and mass media assets. Rogers Communications, Inc. has been appointed to the CABA Board of Directors. Support.com Support.com is a leading provider of cloud-based services and software designed to enhance a customer’s experience with technology. The firm helps leading brands create new revenue streams and deepen customer loyalty through programs that enhance their customers’ technology experience. The firm’s partners include many of the nation’s leading communications providers, retailers and technology companies. Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station. It is the fourth-largest university in the United States and the largest university in Texas. Texas A&M’s is designated as a land, sea, and space grant institution and ranks in the top 20 American research institutes in terms of funding. Texas A&M University has been appointed to the CABA Board of Directors.
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 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.
SELECT THE RIGHT SOLUTION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY MANAGEMENT This IBM paper addresses environmental and energy management tactics for organization to implement today with continuous improvements. IBM suggests solutions in five key areas: (1) energy data capture and analysis; (2) facilities operation and maintenance; (3) portfolio and project management; (4) facilities space management; and (5) management system architecture. Energy efficiency within an organization’s buildings and other facilities offers a cost-effective way to achieve significant, quick and measurable improvements. Monitoring and analyzing best practices across the property portfolio, identifying anomalies in operations, and tracking and identifying the best energy investments can dramatically reduce energy consumption. To do this, organizations must first capture – and benchmark – energy usage. They can then prioritize their focus on their worst-performing facilities and make improvements to reap the greatest financial and environmental return on investment (ROI) capital. Collecting and analyzing environmental and energy data to identify high-return investments are critical components to any sustainability program. The ideal energy management solution would streamline and automate environmental and energy performance measurements, as well as data evaluation and the implementation of environmental and energy projects. It would also provide real-time monitoring, simplify reporting and ease data quality audits. Quality energy efficiency solutions should have the following characteristics: • Provide a role-based dashboard for energy and sustainability professionals, and also enable end-user dashboard configuration to fit personal work styles • Automate the capture of commercial building energy data from energy meters and building management systems • Deliver pre-built forms and data validation processes for off-line capture of primary energy data from utility bills and third-party service providers • Deliver pre-built, wizard-based forms for direct manual entry of primary energy data from utility bills and thirdparty service providers • Support multiple currencies as well as a system currency standard for global reporting purposes and multiple units of measure for energy and area • Automate data exchange processes with third-party energy performance benchmarking services such as ENERGY STAR in order to normalize energy performance data • Provide pre-built performance metrics to analyze and forecast energy use and spend against internal and external energy benchmarks
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2014
5
CABA RESEARCH BRIEFS
• Normalize and analyzes energy performance by occupant and areas, including energy cost ration, energy use intensity and renewable energy ratios • Provides real-time monitoring of energy use, equipment performance metrics and events • Provides real-time alerts about sub-optimal conditions occurring in a building, including conditions such as simultaneous heating and cooling, equipment not on automated schedules and steam leaks • Automate calculations and reporting of scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions against internal and external benchmarks
THE ELEPHANT IN THE LIVING ROOM: HOW OUR APPLIANCES AND GADGETS ARE TRAMPLING THE GREEN DREAM This report from the Energy Saving Trust (UK) promotes the idea of reducing electricity emissions from domestic appliances. Meeting the UK’s 2020 target of 34 percent in emissions reduction will require dramatic cuts to household energy consumption. The “elephant in the room” is refers to the fact that UK households are buying more energy-efficient products, while concurrently, the amount of energy consumption in homes is increasing. Recommendations are made about what retailers and consumers can do to reduce emissions. Many different statistics and predictions on domestic energy consumption are given including: lighting, refrigeration, cooking, washing, consumer electronics and home computing from the past, present and future. Based on current trends, the 34 percent emissions reduction target will not be met, but there will still be a decrease in emissions. Electricity demand from lighting is expected to Product group
Energy use in 1990 (TWh)
their predicted market share over the coming
Lighting
16.6
17.5
15.8
11.7
years.
Refrigeration
16.8
15.9
14.5
10.5
Cooking
11.7
13.0
13.3
13.3
Washing
11.8
13.6
14.2
15.7
Consumer electronics
12.1
19.9
20.8
21.9
Home computing
1.3
5.4
6.5
6.9
70.3
85.3
85.1
80
fall by 25 percent by 2020 if all the policies and legislation in place now are successfully implemented, and the new efficient technologies gain
Traditional domestic appliances—washing machines, cookers, fridges—are expected to consume about 9.2 percent less energy by 2020, if all existing and planned policy interventions are successful. Consumer electronics – televisions, set-top boxes, radios, DVD and Blu-ray players and other ‘infotainment’ items – are expected to increase
Total
Energy use in 2005 (TWh)
Energy use in 2009 (TWh)
Projected energy use in 2020 (TWh)
Table 1: Electricity use, and projected demand, for domestic products from 1990 to 2020
their energy demand by five percent (1.1TWh) by 2020, according to current predictions. Home computing, or information and communication technology (ICT), is predicted to rise slightly by about seven percent (0.5TWh) by 2020, given the policies currently in place. This includes computers, laptops, computer monitors, printers, scanners and home photocopiers. The chart shows the energy demand profile of each product group in 1990, 2005 & 2009, and the prediction for energy demand in 2020.
