Category: Smart Automation

When it comes to Wired Home Automation, all options are not created equal. There are distinct differences in how the various wired systems run across your home, from the point where they start which is usually the individual switch circuits that they control, to the point where they end, which is usually at the control center or hub or gateway where they terminate in a home. This article intends to share some information about the nature of the differences across the 3 types of wiring systems commonly encountered in Home Automation systems

• CAT6
• RS485 Bus
• TP1/KNX Bus

CAT6 Wiring

We are all familiar with CAT6 cables as the cables that we all used to connect our computers to the internet before WiFi became prevalent everywhere. This is the cable that is used for all IT networking needs. The connectivity that this cable requires is point-to-point, so every switch/device that is to be automated, needs to be connected by one of these cables to the controller/hub/gateway through which the commands flow to and from them. This point to point arrangement is the easiest to understand, but at the same time results in the head of an octopus at the receiving end where many tentacles or individual cat6 cables come together. The mass of cables that travel through the house can be enormous and the challenge of labeling them for identification and for trouble shooting them in situations where things go wrong can be quite a challenge.

 

Figure: Typical Wiring visible for a CAT6 based Wired Home Automation System looks like an “Octopus”

 

The other challenge that can arise for large homes in using CAT6 is that the maximum allowed length can be only 100m before you need to put Ethernet Switch to extend the length beyond that.

While the cost per unit length of CAT6 might seem low, the point to point nature of these will require considerably more length of cable to be purchased. In some Home Automation situations power can also be transmitted over these cables (Power over Ethernet or PoE). While helpful, we will see that this is not a unique proposition for this type of wiring alone. In most cases, the switches that it connects to are just electronic buttons with no relays present, so all the relays are located in a centralized box along with the controller/hub. So this type of system will not work with conventional toggle switches either because there is really no control of the device at the location of the switch, all the control happens through the relays located at the centralized controller/hub location. The vast tentacles of wiring also means that conventional conduits that carry your electrical wiring may not be able to handle this mass of CAT6 cables and we also need separate conduits to run CAT6 because of its interference issue with other cables, this situation leads to an increase in cost of both labor and material and additional planning during construction. Post construction also, this system architecture requires a specialized support team to perform any service as local electricians will not be able to handle such a specialized system.

Perhaps the most critical issue to contend with for a CAT6 system, is that the load is not connected to the switch itself. This is because the switch is only a communication mechanism to the controller where the relays that control the load actually reside; hence the load is wired to that location. Typically these controllers and relays are at some other central location like the MCB box, and not at the point where the switch is located. If the users at any stage in their lifecycle, decide that they would simply like to replace their electronic switch by a conventional switch, it is not possible. Since the load is not connected to the switch location there is nothing that a conventional switch can do to serve as a replacement. This is one of the biggest shortcomings that we see with situations which have deployed a CAT6 based system.

RS485 & TP1 Systems

These systems typically run much leaner that CAT6 systems. In contrast to the point-to-point system, these systems are ‘bus’ systems, ie. There is a single loop (or bus) of wire that runs through the home from the controller and drops are taken from the wire to the points where the light switches, AC control device etc are placed. It can be quickly observed that there is no “octopus” tentacles at any point in this system. It is a clean system with minimal wiring. The wiring can also be carried through in the same conduit as the electrical wiring as long as the cables being used are twisted pair to neutralize induction and are also double shielded to minimize interference. The maximum length across which these cables can run is almost 5x times more at 500m length.

While the cost of these cables can be a bit more than the CAT6, the lengths required, the shared conduiting and the labor and complexity reduction alone compensate for all of it. The maintenance during operation is also far easier when you don’t have to deal with the myriads of cable bundles running through the home. Typically these cables can be used by systems where the relays are distributed behind the switches or centralized with the hubs. In the case of BuildTrack we have developed RS485 nodes that can sit behind existing switches or are part of our touch switches where the relay is located at the point of the switch itself. Alternately we also provide the ability to centralize relays for some of our nodes and touch switches for situations like hotel rooms where it makes sense to do so on a localized room basis. Similarly the power required for the local relays can be sourced at the location of the switch itself, just like in conventional switches. So if for any reason you desire to remove the automation you still have the option of installing conventional switches. This option is lost when you use CAT6 cables as locally the switch is just a dummy communication device and the actual relay that controls the power to the light/fan etc is located elsewhere, centrally. The nodes for BuildTrack also offer an alternative of receiving power over the RS485 cables. This can be helpful if you want to protect the nodes from any surges in the electrical supply by ensuring a stable power source that provides it with DC power over the RS485 cables.

