Page 50 - RC21 EDGE Summer Issue

Business Solutions
AI AND CLOUD COMPUTING ENABLE WIDESPREAD USE OF
SMART BUILDING TECHNOLOGY
JOHN HESTER
Owner
Hester Consulting
SMART BUILDING SYSTEMS ARE BECOMING the standard of today’s modern building control system as building owners and operators recognize that they save operating costs and enhance the occupant experience. Master System Integrators (MSIs) are now integrating multiple building control platforms into a single ecosystem that creates powerful synergies through data sharing and execution of use cases via the sensors and control outputs of the connected controls. It’s good news for owners and occupants that smart building systems are getting easier and cheaper to install and can be applied to a greater selection of buildings and platforms.
The process of integrating control platforms into a smart building system has become easier because increased use of deep learning analytics, or AI, and cloud computing software in building applications have been streamlined. As a result, they require less labor and hardware, while
becoming more adaptable to legacy systems and existing buildings—and more capable in performing complex use cases.
Traditional Integration
MSIs today are integrating building control platforms by using open protocol hardware devices such as Niagara Jaces connected to the various control platforms
that include BMS, power monitoring, lighting control, etc. The devices are connected to each other and to
a server(s) via IP or the cloud. Using common, open communications protocols (BACNET, Modbus, etc.),
the system, composed of those interconnected devices and their supporting servers and software, gather and analyze the data and provide dashboards, reports and recommended actions. Then, using AI-type algorithms, it acts as a master controller for those control platforms, writing back to them for dispatching use case control sequences. While effective and reliable, this method
of using open protocol hardware to integrate control platforms can be expensive and, in existing buildings, disruptive during installation.
50