6
•
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2014
HOME SYSTEMS Lowe’s Launches Connected Home Retail Product Kevin Meagher, Lowe’s vice president and general manager for Smart Home, describes the Iris home solution. What is the latest connected home initiative from Lowe’s?
Iris is Lowe’s new connected home platform. It allows Lowe’s customers to monitor and control virtually everything in the home from anywhere. We currently offer the broadest array of connected products that can all be managed from a single, easy-to-use interface. From security systems to thermostats and smart plugs, Iris makes home automation simple, affordable, and scaleable with kits that start at $179 and no monthly fees for basic service. What is the vision for this product?
The “Internet of Things” is going to deliver exciting new opportunities. Lowe’s sells everything for the home and we see a future where the data from devices will allows us to provide valuable new services to our customers. We envision services that make homes safer, easier to manage and more energy efficient. Iris is the first open platform designed to deliver a unified experience for mainstream consumers. Lowe’s relationships with vendors will allow us to develop and deliver the broadest range of connected home products and services this means we are uniquely placed to help this market to realize its potential and we aim to work with our partners to become the consumers partner of choice for connected products and services. How does Iris work?
Iris is a cloud platform. It collects data from the devices in the home and presents it back to consumers in simple, user friendly interfaces. The platform utilizes a small hub in the home to connect all the devices. This supports the most popular open standards including ZigBee and Z-Wave
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2014
and WiFi. We offer an open platform that works seamlessly across numerous vendor partners. Devices that have been certified to work with Iris out of the box have the “Works with Iris” logo. Backed by the buying power and customer service of Lowe’s, Iris delivers on the promise of the smart home today – in a way that is immediately and easily accessible to consumers across America and helps each of the company’s vendor partners enter the market at scale. In the past, this wouldn’t have been possible because home automation was too expensive. Thanks to significantly reduced costs, industry analysts now believe that the home automation market will grow 47 percent annually over the next four years. Iris is well positioned to a consumer’s product of choice in the connected home space. What are different options for the Iris product?
Iris offers consumers a simple path to a complete smart home solution. Iris offers three starter kits. The Iris Safe & Secure package costs $179 US and provides peace of mind by using motion and contact sensors to monitor the home’s security, sending an email, text or call when the alarm is triggered. The kit also includes an Iris Hub, motion and contact sensors for your doors, windows and cabinets, and a keypad. The Iris Comfort & Control kit is also $179 US, and gives consumes the ability to manage energy consumption with a thermostat and smart plug to remotely controlling devices. The smart plugs offer the ability to turn on lamps while you’re away, to simulate someone being home, or turn off devices, such as a stove or television, while your children are home alone after school.
7
HOME SYSTEMS
Finally, the Iris Smart Kit combines the contents of both packages to deliver a full smart home solution and costs $299 US. You can also buy additional accessories as your needs grow and change over time. Consumers can also enjoy the benefits of Iris from Lowe’s right out of the box. The basic monitoring and control features of Iris are free, which means consumers can manage their home security and energy consumption from a portable device without any additional costs. For consumers who want still more features, Lowe’s offers a premium service for $9.99 per month, and bucks industry trends by not requiring a long-term contract and offering a simple pay-as-you-go service. At CES, Lowe’s introduced new features for Iris. Please describe them.
Iris’s newest product features, along with its expansive vendor relationships with brands consumers know and trust such as First Alert, Honeywell, Schlage, and Whirlpool, aim to deliver on the promise of the smart home today. We are constantly adding new features and devices. The new Iris features include water shut-off valves that cut supply when a leak is detected, smart sprinkler systems to manage water consumption, the ability to link to smart meters to make energy consumption visible, new garage door openers, additional energy saving devices and more convenient ways to program the home including a voice control through the App. We will even be launching a new, WiFi-enabled hot water heater from Whirlpool that will save on energy. One of our more recent additions is a controllable water hose timer. This works with Iris to make it easy to turn your hose faucet on or off and execute a rain delay directly from your smart phone. And like the irrigation timers, you can also take advantage of the flexible Iris scheduling interface. What future products will be made available through Iris?
Smart Water Heater
The Iris connected thermostats allow consumers to save energy; after air-conditioning, the water heater is homes’ big energy hog. The new Whirlpool hot water heater will have a number of energy saving programs to help consumers make savings.