 

 

Figure: Typical Wiring for a RS485 bus based Wired Home Automation System is much SIMPLER

 

One of the most important benefits of the bus based system like RS485 is that unlike the CAT6, the load wires all terminate at the location of the switch itself. So if at any time during the lifecycle, the users wishing to replace this system with a simple conventional switch, can simply swap it into the same spot within minutes. This flexibility is lacking in the CAT6 system where one can only replace it with another CAT6 product or redo the rewiring of the whole space again to bring the load wires to the switch locations.

There are not too many differences between the RS485 or TP1 (KNX) bus systems, except in economics. The cost of the RS485 wiring tends to be substantially lower amongst the two, due to its broad range of use across various industrial systems and there are also much more options for vendors who provide the.

BuildTrack is a provider of varied Smart Automation solutions that range from Wired to Wireless Home Automation. We see our customers often wrestle with the Shakespearean question: To be or not to be Wireless?

This is the question that many builders and home-owners debate when considering home automation for their BHKs or Villas or buildings that they are constructing. In this day and age of pervading wireless in the forms of 3G, 4G, 5G, WiFi, IR and much more, it is ever so tempting to go the wireless route even for home automation.  In many cases the physical circumstances and constraints posed in existing spaces leave no choice but to go wireless. However, there are many new-build or renovation situations where wiring is an option, in such cases we would always recommend to the user to go with wiring being installed for enabling wired home automation systems.

Let us delve into the various reasons why this makes sense.

1. At the time of new build or renovation the cost of wiring for home automation is marginal compared to the cost of electrical wiring for the home itself, especially since wiring for automation can share the conduits with the electrical wiring for the home. The wiring is also just a single loop of wire pulled across the room. So cost of the wire or the labor is not a major barrier in considering wired systems.
2. If you put wiring in place, you can still in the future opt for a wireless system. The reverse however is not possible. The wiring that is in place in no way interferes or prevents one from using any type of wireless systems in the future.
3. Wired systems are much more reliable since they typically use shielded cables and there is no interference from anything to the signals that move in them. Unlike wireless systems where there can be many sources of interference, especially if the same frequency and channel is being used by multiple devices not only in one’s home, but even in neighboring homes.
4. The performance of wired systems is consistently better than wireless systems, because they are dedicated for this purpose alone. System latency is much lower and seamless controls of multiple circuits can be achieved especially whilst executing profiles/scenes involving multiple circuits or devices. Wireless systems such as WiFi are shared systems and performance can vary depending on who is using what type of device connected to that network. The ebb and flow of streaming media and the increase in the devices using them will inevitably have an impact on performance of the Smart Automation system which has no preference amongst them.
5. Research data shows that around 50 percent Users adopt automation to meet their security and safety needs. Wired networked systems with minimal likelihood of interference from external sources, jamming possibilities and a need for frequent sensor battery changes is the only reliable option to meet these critical requirements.
6. Technology is constantly changing, and one can easily change many aspects such as phones or PCs every few years without much thought. But devices such as switches which are in significant quantities across a home and are placed with some intent of permanence inside the walls of the home cannot be changed so quickly. So it makes sense to have wired systems which will not be impacted that quickly by any technological change.

Are there any reasons not to consider Wired systems? Typically the reasons we encounter for this are

1. Cables can be destroyed by rats who practically chew everything. While theoretically this is true, in our many years we have yet to encounter a situation where any system has been brought down due to the wiring being destroyed by rats or mice.
2. Going wireless allows owners or builders the ability to delay their investment in the building process to the very end. While that is correct, the wiring costs are marginal in comparison to the cost of renovating or building a home.

It may be important to point out that all wired systems are not the same. The type of wire can be different (e.g. RS485 or CAT6 or TP1 cable). The nature of the wiring can be different for example, the CAT6 system is a point to point wiring system, hence at the termination point the various CAT6 cables come from various switch boxes across the home to form at mighty bundle. In the case of RS485 there is a single cable loop (bus system) that runs across the home and drops from it are used in various switch boxes, so there is only a single cable at the termination point.

