Building Automation
Loxone is one of the market leaders in the areas of building automation, smart building, and MSR (measurement and control technology).
What is
Building Automation?
Building automation is the automatic control, regulation, monitoring and optimization of functionalities such as lighting, shading, heating/cooling, audio, security, and other technical building equipment in one intelligent system. The focus is on comfort, safety, and energy efficiency – whether the system is used in office buildings, restaurants, hotels or other industrial or commercial properties. The term “smart building” refers to automation solutions for commercial and public non-residential buildings. When referring to private apartments or houses, on the other hand, “smart home” was established as the key term.
Why
Building Automation?
For investors, operators as well as users of buildings, an investment in building automation is worthwhile.
Main advantages of automation solutions in buildings
Safety
protecting
people and buildings
Efficiency
optimizing resources and operating costs
Comfort
accommodating users,
operators and occupants
The additional effort or costs for intelligent building technology (1-2% of the construction costs) are usually amortized in a few years thanks to high potential savings. This makes it a worthwhile investment for investors.
Sustainable and resource-saving construction is in great demand on the real estate market. Thus, sustainability certificates such as LEED or Green Business Bureau can be applied for smart buildings in the U.S., just as in many countries around the world. These certificates have a more secure value even in uncertain times.
Fields of Application of Building Automation
Residential
Hospitality
Commercial
Prefab House
Special Applications
Voices of Building Automation Service Suppliers
Why is Loxone perfect for the automation of buildings with multiple sub-units?
Inder Kanwal
Josh Willits
Loxone homeowner
Mathew Winder
Energy Efficiency
In the US, the building industry is responsible for 40% of the overall primary energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, if the US want to meet national energy and environmental challenges, it is essential to focus more on reducing the energy use in buildings of all types. If building automation is applied to commercial building projects, energy consumption can be decreased by up to 50% through Loxone’s needs-based controls and smart energy management.
How Much Energy Does Building Automation Save?
Building automation is a so-called cross-sectional technology: it networks different systems and installations in a smart building or smart home. Networking enables different levels of automation.
This, in turn, provides many opportunities for improved efficiency in buildings. The U.S. Department of Energy is confident that by 2030, energy consumption in buildings could be cut more than 20% by using technologies known to be cost effective today. If if research goals are met, the energy use could even decrease by more than 35%, though, much higher savings are technically possible.
How Does Building Automation Work?
Measurement, control, and regulation technology (MCR technology) plays a central role in building automation. Measurement and control technology refers to the hardware, such as sensors, actuators, the brain of the installation – the Miniserver – and the Air-, Link- and Tree technologies for communication of all components in the field and in the control cabinet. With Loxone, the powerful software is additionally a unique selling point of building automation. Both the programming and the visualization of the building technology can be realized intuitively and easily.
The Three Levels of Building Automation
With the help of sensors and actuators, the technical systems are operated on the field level. The Miniserver processes the supplied data on the automation level. The software on the management level is responsible for the higher-level operation and monitoring.
Sensors
Sensors are the backbone of a reliable building automation system. Different sensors detect the actual state in the field (building or room). They detect presence, temperature, CO2, water, smoke, as well as intrusion (door & window contact) confidently. Via radio or cable, the measured values are transmitted to the central control unit – the Miniserver.
Actuators
Actuators perform certain mechanical activities in building automation. They can be operated electrically, pneumatically, or hydraulically. They receive the command from the Miniserver when to do what.
Miniserver
All the components of a building automation system come together in the central controller – the Miniserver. It lets the individual components and devices talk to each other and automates most tasks in terms of security, comfort, and energy efficiency.
Example:
As soon as the Miniserver detects that the temperature in a room is below the set point, it gives the actuator on the radiator the command to open the valve further to increase the heat inflow. At the same time, it could command the blinds to go up, to heat up the room energy-efficiently through the sunlight.
Software
The software is an essential part of the building automation, as it takes over important management tasks. Among other things, it is responsible for merging, documenting, evaluating, and visualizing data. Through permanent monitoring, it supports the improvement of energy consumption and reliability of operation. In a smart building equipped with Loxone technology, the building knows what needs to be done and when. It automatically adapts to its needs and optimizes itself.
At Loxone, on the one hand we have the Loxone Config – the professional and free tool for configuration. It provides ready-to-use and, above all, easy-to-use building blocks for individual projects. On the other hand, there is the free Loxone App, which offers a complete overview of the building technology. It can be used to control all functions, and it also notifies users of a building about incidents. The app is also used for simple user management and permission assignment and is thus maximally flexible.
Which Interfaces Are Important in Building Automation?
There are numerous communication protocols in building automation: Loxone supports BACnet IP, LON, RTU/TCP, EEBUS, RSR232, SIA DC-09, and many more. Thus, almost all ventilation and heating systems, air conditioners, PV systems, etc. available on the market can be integrated into a smart building. The Loxone Library contains templates for the different technologies, which have been developed especially for the respective interfaces.
References
ABOUT LOXONE
The Loxone Group from Kollerschlag, Austria, is a pioneer in the field of intelligent automation solutions. As a specialist, Loxone enables the simple control and intelligent automation of projects of all kinds. Whether home, hotel, office or commercial property – Loxone thus makes life and work easier in every situation. More than 200,000 projects in more than 100 countries have already been realized by professional partners worldwide. Authorized Loxone partners appreciate the high innovative power of Loxone, the free software in combination with the easy installation of the products as well as the numerous, open interfaces of the central Miniserver. This is the key element of every Loxone project and the ultimate tool for intelligent automation of smart homes, commercial properties as well as special applications. The Miniserver was developed especially for the professional electrician. As the “brain”, this central control unit handles most of the building and home automation tasks in terms of security, comfort and energy efficiency itself.
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