8
Water Irrigation We will soon add an Orbit 12-station underground irrigation timer to Iris so you can now water your entire lawn with ease and never need to waste water. Schedule which zones need watering, the watering duration, and sequences of watering with a simple, easy to use graphic interface. Iris makes it extremely easy to make changes to your schedules, override an existing schedule from your smart phone, and includes watering by week, interval, or odd/even days. With these new features, you can now manage up to 12 zones through the Iris website or on the go with the Iris mobile app. Tilt Sensor ($39.97 US: Available in select stores and on Lowes.com in June)
Want to know if your garage door is opened or closed or if someone opens your jewelry box? Use the NYCE tilt sensor to detect the orientation of any device. Create magic rules to be notified when your garage door or jewelry box has been opened. Smart Pet Door ($220.00 US: Available in select stores and on Lowes.com in June)
Now you can customize your pet’s access into and out of your home with PetSafe Pet Door. As with any Iris locks, you may lock or unlock the Smart Pet Door anytime with the touch of a button. Use auto mode to let your pets pass through the pet door conveniently. With these new features, you can now monitor your pet’s activity and control your pet door through the Iris website or on the go with the Iris mobile app. Thermostat Auto Mode Enhancements
Iris is now easier to use when your thermostat is set to auto mode. Auto mode now allows you to set your heating and cooling targets while in schedule, hold or presence status. In order to use auto mode with a schedule, please use the Iris Web site and navigate to the thermostat widget to set-up your schedule. Since Iris’s launch, Lowe’s has broadened its offering, introduced a new connected home section in stores, and completed a nationwide rollout of products—creating a one-stop-shop for the connected home.
•
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2014
RESEARCH VIEWPOINTS
CABA Launches Several New Market Research Studies By Rawlson O’Neil King
The Continental Automated Buildings Association recently launched a number of new projects through its Research Program. The CABA Research Program offers a range of opt-in technical and advisory research services designed to provide industry stakeholders with collaborative market research and R&D opportunities. The program is designed to be flexible and to maximize relevant and actionable results for all research participants while concurrently sharing and minimizing costs. It leverages agnostic, systematic and proven project management techniques to ensure that realistic and neutral research results are achieved. The Continental Automated Buildings Association, through its Intelligent & Integrated Buildings Council, has begun to conduct a comprehensive update to its original “Intelligent and Integrated Buildings Technologies: Market Sizing in North America 2010” report. “CABA is pleased to announce that through a new research project update, the organization will continue its strong tradition of conducting market research in the intelligent and integrated building technology space,” stated Ronald J. Zimmer, CABA President & CEO. “The resultant market forecasting derived from CABA’s updated “Market Sizing North America Version 2” report will allow more of our membership to undertake informed strategic planning as they launch new products and services.” The original “Intelligent and Integrated Buildings Technologies: Market Sizing in North America
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2014
2010” report provided an in-depth analysis of the North American market for integrated and converged intelligent building control systems. The report examined environmental control technologies, fire detection, security, lighting systems and IT convergence. CABA’s new, updated “Market Sizing North America Version 2” research project will include a market review of the threats to the building automation and control systems (BACS) business, that include: new direct expansion central air conditioning (DX AC) entrants, increasing sophistication of air conditioning (AC) and heating controls, variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems equipped with control and energy management functionality, and new developments in smart homes and communicating room controllers. CABA’s updated market sizing study will also be designed to assist industry stakeholders focus on a large range of concerns involved in the design, manufacture and installation of intelligent buildings controls. The study will assess market sizes by product at the first point of distribution, products at engineered and commissioned prices and determine the total value added, factoring in hardware price erosion, throughout the entire supply chain. CABA’s updated study will be designed to be of interest to: building controls manufacturers; systems integrators; controls contractors; facility management companies; energy management service companies; original equipment manufacturers of heating, ventilation and air conditioning hardware; architects; building services consultants;
9
RESEARCH VIEWPOINTS
security, fire alarm and lighting control companies; telecommunications and computer hardware manufacturers; network and structured cabling suppliers; and installers. Funding partners participating in CABA’s updated market sizing study include: Belimo Air Controls Inc., Honeywell International, Inc., Johnson Controls, KMC Controls, MechoSystems Inc., Overhead Door Corporation, Panduit Corporation, Philips, Siemens Industry, Inc., Schneider Electric, United Technologies - Building & Industrial Systems. The “Market Sizing North America Version 2” research project will be conducted by the UK-based Building Services Research and Information Association. BSRIA’s Worldwide Market Intelligence unit has over 25 years of experience in global market research and have conducted studies in affiliated CABA subsectors such as air conditioning, heating, IT cabling, piping, bathroom equipment, building control systems, renewables, facilities management and contracting.