Home Automation and Office Automation are both rapidly increasing in acceptance. These are being typically deployed for various reasons such as control of lighting, air conditioning, fans or for monitoring sensors for smoke, gas leak, door intrusion, glass break or for motion detection. Since the primary intent in many cases for Smart Automation deployment is its access while remotely located from the home or office via the use of internet, it is essential that all automation devices are connected to the internet at the location where they are installed. The internet is used not only by the user to access these devices or for the devices to communicate with the users, usually there is another aspect of internet usage for these devices. The internet is also used by these devices to communicate their health to the cloud server that manages the communication to them. This internet connectivity within a home or office is managed by a router, which becomes the doorway or portal from the home or office to the internet.

Within the home or office the same router helps create a WiFi network to which all the devices connect, either to provide interconnectivity to each other, locally, or to use it as a doorway to access the internet. Most of the routers available in the market and chosen by consumers tend to be dual band routers that can operate at 2.4GHz and/or 5GHz.  A selectable dual-band router offers both, but you can only use one at a time. You actually have to use a switch to tell it the band you want to use. A simultaneous dual-band router broadcasts separate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks at the same time, giving you two Wi-Fi networks that you can choose from when you set up a device. Some router brands also let you assign the same SSID to the two bands so that devices only see a single network—even though both are still operational. These tend to be a bit more expensive than selectable dual-band routers, but not by much. The advantages of having both bands operating simultaneously usually outweigh the cost difference.

Most smart automation and IoT devices that you may use in your home or office currently do not support the 5Ghz band. So it is important that your router offer the 2.4GHz option. Also, most routers typically used for homes, support a maximum of 30 devices, including Laptop, Mobile, TV etc. so if the setup of IoT or automation devices in addition to the other devices that access the same WiFi signals exceed that number then you would have to consider an access point in addition to the router. This especially becomes very relevant when many homes and offices are starting to use WiFi light switches or bulbs, which can very quickly add up in numbers when used across a home in every room/space.  These access points are to be connected through a CAT6 cable to the main router in the home/office. Generally they are kept some distance away from the main router to increase coverage in the home. Again, these need to support 2.4GHz to support IoT and automation products that communicate with it. These access points can have their own SSID, but generally for ease of use they are installed with the same SSID as the main router to which it is connected. The routers used in offices typically can support more than 30 devices, but these cost 7 to 10 times more than a simple home router and therefore while they may be economically justified in offices, they may not be affordable for homes.

While there are many routers that may fit the need, we wanted to suggest TP Link Archer series, or LinkSys routers as a few of the brands from our experience that have worked well with WiFi enabled IoT or Automation devices.

Lighting energy constitutes over half the energy consumption of many warehouses, especially those with high bays. The use of sensors to control the lighting can save much of this energy and deliver a payback of under 7 months in most cases. Warehouse operators must take advantage of this technology to capture the savings while helping the environment.

Most low ceiling facilities like e-commerce warehouses or office spaces can use Passive Infrared Sensors to control the lighting. Using the motion they detect to turn the lights on/off as needed to conserve energy. In high bay warehouses the ceilings are almost at 10m height with racks extending up to the top. Most of these requires material handling equipment for moving goods and the pure walking human traffic for material movement that is seen in smaller warehouses is not present in these high bay locations. So PIR sensor will not work as well, and high bay microwave sensors must be considered as a solution for motion based lighting control. These can be placed at the ceiling level beside the light fixtures themselves, but the sensitivity must be carefully controlled to ensure that neighboring aisles are not impacted by the “bleeding” of the sensing area. BuildTrack offers such high bay microwave motion sensors, which are wired to BuildTrack Nodes that can be placed behind existing switches used for the aisle.

Typical savings are about 50% of the lighting energy consumption, and the payback is well under 1 year, usually just around 6-7 months. Every warehouse operator needs to consider this solution to prevent wastage of money and energy. Read our complete case study Click here

The automation market was estimated grow at 44% every year for the next several years. That means that it will be about 5 times what it is today by 2024. This growth was largely anticipated in the area of Home Automation, and to a smaller degree in other aspects of automation such Building Automation Systems and Hotel Guest Room Automation. Obviously the events caused by COVID-19 are likely to have an impact on these projections, but in which direction? While the market dampening impact of Covid-19 equally impacts most industries, there are some aspects of the post COVID-19 pandemic which are likely to increase adoption of such types of automation technologies both at home, in buildings and in hospitality accommodations.

