Ashrae Journal - November 2008 - (Page B6)

cally turn on my office lights and air conditioning” said Paul security system can also trigger the HVAC and lighting systems Bayliss, operations manager for Morguard Investments. “Our to take certain actions, such as fulfilling Bayliss’ dream of turnexisting systems had reached the end of their life. The fire alarm ing on the lights and HVAC. Also, the security system includes system was so old there were only two people in all of Canada closed-circuit TV cameras (CCTV) that are used to monitor areas who were capable of working on it. We needed new systems of particular interest. The cameras generate a standard image that would be more energy efficient, and more cost effective to signal that is easily displayed on a Web page, the graphics for maintain and operate.” Since these systems come from different the web-based BAS include links the user can click to display manufacturers, BACnet was the logical choice for the protocol the CCTV image in a pop-up window. Figure 1 shows a typical floor plan summary, providing the to tie them all together. “We knew we needed a nonproprietary protocol” said Bayliss. user with an easy to read overview of the status of the HVAC, “We wanted one protocol to talk to different pieces of equip- lighting, fire, and security systems within one building. The ment. Our consulting engineers looked at competing protocols column of floor plans on the left indicates the thermal comfort and advised us that BACnet was the best choice.” Other features (temperature deviation from setpoint) of the zones on each floor that were high on Morguard’s priority list were energy man- of the building. Green zones mean the temperature is between agement capabilities, a user-friendly graphical interface, and the heating and cooling setpoints. Yellow and orange zones a Web-based system. This last feature was important because indicate progressively warmer temperatures, and light and dark of the flexibility it provided for their technicians and because it blue indicate cooler zones. Light grey indicates the zone is unwould allow them to give tenants access to appropriate building occupied. The middle column of floor plans shows the status of the lighting controls. White zones show where the lights are on, automation system (BAS) functions in the future. Morguard chose a Web-based BACnet control system made and light gray indicates the lights are off. The rightmost column summarizes the status of the fire by an HVAC controls company to and security systems, with white form the core of their BAS. This indicating everything is operating made sense because the roughly normally. A red zone in any column 5,500 HVAC control points comindicates an alarm condition. prised the largest single system in Figure 2 shows a combined fire the building and because the user and security floor plan for a single interface requirements were more floor. This detailed view shows the sophisticated than the other sysstatus of individual door switches tems. The lighting was controlled and other sensors. It also indicates by another native BACnet system, the location of the CCTV cameras. and the 650 lighting points were Clicking on one of camera icons easily integrated into the BAS will display the CCTV image in using BACnet. Zone lighting and HVAC are normally controlled off Figure 1: Integrated ἀoor plan provides systems overview. a separate window like the one shown in Figure 2. When this the same basic occupancy schedule, which eases the scheduling workload, and they can also operate screen shot was taken a smoke detector and a heat sensor were independently for security lighting, HVAC freeze protection, and placed in a simulated alarm state, causing them to appear in red on the floor plan. This also caused the alarm icon in the upper other special circumstances. The fire system is, by code, an independent stand-alone right-hand corner to turn red, indicating there are active alarms system that does not require use of the BAS for any life-safety in the system. Clicking on this icon would display the alarm warning or control actions. It does, however, communicate log. Additional alarm actions (pop-up window, printout, e-mail, with the BAS via a BACnet gateway. This allows the building etc.) are possible. operators to monitor the status of approximately 2,700 fire As with any project in an existing building, a prime concern system points such as smoke detectors and pull stations through was to disturb the existing occupants as little as possible. This the BAS graphics. The BAS also receives alarms from the fire required much of the work to be done after normal business system, notifies appropriate people of the alarm, and records hours, with careful phasing of work so equipment could be alarms in the BAS log. seamlessly transferred from the old independent systems to the The security system is also a stand-alone system, but in this new integrated system. “I haven’t had any complaints from the case it is integrated into the BAS using a high-level XML/SOAP tenants about noise, interference, dirt found on their desks the interface, essentially a subset of the recently defined BACnet Web next day, etc. That’s the biggest compliment I could give to the services. Like the fire system, this enables system operators to installation crew,” said Bayless. Occasionally, the installation monitor the status of approximately 1,050 security points such crew run into problems where the actual installed equipment as door switches, card access readers, and security cameras. The doesn’t match the as-built drawings, a situation that would not BAS similarly records and alerts people to security alarms. The surprise anyone who has worked on a retrofit project before, integration goes beyond that of the fire system; however, as the but the problems are solved as they arise. B6 B A C n e t ® To d a y | A S u p p l e m e n t t o A S H R A E J o u r n a l November 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Ashrae Journal - November 2008

Ashrae Journal - November 2008 Contents Commentary Industry News Meetings and Shows Feature Articles Reducing Data Center Energy Consumption Building Sciences Feature Articles Sustainable Nature Center Emerging Technologies Special Products Washington Report Special Supplement: BACnet® Today BACnet® Goes Green Seeing the Light with BACnet® BACnet® on Campus BACnet® for Net Zero Analyzing BACnet® BACnet® at Xerox Campus BACnet® in Europe BACnet® for Green Library BACnet® at the University of Minnesota: Flexibility, Interoperability InfoCenter Product Showplace Classified Advertising Advertising Index

Ashrae Journal - November 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.