“We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to undertake this research on behalf of CABA,” stated Jeremy Towler, Senior Manager - Energy & Smart Technologies at BSRIA. “It is our intention to examine how technologies and business approaches are rapidly evolving, along with the changing patterns that are creating new business models and value chain networks.” CABA has also launched a research program focused on “Intelligent Buildings and Big Data”. CABA launched the study because of the industry consensus that the proliferation of intelligent devices and Internet technologies has created an exponential increase in the volume, velocity, and variety of data. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as “Big Data”. Current data management systems are not capable of processing this new influx of data, and as a result companies are forced to ignore the majority of the data available. The goal of this research project is to identify new tools and resources that can help companies filter, analyze, and use Big Data collected from intelligent and integrated buildings.
10
Leveraging Big Data will enable a better understanding of customer behaviors, competition, and market trends. Research on utilizing Big Data from building systems is crucial to staying competitive in a dynamic connected marketplace. Funding partners participating in CABA’s Intelligent Buildings and Big Data study include: Cadillac Fairview Corporation, CSA Group, Honeywell International, Inc. Hydro-Québec, Ingersoll Rand/Trane, Johnson Controls, Philips, Robert Bosch LLC, Rogers Communications, Siemens Industry, Inc. and Wattstopper/Legrand. CABA has also launched a new Connected Consumer Roadmap research project. Using a two-phase research approach, including both an extensive consumer survey and in-depth industry interviews, IHS & CABA will consider a vast ecosystem, much wider than the connected home. This unique landmark research study will leverage an “Internet of Things” perspective: taking into account a consumer-focused view, from both inside and outside of the home. The roadmap will examine the health and wellness, entertainment, mobility, transportation, and security segments. The “Connected Consumer Roadmap: Driven by the Internet of Things” research study will assess consumer expectations around the enabled devices they use every day to live in a fully connected world, and also provide insight into key industry topics, ranging from cybersecurity to privacy. Importantly this research will explore and identify new opportunities and solutions within ecosystems and across ecosystems. Funding partners participating in CABA’s Connected Consumer Roadmap study include: Alarm.com, Arrayent, Hydro One Networks Inc., Hydro-Québec, Intermatic, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Pella Corporation, Qualcomm Incorporated, Schneider Electric, SecurTek Monitoring Solutions, TELUS and UPnP Forum. For more information about the CABA Research Program, please see www.caba.org/research. To learn more on how to participate in any of these studies, please contact Greg Walker, CABA’s Research Director, at 613.686.1814 x227 or at walker@caba.org.
•
Rawlson O’Neil King is Communications Director at the Continental Automated Buildings Association.
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2014
LARGE BUILDING AUTOMATION Building Automation Prepares for the Building Internet of Things (BIoT) Jim McHale examines new pathways for integrating technologies in buildings. Echelon recently released findings from an online survey showing that that majority of planners intend to integrate lighting, HVAC and security systems into a common platform. This was hardly a surprising finding and nor was the statement that almost half of building automation projects today involve legacy systems running multiple protocols from different vendors. The conclusion given that multi-protocol and converged solutions will be key to extracting optimal benefit from the emerging Building Internet of Things (BIoT)” aka IoT, confirmed for us that their respondents were realists and that they had not been overwhelmed by BIoT hype. Almost half the survey respondents indicated that more than 50 percent of their building retrofit projects involve multiple protocols such as BACnet, LonTalk, DALI, C-Bus, Modbus, KNX, etc. that currently do not intercommunicate. Integration of different siloed building services can be achieved through joining them together at the top end through specialist software products such as Tridium’s Niagara Framework. While this solution has its limitations, it is a practical means of reducing operating costs that boost energy efficiency while increasing comfort for people in the building. For existing buildings this solution is likely to continue for many years to come for building operators are unlikely to be able to justify the case for ripping out the existing systems and migration to single BIoT platforms. For new construction projects BIoT is a much more technically and financially attractive solution, not least because it lays the foundation for the long term viability and future for buildings and this is where it will be first exploited. (Our definition of BIoT is the overlaying of an IP network which connects all the building services; monitoring, analyzing and controlling without human intervention).
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2014
But is it today a viable technical and commercial proposition?