Usage of Smart Technologies that help reduce contact with physical surfaces whether at home or in public spaces are likely to increase in usage. Within homes, that would imply abilities to minimize touch of switches for lighting or fans, remotes for TV or ACs, curtain/blinds, door bells and door locks. The use of personal smart phones to control these devices will become more prevalent. Each member of the family can use their own devices so as to reduce contact with the commonly shared switches and remotes. The use of voice assistants from amazon or google are likely to be more commonly adopted for control of such devices. Although these are being mentioned with reference to homes, the same aspects are much more relevant to the hospitality industry where the rooms are occupied by different guests and are frequented by service personnel.

In the case of Buildings, whether Residential, Commercial or Hospitality, the use of Building Management Systems will become more prevalent to monitor the building assets ranging from elevators, pumps, motors, water tanks, lighting and more from a single point of control and monitoring. This is essential because buildings will be both sparsely populated due to large work from home situations and energy usage needs to be curbed. Automation such as sensors or camera based automation will likely be deployed to reduce energy consumption by selectively turning on or off the appropriate lighting, ACs, fans and other assets. Another factor is that after COVID-19, the reverse migration of labor is likely to put pressure on the availability of staff to perform certain basic management tasks, and so smart automation will have to be relied upon to take actions for some building management aspects such as turning on/off lighting in common areas, ensuring water level in tanks or water pressure in fire pumps and many security monitoring tasks as well. Some areas where public surfaces were commonly touched, like Elevator buttons or Door locks are likely to change to be smart phone enabled or controlled by card scan or QR code control. Door handles may have foot related alternatives that enable pushing doors open after the being unlocked for entry.

In our previous blog, we had covered how a Smart Home can help during this crisis. Click here to read more https://www.buildtrack.in/blog/how-smart-homes-can-help-during-covid-19/

COVID-19 is spreading rapidly across the world and most countries are in lockdown. Even though people are shut in their own houses, it is inevitable that that there are things that multiple people will touch within the homes, such as light switches, fan switches, remotes for TV or Air Conditioning, curtains or blinds.

So there are changes that it will likely bring to how people interact with homes and buildings. We have seen videos on youtube and whatsapp circulating with people trying different things, such as carrying toothpicks around to press the buttons on elevators to avoid contact or using their elbows to push doors open and so forth. Sensitivity to touching objects will continue to persist

Smart Technologies can aid in creating a ‘minimal touch’ post-Covid environment for many things that need to be operated. Voice Enabled & Smartphone Controls for controlling many of the household devices will definitely minimize or localize the touching of shared control items. For instance these can help with,

1. Turning on/off devices like lighting and fans
2. Changing channels on TV or STB and turning them On/Off
3. Turing air conditioners On/Off or changing settings
4. Operating curtains/blinds
5. Opening automated door locks without touching door handles.

Some items that do not even need voice assistants or smart phones are sensor operated devices and can be done hands-free, autonomously:

6. PIR sensors to turn on/off lighting in bathrooms/stairways/passages
7. Temperature and Humidity sensors to turn Fans or ACs On/Off

At a building level elevator buttons can be configured via automation to be accessible for operation via Smart Phones and to help reduce the touch of these surfaces used by the entire building community. In addition also some common area lighting can be managed via smart phones or schedules or autonomously via sensors as appropriate.

Sure, these are possibly just drops in the bucket as one goes through the various activities in daily life. But during the period of caution every drop counts.

Stay Safe and Stay Healthy

BuildTrack devices are compatible with Alexa and Google Home to enable you to control the devices at your home through voice. BuildTrack also enables Smart App based control of switches, curtains, blinds, remote door locks, air conditioners, media devices, camera, video door phones and include monitoring of sensors for safety and security related to smoke, gas leak, door intrusion and more. Know more https://www.buildtrack.in/home-automation-india

Residential and Commercial spaces are always the pursuing energy conservation measures, but Industrial buildings and warehouses are often neglected in this area, often despite huge energy bills because what is inside them are considered more important than the operations of the buildings themselves.  These represent a huge potential for energy efficiency and this article highlights some great opportunities for reducing the energy bills. Typical industrial or warehouse facilities can have some of the below elements that consume energy.

