Recently, Jay Stark, Parallel Technologies’ Director of Building Automation was interviewed on “Trends in Building Automation” by the Midlands Business Journal. Here are a few excerpts from his responses.
How can automated building controls make buildings more energy efficient? Reduction of energy consumption is one of the main drivers for modern building controls. A state-of-the-art building control system measures the requirements of the building and operates mechanical and electrical systems to match the need. Measurement takes the form of occupancy load, indoor and outdoor conditions, CO2 sensing, and other metrics. Given the cooling, heating, and ventilation requirements based on measurements, the building control system operates the equipment to provide a comfortable working environment.
What trends have you seen in automated building controls over the past year or two? An emphasis on the user experience is changing the way building control systems are installed and operated. Apps deployed to phones, tablets, and laptops allow users to control their environment on a micro scale.
What new building control technology and processes have been developed over the past year or two? Control systems vendors have increasingly been able to provide more accurate control of the environment by collecting information about the building and analyzing the data. The use of machine learning to understand the use of the building is seeing greater adoption as the industry begins to leverage machine learning tools developed and prototyped in other industries.
How will the technology help building owners/managers? The building control system can now diagnose when it is unable to operate at peak efficiency. This information, when provided to a building manager, allows the manager to schedule maintenance and replacement of aging components that are preventing the building from operating to specification.
If you are interested in learning more about trends in building automation or explore the use of machine learning within building controls in more detail, please contact Jay Stark at jstark@ptnet.com