The answer is “no” despite all the hype from the scores of research reports about the opportunities to realise the technical market potential. Few provide any details about the technical and commercial challenges that still have to be overcome. BIoT networks will place huge demands on nodes and the network infrastructure. It will create significant engineering challenges and the need to look at total end-to-end network solutions. Comprehensive understandings of the scale of the data capture devices and the diverse locations transmitting information to the supervisory and analytical software, along with “Big Data”, needs to be satisfied. A single solution will not be able to service the vast array of sensor types and network characteristics, while at the same time also achieve optimal performance and use of resources to meet the needs of all stakeholders. Wireless networks will be critical for application in existing buildings, and the loads required will need energy harvesting systems sufficient for many hundreds of sensors and controllers. Further development work needs to be done on this if BIoT is going to cost effectively deliver the solution. The good news on all of this is that today’s engineers are trained and prepared to tackle these challenges, so BIoT will happen; but not as quickly as some market research companies say. The bad news is that the routes to market necessary to implement BIoT are not in place yet and the role and responsibilities of the players in the decision making process will need to be changed because these are different for each of the major building services. The contract for the building energy management system (BEMS) is part of the mechanical contract; lighting is organized through the low voltage
11
LARGE BUILDING AUTOMATION
electrical contract; and security is bid separately through a security consultant designer. We then have a multiplicity of relatively smaller contracts including fire detection and voice evacuation, lift controls, electrical power back-up, communications, parking, utility meters, vending machines, energy management, water management, landscaping/irrigation, digital signage and by no means do these encompass all the different types of devices and elements you might find in a building. All of these data sources will eventually need to interface and work within the BIoT network. So in the medium term, BIoT networks need to work alongside current building automation systems being implemented gradually; with priority given to those services that can deliver the most benefits and highest ROI. With time, the BIoT network will be scaled up and interface with all the services that the building owner requires. At the same time we expect to see a gradual consolidation in the number of protocols used within the different building automation systems and for some of them to be used across different services. This will allow more direct integration between these services so that both the product and installation cost can be brought down and simplify the interface with the BIoT. Memoori’s research into lighting controls has shown that one platform could be used for both HVAC and lighting in medium-sized and small commercial buildings because each new LED fixture can now be a node on an intelligent network 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 not associated with lighting, but other environmental controls, including security and safety; delivering value add services for the business enterprise. Having struggled for the last 15 years to get all the environmental services in buildings to work together, we have now reached a point where connectivity can be achieved directly through IP allowing the BIoT to become a reality. Having completed two reports on LED lighting and lighting controls, Memoori is convinced that LED lighting controls could now act as a catalyst for the opening up of the BIoT; however the network will require time to develop and achieve this. The case for retrofitting buildings with LED lighting
has become very compelling and wireless technology has negated the need for control wiring, reducing the installation cost. This will result in LED lighting controls being installed in many more buildings that don’t have building energy management systems. Our research has shown many instances where 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, which 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. While fully comprehensive BIoT is still some way off, much is being done to meet the technical challenges and the capability to deliver a solution is not in doubt. LED lighting control is leading building automation into BIoT and could well take a number of other building services with it; while consolidation in the number of communication protocols will help to speed up BioT implementation.
•
Jim McHale is a founder partner at Memoori Business Intelligence Ltd.
INDUSTRY TRENDS Intelligent Building Equipment The Asian market for building automation equipment will grow to more than US$1 billion in 2015, according to a study by IHS. Growth in the Asian market for building automation equipment is being driven by several key factors, including a recovering manufacturing industry; increasing urbanization in China, India, and Southeast Asia; and a growing commitment towards the use of green building solutions. IHS Electronics & Media is a CABA member
Streaming Media Nearly half of all U.S. homes subscribe to Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime or several of those services, Leichtman Research Group has found. A similar number also has one or more TV sets linked to the Internet, compared to about one in four in
12
2010, according to Leichtman.
KEN WACKS’ PERSPECTIVES
Apples and Oranges in Building Automation By Ken Wacks
Building control systems have been evolving slowly since the introduction of the thermostat in the 1880s. A diversity of applications has been developed independently for building services such as comfort control, energy management, lighting, public address, signage, security, elevators and escalators, and power management. I worked with the Intelligent Buildings Institute to identify a communications protocol for interconnecting these diverse building automation systems (BAS). We chose three contenders from a list of 35 protocols based on 200 criteria. I reported on this in the CABA Home & Building Automation QUARTERLY, the predecessor to iHomes & Buildings, in the winter of 1993: “The Challenge of Specifying a Protocol for Building Automation”. That was more than 20 years ago, and the industry is still seeking the solution for interoperability. So why are attempts at interconnecting BAS systems like mixing “apples and oranges”? How will the BAS industry achieve interoperability? CABA addressed this topic during the CABA Intelligent Buildings & Digital Home Forum held April 2, 2014 in Washington, DC. I moderated a discussion on “Solutions for Interoperability between Competing Standards and Protocols” with panelists: • Toby Considine, Principal, TC9 (Chair of oBIX) • Robin Ford, VP, Business Development, Manager, Global Caché • Tom Lohner, Vice President, exp US Services Protocol choices
For the past 20 years there have been industry-wide attempts to agree on unified specifications for home and building networks. It didn’t happen. Application developers seeking to deploy products for building automation must adjust to this reality. Some in our industry and government talk about developing a single standard for home automation and a single standard for
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2014
building control. My response is, “Been-there / seen-that / not likely.” Instead, the focus has shifted to making devices on a diversity of networks interoperate. International approach to interoperability
I chair an international standards committee under ISO/ IEC that has been developing standards for interoperability. Our scope includes home and building systems. About 90 countries can vote on our standards. Our goal is to lower costs for product manufacturers and to create a worldwide market for home and building automation systems. Initially we sought a uniform command set and a single interface that was network-independent. Because of market pressures, we are now focusing on a gateway to interconnect dissimilar networks and on interoperability among applications designed for these networks. Gateway
We have written standards for communication protocols and automatic network configuration through a discovery process. In 2012, we completed standards for the Gateway and Product Interoperability. These standards can apply to some commercial buildings to support building automation. Gateway series of standards: ISO/IEC 15045
The Gateway standards specify the architecture for a premises network to interconnect with a public network, such as the Internet. This enables the delivery of services. For example, electricity price data and/or control signals may be sent via the gateway to appliances for energy management or to an Energy Management Agent, which is responsible for allocating energy among multiple appliances.