• High Mast Lighting
• Interior lighting (in offices and aisles)
• Air Conditioning systems (serving office spaces and machine rooms)
• Lighting on conveyor belts or equipment
• Motors and Pumps
• Machinery used in direct production and equipment for material handling

The last item on the list, i.e. machinery that is directly functional towards production and material handling is often used as per requirements of the business. It may be more difficult to conserve energy or take efficiency measures on it. However, the other load components mentioned can be controlled to achieve the best possible energy efficiency.

HIGH MAST LIGHTING: If the industrial or warehouse space has high mast lighting then there is potential for savings if it currently uses metal halide lighting. Most high mast lighting typically use 12-15 light fixtures and by replacing metal halide with LED flood lighting, the electrical load can be reduced by nearly 50%. A centralized control can be integrated for to control (switched ON) as required from a remote location or via Smart Apps, alternatively scheduling can also be done based on operating shifts to reduce the usage. The solution can reduce the high mast energy consumption by further 10-20% with payback periods within 10 – 12 months.

INTERIOR LIGHTING: Offices have lighting operating at most hours often even during the daytime, and even if the format is LED, a 10-15% of energy savings.  Lighting energy is often wasted in an office space especially in the conference, meeting rooms, restrooms, aisles, lobbies and pantries. Motion Sensor based solution for controlling these loads provide the best returns without needing to change existing lights and often wireless motion sensors can be deployed within finished offices, to retain the aesthetics of the finished spaces, without adding wiring. The savings possible on these loads on adopting the solutions is around 15 – 20%, with payback often being under 12 months

AIRCONDITIONING: These are higher consumers of energy than power. They are present not only in office spaces of the facility but also in parts of substations. Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) used to operate the various Motors in the facility and VFD controls are installed in separate rooms other than the panel rooms of the substations as they require air conditioned space. These air conditioning units often operate 24×7 and also have standby air-conditioning units due to the criticality of the equipment. In many situations these “Drive Rooms” are overcooled beyond the required 24°C, thereby consuming more energy. A centralized AC control can be installed to encompass the control of all split units across the property. These centralized AC control systems which operate multiple split ACs can also monitor the room temperatures to turn them ON/OFF more effectively, allow for switching between the working and standby units as per schedules, allow centralized status monitoring and control, run the units as per schedule and control the set temperatures centrally. Around 15-20% reduction in energy consumption with 12-14month payback is achievable in most situations.

CONVEYER & EQUIPMENT LIGHTING: Lighting on conveyors and equipment is an opportunity because such lighting stays on even when not needed. Often conveyor lights are installed throughout the belt and can run several meters long. They can be operating throughout the night time (approx. 10 hours) and in an enclosed conveyor belt, operating 24 x 7.  The same holds true for much of the production equipment which are well lit. These lighting can be efficiently controlled with wall mount occupancy/motion sensors, but multiple sensors would need to be placed as needed. There is a huge savings potential with energy savings often around 60-80% and the payback within 10 – 12 months.

MOTORS & PUMPS: These are high capacity units whose consumption of energy and operating status can be monitored if their Panels allow for connectivity via Modbus protocols. This is beneficial if remote monitoring and centralized control of these can provide means of reducing energy consumption of such units. It is sometimes feasible to monitor the current consumption to even trace operating issues if it operates at levels beyond the specifications, which is an added bonus of safety.

These solutions for energy efficiency can be often adopted without disturbing the current electrical system. An IoT or Smart Automation system consisting of sensors, nodes and gateways can be overlayed in the facility to quickly provide the autonomous or centralized control and the monitoring required delivering the energy efficiency.

IoT or Internet of Things refer to devices that can be connected to the internet and can be communicated to or from via internet.  These devices could include:

Sensors – including but not limited to sensors for safety monitoring, health monitoring, equipment monitoring

Actuators- included but not limited to those that control electrical switches or equipment controls

Cameras: typically these are cameras that stream their images via the internet

Appliances or Equipment- these could include sensors and actuators integrated into the appliances such as microwaves, refrigerators or equipment such as MRI machines, hydraulic presses and more.

So how does the Internet of Things relate to Home Automation? Well, many of devices that are mentioned above are typically used in the context of Home Automation. The intent of Home Automation is to make homes safer, secure and convenient for the residents. Many devices mentioned above would provide such safety, security and comfort as part of Home Automation, for instance

SENSORS: Sensors such as fire, smoke, gas leak, door intrusion, glass break or motion sensors are required to deliver safety and security.

CAMERAS: Videos door phones that allow users to communicate with guests at their door

ACTUATORS: Typically these are devices that control the switches and plug points that are seen at home. These switches may be used for lighting, dimming, fans, speed control, curtain motor control or more.

