Pictures of the Future Spring 2005
Remote Services – Building Technology
Closely Watched Buildings
More and more companies are choosing to have their building management systems remotely controlled. This approach not only makes it possible to integrate safety and monitoring services, but also reduces energy costs. After all, remote stations are run by experts who know how to maximize efficiency.
Step into a modern department store in midwinter and you’ll find the interior pleasantly warm. That’s because the temperature, humidity and ventilation are automatically regulated by an elaborate microprocessor-based control system. But what happens if the system fails? Few department stores can afford to employ year-round in-house air conditioning and heating engineers. In short, outside help is required.
With this in mind, more and more companies are subscribing to around-the-clock remote monitoring services. Such services allow a building to communicate operational data through the Internet to a remote control center, where heating and air conditioning engineers watch displays—much like air traffic controllers—and intervene promptly as soon as a system fails to meet defined values. Remote control centers can receive data from thousands of buildings, processing fire and security-related information, building management information, and much more. "Interest in remote monitoring has soared during the past few years," notes Bernard Wehrli, who is responsible for the development of operations management services in the Building Technologies (SBT) Group at Siemens in Zug, Switzerland. He adds that in terms of conventional building management systems—in other words, those that are not remotely controlled—Siemens has the densest network of services, fire control and access control systems in Europe. He estimates the company’s market share in Germany is around 35 %. But advances in computing and telecommunications have changed the picture. "Now we are offering remote monitoring in addition to conventional building management services," he says. "That certainly makes us a trendsetter." And Wehrli intends to keep expanding this line of services. "We’re committed to providing the customer with other types of support—whenever possible through remote monitoring to maximize efficiency. An example is remote fuel cost management to improve economy without reducing comfort levels," he says.
That was the main reason why Tesco, a British retail chain, decided to connect its department stores, one by one, to a central control station. Tesco has about 800 stores in the U.K., and its energy costs amount to more than £100 million per year—enough to supply 100,000 single-family homes.
Now, SBT experts are monitoring the first 38 Tesco stores from the Advantage Operation Center in Cumbernauld, Scotland. With a single keystroke, experts can access data from any store. A screen automatically displays a signal whenever a system reports unusual values—say the lights are on late at night, or the air conditioning system is operating at full capacity after hours.
"This may sound trivial, but such operational errors can waste a great deal of energy," explains Peter Schmitt, who works for Building Automation at SBT. Schmitt is also the project manager for development of SBT's global remote-operation infrastructure. "People often forget to reactivate the automatic timer system after repairs," he says. In such an event, programmed setpoint values are exceeded, and a warning message is displayed on the screen. It has also become evident that, without monitoring, many instances of wasted energy were overlooked. "Simply because people ignore anything that’s working OK," says Schmitt. An example might be a heating system in the cellar that keeps running at "max"—even though the outside temperature is above 30 °C and the room thermostats are set way down.
Monitoring Isn’t Everything. According to Schmitt, a control station staffed with specialists creates value-added because its staff can do more than just alert someone when there is a problem. "We bring building, heating and air conditioning expertise to this service. And we are in a position to interpret unusual operating conditions," he says.
Since modern building management systems provide interfaces for remote diagnostics, technicians at the control center can look right into the guts of the system. This allows them to quickly identify specific faults. Has a pump failed, or is the problem due to the electronics module that controls the ventilation? Or has someone just forgotten to reset a manual switch to automatic? In this manner, they can call up on-site maintenance persons and tell them what action to take.
Robert Gärtner and his colleagues in another SBT subdivision are searching for ways to reduce fuel costs. To this end, they have developed a program that analyzes the way buildings consume power. Government agencies and businesses that manage multiple buildings are often unaware of the main factors involved in energy waste. "All they have is a stack of utility bills tall enough to suggest that last winter must have been costly in terms of electric power, gas or fuel oil," says Gärtner, smiling.
His Energy Monitoring & Controlling program (EMC) collects usage data from buildings, for instance from gas and electric meters. If the technology in a building allows, the meters can be read automatically via the Internet. "Merely optimizing the heating and air conditioning systems or changing user behavior can often save five to 15 % of energy costs," Gärtner reports. EMC is also monitoring energy usage in Austria’s public schools. One advantage of such central monitoring stations (CMS) is that they consolidate data from many thousands of customers. As a result, local staffing costs are reduced and highly trained monitoring experts are efficiently used around the clock. In addition, products from different manufacturers can be integrated.
SBT’s Security Systems Division (SES) operates 20 control centers in Austria, Germany, Mexico, the U.S. and other countries. In the U.S. alone, such centers serve some 12,000 properties. They register break-ins, the presence of fire or smoke, water and gas leaks, and other fault conditions. One of the main advantages of such safety systems, notes SES marketing manager Maria Leontaridis, is that the linkage to a variety of sensors and warning systems protects against a wide range of possible fault conditions. "We also verify messages to exclude false alarms," she adds.
If an alarm regarding a possible break-in reaches the remote control center, a color code displayed on a monitor immediately identifies the information as being security-related. At the same time, the program opens a window displaying the customer’s data. In a matter of seconds, a computer dials the telephone number of the appropriate contact person. This individual can promptly check whether something is really amiss at the site, even before the police are called. If the local person fails to answer, the computer automatically calls additional contacts, as programmed. Frantic scrolling through phone directories is not necessary.
In some systems, display screens at monitoring stations show images from closed-circuit TV cameras. "In case of fire, the police, the fire department and our control center are notified simultaneously. That enables us to tell the night watchman to unlock the doors so the firemen don’t have to smash their way into the building," explains Leontaridis.
Although remote control centers use the Internet, unauthorized access to confidential data is not a problem. "Information is transmitted over highly secure data links," says Leontaridis. What’s more, the centers have emergency power generators so they can always remain fully operational, even in the event of a power failure.
Tim Schröder