13
KEN WACKS’ PERSPECTIVES
WAN Device
WAN = Wide Area Network LAN = Local Area Network
LAN Device ISO/IEC 15045
Gateway
Public Network
Building Network
Remote Management
Safety Security Privacy
WAN Interface
WAN <–> LAN Protocal Translator
LAN Interface
Firewall
Figure 1 – International Gateway Standard
Product Interoperability series of standards: ISO/ IEC 18012
Product Interoperability standards make it possible for devices such as sensors, actuators, controllers, and user interfaces from different companies to work together for integrated applications.
14
Product interoperability options Our international committee has decided to look at the top-level issue of product interoperability, independent of a particular protocol. We recognize that there will be multiple protocols for premises networks and products supplied Service Module (Application Support) WAN Media
LAN Media DSL Card
Wi-Fi Card
Fiber Optic Card
KNX Card
Cable Card
Power Line Card
Radio Card
Gateway Link
As with all gateways, the primary function of the international standard gateway is to translate between Wide Area Network signaling outside the house and Local Area Network signaling inside the house. A distinguishing feature of the international standard gateway is the incorporation of a firewall in hardware and software. The firewall plays an important roll in providing security, privacy, and safety. A firewall can limit what types of messages can flow into and out of the house to ensure privacy. This gateway standard also accommodates remote management so a service provider could configure the gateway for a specific application such as energy management. The elements of the standard gateway are shown in Figure 1. A general-purpose gateway might include plug-in cards, as illustrated in Figure 2. This would permit adaptations for various Wide Area Networks. Options could include signaling via cable TV, digital telephone techniques (DSL), and wireless. On the building side, cards are shown for a choice of popular networks. The Gateway Link contains the translation functions. To promote interoperability the gateway has an optional feature to interconnect dissimilar local area
networks for interoperability. The Service Module supports the firewall features of the gateway and facilitates applications.
Echonet Card LonTalk Card U-SNAP Card
WAN Interfaces LAN Interfaces Gateway Plug-In Cards
Figure 2 – A General Purpose Gateway
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2014
KEN WACKS’ PERSPECTIVES
N...Network Node IWF...Interworking Function
IWF
Network B
Network B
IWF 7 Translators / Node
1 IWF Translator / Node
Network C
ISO/IEC 18012
Figure 3 – Options for Product Interoperability
by a variety of manufacturers. The international standard gateway provides the mechanism for protocol translation to interconnect different networks. We identified the need for complementary standards to provide application interoperability. The interoperability standards, based on a proposal from IBM, specify a common method to classify and to describe key functions using XML schemas. A base level schema defines primitives. Schemas specific to applications are being added. Figure 3 highlights two fundamentally divergent methods for achieving interoperability among systems designed for different communication protocols with different message sets. In this drawing, each Node may be on a separate incompatible communications network. On the left, a message translation between every pair of nodes is required for interoperation. So each node needs to understand different message sets from seven other nodes. On the right, each message is translated to a single common message set we call the Interworking Function for interoperation. A product maker could continue to program nodes with a proprietary message set, if they wish, and include the standard Interworking Function. At the bottom right of this figure is an illustration on how we might interconnect a switch, sensor, and lamp originally designed for three incompatible networks.
1. How will interoperability benefit customers? • Lower-cost equipment? • More equipment and service choices? • New service providers to manage interoperability? • New integrated services (e.g., lighting plus energy management)? 2. Will interoperability hurt vendor profits? • Will interoperability stimulate competition? • Will costs shift from service contracts to equipment? 3. Can all existing networks be made interoperable? • How can we interconnect with proprietary protocols? • Can all functions be mapped from one network to another? 4. When will interoperability be achieved?
•
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.
Interoperability challenges
Interoperability is a work in progress. Here are some questions yet to answered completely:
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2014
15
NETWORKING & EVENTS Over the past 25 years, CABA has brought together industry and thought leaders at numerous workshops and events.
