‘Smart’ buildings tax technologists

For years, the technology to infuse "intelligence" into buildings has been technology looking for a cause. Jetsons-type automation of mundane tasks only appeals to a small minority of geeky consumers. But skyrocketing energy costs are providing a powerful incentive to look at the technology for hard-nosed energy management solutions. "This will probably be the first killer app in this space. Consumers get it - this will save them money," says Carmi Levy, senior research analyst at the London ON-based Info-Tech Research Group.In the past, building management systems for heating, lighting, air conditioning and so on were designed as stand-alone systems, says Ron Zimmer, president of the Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA), an international industry group based in Ottawa. But this situation is rapidly changing.High-energy costs are forcing commercial building owners, architects and structural engineers to rethink large building design, he says. Lighting systems, for example, are big energy hogs, representing one of the highest cost areas. "Lighting generates a lot of heat, which is the last thing you want in the summertime, as air conditioning systems will kick in to cool the environment," says Zimmer. "Existing systems work against each other in many cases and waste energy."Major vendors such as Siemens, Honeywell and Johnson Controls are responding by working together to make their systems more interoperable, he says. To facilitate this, CABA launched the Open Building Information Exchange (OBIX) three years ago. Vendors are looking at middleware, XML and Web services to bridge and harmonize their proprietary standards and protocols.The move towards open standards and the use of digital communications to converge building operations is a positive step forward, says Zimmer. Some office towers constructed in recent years are not entirely brainless, offering a primitive level of integration to turn on and shut off lighting and temperature systems in concert or emergency response controls that unlock security doors and shut down ventilation systems that might feed oxygen to fires. But new technology offers far more intelligence.Several new projects are underway to showcase these brilliant buildings. Manitoba Hydro, for example, is building one of the most energy-efficient buildings in the world in Winnipeg, says Zimmer. And Telus is building new office towers in Toronto and Ottawa that will be poster children for efficient building automation.IT InvolvementAs more and more buildings get smarter, it makes sense for IT departments to get involved, says Zimmer. "The IT community is being dragged into building operations. Jeez, they may say, we have enough trouble keeping computers running. As much as they don't want it, the reality is that things are moving in that direction."Building and enterprise IT systems are increasingly intertwined. There is a great deal of information that can be pulled out of building systems to track and determine the impact of building operations on the bottom line, says Zimmer. IP-based video surveillance, physical and logical security systems are merging, and links to human resources and other enterprise systems are needed.As a consequence, a related trend is the set-up of integrated building operations centres, says Zimmer. Shopping malls, store chains, universities and other multi-building organizations are centralizing their building operations areas to use resources more efficiently. "These have all the controls and can operate many buildings across the city or even the country with communications links to track energy usage," he says.Businesses are very motivated nowadays to cast a baleful eye on energy costs, and look for ways to wrestle them down. To this end, CABA recently unveiled its Building IQ certification process. "It is similar to Energy Star for devices or LEED for green buildings, allowing managers to assess and rate the level of integration in existing buildings," says Zimmer.It consists of two parts. The first is an online self-assessment tool that evaluates a building's current smarts and recommends ways to boost its intelligence. The second part is an objective assessment conducted by a qualified appraiser to check the building's actual integration. "A building may have automated systems but they may not be programmed correctly for optimal efficiency," says Zimmer.Building IQ also highlights potential savings if systems were improved. For example, new systems that integrate lighting with heating can cut energy costs by a third, and have a two-year payback period. "A building with some integration is more valuable than an exact duplicate with stand-alone systems. This can improve its rental rates, capitalization, and so on," says Zimmer.But as in any sphere, retrofitting existing buildings is far more expensive than designing intelligence into the infrastructure at the outset. Zimmer bemoans the traditional mindset of many builders, who typically leave it to tenants to decide if they want to put in integrated building systems after they're built. "If they put in the structured wiring or wireless sensors beforehand, costs could be significantly reduced."

‘Smart’ buildings tax technologists

News | 04/01/2007 4:00 am EDT

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