CIE Components in Electronics
The increasing level of digitalisation is one of the biggest factors in the success of industrial companies and in last 20 years we are seeing the rapid digitalisation of processes advancing in the building automation industry.
Building automation most broadly refers to creating centralised, networked systems of hardware and software monitors and literally controls the functions of a building.
When facilities are monitored and controlled in a seamless fashion, this creates a much more reliable working environment for the building’s tenants. Furthermore, the efficiency introduced through automation allows the building’s facility management team to adopt more sustainable practices and reduce energy costs.
At optimal performance levels, an automated building is greener and more user-friendly than a non-controlled building.
What is meant by “Controlled”?
A major component in the ingredients of a building automation system is called the controller, which is a small, specialised computer. This is something that Phoenix Contact offers as a solution, or we can even help to design your own controller by offering connectivity and housing solutions.
Controllers regulate the performance of various facilities within the building. If you think of what needs some form of control the list usually looks like this
- Mechanical systems
- Electrical systems
- Plumbing systems
- Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems (HVAC)
- Lighting systems
- Security Systems
- Surveillance Systems
Phoenix Contact has solutions to meet all these areas to help you connect and control it all seamlessly.
To really understand the importance of control and the benefits it ultimately brings to building system, it helps to imagine much older systems we used, such as old-fashioned heating systems. Take wood-burning stoves, for example. Anyone heating their buildings through using woodfire had no way to precisely regulate the temperature, or even the smoke output. Furthermore, fuelling that fire was a manual effort.
Now, let’s go forward a few years, maybe 150 years: heating systems can be regulated with intelligent controllers that can set the temperature of a specific room to a precise degree. And it can be set to automatically cool down overnight when no one is in the building.
The technology that exists today allows buildings to essentially learn from itself and then behave autonomously. A modern building automation system will monitor the various facilities it controls to understand how to optimise the systems connected for maximum efficiency. It’s no longer a matter of heating a room to a specific temperature; systems today can learn who enters what rooms at what times so that buildings can adjust to the needs of the tenants, and then conserve energy when it is no longer required.
The overlap between the idea of controlling a building and learning from all the data the system collects is growing rapidly. That’s why automated buildings are called “smart buildings” or “intelligent buildings.”
And they’re getting smarter all the time.
As mentioned above, Smart Buildings are being created that use communicative networking to include information from all building services to optimise the building operation. From this we can see, in real time, the data and information from the individual sub-utilities. We can process it and make decisions (or allow the building to make the decisions) based on what data is at our disposal. Added value and benefits are created by networking processes. It becomes possible to interpret all available data and optimally utilise data and resources in applications.
Moreover, the requirements for an economical, efficient, and environmentally friendly building, are increasing. Flexible models for the living and working space of users and operators are also becoming increasingly important. The focus is on people, and the intelligent building adapts to the individual requirements of users and operators.
From all this there is a huge change in how devices are connected. In smart buildings, different applications must be networked in a decentralised manner. To succeed, standardised device connections are required so that the individual building systems and their applications can communicate easily and quickly with each other.
- Phoenix Contact can offer you Intelligent device connection solutions within the building automation world.
- Compact, standard-compliant, easy to maintain – connection technology and electronics housings must be tailored to the requirements of the building automation requirements.
- Pluggable and fixed connections, with proven contact and connection technologies with additional convenience functions allow such customised solutions.
- Smart networking: Device communication with connections suitable for IP-based protocols such as BACnet IP, Modbus/TCP, REST, and MQTT
- Comprehensive product portfolio: Connection technology and electronics housings for devices in building automation
- Beyond the standard: Individual designs for intelligent devices for technical building services
- Excellent services: PHOENIX CONTACT offers you expert advice and design-in support for quick connection solutions
For more info on what we can offer you in terms of building automation and intelligence solutions. Please visit:
https://www.phoenixcontact.com/en-gb/industries/building-automation?utm_source=CIE&utm_medium=paid_email&utm_campaign=smart_buildings&cpn=smart_buildings+%7C+CIE+%7C+paid_email+%7C++%7C+