CABA held its third Intelligent Buildings & Digital Home Forum at the Dupont Circle Hotel in Washington, DC on April 2, 2014.
Kevin Stine, Manager of the Security Outreach and Integration Group, with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, was the lunchtime keynote speaker at the CABA Intelligent Buildings & Digital Home Forum and spoke on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurityâ&#x20AC;?.
16
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2014
Bob Lane, Managing Partner at Robert H. Lane & Associates and Dan Probst, Chairman of Energy and Sustainability Services at JLL participate in the Funding and Financing Intelligent Building Solutions session at the CABA Intelligent Buildings & Digital Home Forum.
Darlene Pope, Founder and Principal of CoR Advisors, leads a session at the CABA Intelligent Buildings & Digital Home Forum.
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2014
17
The Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA) continues to be an industry leader and Your Information Source for Home & Building Automation. CABA members will benefit from the CABA Research Program, which provides great opportunities to participate in collaborative research projects and pilot programs. CABA invites you to participate in four new collaborative research projects: Connected Consumer Roadmap: Driven by the Internet of Things Using both an extensive consumer survey and indepth industry interviews, this project will examine the vast connected home ecosystem, taking into account the emerging Internet of Things. Intelligent Buildings and Big Data CABA will examine new tools and resources that can help companies filter, analyze, and use Big Data collected from intelligent and integrated buildings. Intelligent Buildings - Market Sizing North America Report This study will examine new market entrants, increasing sophistication of AC and heating controls and energy management functionality, and new developments in smart homes and communicating room controllers. Zero Net Energy Buildings: Building Automation Driving Success This research will examine strategies and technologies applied in large commercial and multi-unit buildings, to identify zero net energy (ZNE) best practices that can become the references for developers, manufacturers, property managers, and property owners.
Benefits of the CABA Research Program are: • Reduced cost of research by working with other industry leaders in a collaborative research environment. • Completely formatted research reports that are actionable business tools. • Reduced workload for participating companies. • Collaborative setting without antitrust issues. • The need for legal work is reduced. • Organizations direct research objectives.
To learn how to become involved in these projects, please go to: www.caba.org/research
OPINION
When Building Automation Fails to Deliver By Zach Denning
We’ve all heard how amazing building automation is and of the advancements in the last 10 years – faster, energy efficient, the “total building package.” So why read this article? Does your building, despite its intricate control system, still suffer from energy and control issues? What really drives energy reduction in a building and how can you fine tune your equipment to achieve those efficiency standards? Launching into the world of building automation requires engaging in a hybrid role of HVAC energy specialist and IT liaison – yes, this does mean a global understanding of networking! Even through complex installations, advanced control of equipment and expert commissioning, an automation system is still condemned to failure without proper operation and maintenance. So what is the primary role of an automation system in a building? DDC controls the HVAC operation throughout a building including schedules, setpoints, and general monitoring of equipment; all in an attempt to reduce overhead costs of an onsite engineer. If the building engineer had to constantly walk around the building to observe equipment operation, his preventative maintenance role would increase as much as 30-40 percent - and that’s not accounting for equipment failure response and associated costs. A well-installed, fine-tuned automation system can deliver amazing utility savings and reduce overhead time associated with maintenance, so how do you prevent it from costing you money? Typical modern control systems deal with intricate, multi-faceted designs that are prone to failure, including: Communication and network failures affecting scheduling, setpoints, etc.
Typical automation is run under two wiring networks including Ethernet and RS-485 or two conductor wires. Rarely do you find building automation systems that are
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2014
left standalone within a building and lack Internet connectivity. Most new installs not only utilize the existing Ethernet infrastructure in a building, but also rely on the Internet for weather updates to help optimize sequencing. Communication failures within automation are a common occurrence and can often take a minimum of four hours to uncover the network issue. Permitting network failures prevents high level, energy savings functions like setpoint resets, optimal start/stop sequences, and scheduling from working correctly. Even losing Internet connection can prevent some sequences that require updated weather data from proper operation. Solution:
A solid understanding of networking and IT related issues (port blocking, MAC address changes, etc.) can easily help you uncover problems and keep your DDC saving energy. During the contractor training period have your installing contractor run through key networking locations that might be prone to failures. These could include network switches that overheat or routers that have an especially high amount of traffic and therefore could be overworked. As soon as you spot a communication failure it is best practice to trace the system in an attempt to identify the broken link. If you can’t fix it yourself, look to get a controls contractor onsite as soon as possible to alleviate poor equipment operation that could lead to hundreds or thousands of dollars a day in lost revenue to energy. Setpoint changes when the operator doesn’t understand how the equipment functions.
Easy control sequences don’t equate to high energy savings! Unfortunately for engineers, the time of simple controls is coming to an end as the energy wave continues to sweep through commercial buildings.
19
OPINION
The most common user related errors that adversely affect automation are based around setpoint changes. New control sequences are based on regulatory standards with ASHRAE Title: 24 leading the way in energy conservation. These advanced sequences require finite controls including numerous, highly sophisticated settings to properly operate. Often end users will begin changing setpoints in response to uncomfortable tenants or in an attempt to save money. But did you change the correct setpoint? Energy efficiency is directly related to cascading controls. Turning up room temperature in a large space will ultimately cause an air handler to throttle back, lowering the duct static and possibly raising supply temperature. This effect is often overlooked when manipulating the automation in response to a problem. Solution: Be sure to ask plenty of questions about your new automation system during the contractor training period. Bring a copy of the sequences and control drawings with you so that the contractor can explain how the sequence relates to the control graphics that they setup for you. Often contractors will make the control drawings accessible from the new graphics via a hyperlink so that you can better understand how the system works. When considering graphical layout of each system, adding every control setpoint can often lead to unnecessary changes that distort controls. If you see setpoints you don’t understand, have your contractor explain what they do so that you both can decide if they truly belong on the graphic or should remain in the programming only. Alleviating the temptation of manipulating the system will save you money in the long run. Failing to adjust the control system to account for occupancy and building changes, including degradation.
After a control system is installed, commissioned, and working to save money something unexpected always happens and is rarely accounted for - tenants! Occupancy and space usage can be the downfall of any control system no matter how efficient it originally operated. What if the tenant added more computers? How do you account for more occupants than originally estimated? If your building is five years old, is your automation still saving you energy?
20
Building HVAC systems typically start to consume more energy within five years even with proper maintenance. Adding more overall load to a building requires HVAC to be scheduled on longer and run harder. Solution:
Changes to a building need to be constantly evaluated and your automation updated to continue saving energy. Setpoints including minimum flow and temperature for tenant spaces need to be updated when accounting for occupancy changes. By calculating new minimum setpoints you can prevent the system from overcompensating and radically consuming energy. Automation service contracts, when properly implemented, should provide more value than common controller failures. Typically, installed automation equipment is robust and lasts for five to seven years even in the harshest conditions. Maximize the potential of your service contract by having your controls and mechanical contractor coordinate to ensure that the system is running efficiently. The mechanical contractor will know how to better adjust setpoints and sequencing that can then be implemented by your controls contractor. Resources like ENERGY STAR have defined the building energy saving model as dynamically evolving with technology. A building in 2005 that was branded ENERGY STAR compliant (A score greater than 75) could easily fall off the chart by 2010 with the increased ability to save energy. Building owners and engineers should constantly be looking at low-cost measures to reduce utility usage and improve baseline consumption. Energy consumption within buildings continues to be scrutinized more by “green tenants” due to its increase on total operational costs of leasing a building. Lowering building consumption and obtaining ENERGY STAR & LEED certifications can attract higher paying, energy driven tenants.
•
Zach Denning holds an engineering sales position at Western Allied Mechanical. He can be contacted at zdenning@westernallied.com or at 650.798.4154.
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2014
UPCOMING EVENTS Need information on upcoming industry events? Go to: www.caba.org/events
InfoComm 2014
Shanghai International Lighting Fair (SILF 2014)
June 14-20, 2014
September 3-5, 2014
Las Vegas, NV
SNIEC (Shanghai New International Expo Centre)
www.infocommshow.org
Shanghai, China bit.ly/RGXGOq
IBCon 2014 – Intelligent Buildings Conference Las Vegas, NV
ICEBO 2014 – International Conference for Enhanced Building Operations
www.ib-con.com
September 14 -17, 2014
June 18-20, 2014
Beijing, China
RealComm 2014
icebo.tamu.edu
June 18-20, 2014 Las Vegas, NV
CEDIA EXPO 2014
www.realcomm.com/realcomm-2014
September 10-13, 2014 Denver, CO
2014 Every Building Conference & Expo
expo.cedia.net
June 22-24, 2014 Orlando, FL
EU PVSEC 2014
www.bomaconvention.org/boma2014
September 22-26, 2014 Amsterdam, The Netherlands
FTTH 2014 Conference & Expo
www.photovoltaic-conference.com
June 23-25, 2014 Fort Lauderdale, FL
Darnell’s Power Forum
www.ftthannual.org
September 23-25, 2014 Richmond, VA
Shanghai Intelligent Building Technology
dpf.darnell.com
September 3-5, 2014 Shanghai, China
GreenBuilding Power Forum
bit.ly/1kU8oL2
September 23-25, 2014
Building Solar China 2014
greenbuildingpower.darnell.com
Richmond, VA September 4, 2014 Shanghai, China
Smart Grid Electronics Forum
www.buildingsolarchina.com
September 23-25, 2014 Richmond, VA smartgrid.darnell.com
CABA iHomes and Buildings Summer 2014
21
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