IR BLASTERS: These are used to control any and all IR devices that exist in the home; typically these can be Air Conditioners, Fans, Heaters, TV’s, STB, Music systems and more

THERMOSTATS: These are typically combinations of sensors and actuators to control the AC or heater while sensing the ambient temperature.

In the past these Home Automation devices operated locally when users were present in the home. The user would use either dedicated electronic displays that connected with these devices, or they would use remotes or the like to do the same. Now, most of these devices that are mentioned above can be connected to the internet and connect with the user irrespective of their location as long as the user has access to the internet and often use any device connected to the internet (E.g. computers, tablets, phones). So Home Automation devices have increasingly become part of the “internet of things”. Nearly 91.1 per cent people in the country are keen to experience a reality where Internet of Things (IoT) devices could make their lives simpler as they would be able to monitor and manage their home appliances remotely in real time, says a report.  The report ‘India IoT’ published by Tata Communications revealed that more than 65 per cent people suffer anxiety over leaving lights or other devices on when they are away from home or for the safety of their home, and believe that connected technology could help alleviate this.

An article by Economic Times says, A survey, which was conducted across 2000 respondents from 12 Indian cities to gauge the awareness levels of people about concept of IoT and views on its impact, has revealed that domestic automation appears to be a “near-necessity” for India’s youth as nearly 54% of India’s youth believe IoT is all about smart homes having connected devices and smartphones.  Less than one-third (67%) of the people aged over 35 years see IoT-enabled devices and services could create “exponential value” in the areas public services such as energy conservation, lower pollution, better treatment and disposal of waste, better access to public utilities and healthcare facilities.

IoT devices can make your home smarter and helps you add more safety, security, convenience, control, and conservation of your home devices. Know more what BuildTrack offers in home automation https://www.buildtrack.in/home-automation-india

Like any office you have lighting, air conditioning and other miscellaneous items like computers that are needed to operate the office and they all consume energy. Typically though, Air-conditioning is by far the largest culprit when it comes to energy consumption, often responsible for consuming up to 35-50% of the total energy bill in any office space.

Almost all offices have Air Conditioners, usually several of them of different ages and brands scattered through cabins, seating areas, server spaces and conference rooms.  The types of ACs is often a mixture of Window units, Split units or VRV/VRF (Variable Refrigerant Volume/Variable Refrigerant Flow)  Most ACs tend to be individually controlled by users using IR remotes or directly through the power supply for older window units.

Often, in summer it is inevitable to have to run ACs to keep a pleasant temperature in the work environment for the productivity and health of the employees and any customers who might visit the space. So is there anything that can be done to tame this energy guzzling, but necessary item in every office? The good news is that there are many options to tame the energy consumption, but often these are overlooked by many enterprises.

The opportunity to change the energy footprint of any AC exists because it is often true that a significant portion, anywhere between10-30%, of the energy consumed by air conditioners is wasted as they stay ON despite the fact that there are no occupants in the space to experience the cool air that they are providing at significant energy cost.

But that is not the only reason, so we have listed a number of reasons that typically result in wastage of energy by ACs

• Vacant Rooms: ACs continue to work in vacant rooms even when not needed
• No Scheduling: ACs are not turned OFF after working hours
• Low Set Temperatures: Occupants turn the AC set temperature too low
  (below 24°C) – and for every degree lower than this, the AC consumes 3-5% more power
• Multiple ACs in a Space: Sometimes multiple ACs operate independently as there is no room level temperature monitoring to turn one of them OFF
• Peak Load Management: Inability to easily shutoff ACs or control set temperatures during PEAK RATE periods which contribute significantly to energy bills

This type of wastage if eliminated can contribute towards significant lowering of the energy bills for any office.  Generally companies don’t pursue these opportunities because they think of the challenges in addressing such type of wastage, such as

• Established, and often finished offices that cannot be redone for any wiring,
• Existing ACs that cannot be changed.

Companies like BuildTrack have addressed this issue through multiple solutions such as wireless control of existing ACs, Sensor control of ACs, Centralizing of ACs for Scheduling and more. Most of these solutions can be retrofitted to existing ACs, and many don’t need to alter the aesthetics of finished office spaces or need rewiring to reap the benefits with a significant impact on energy consumption and bills. The average daily consumption of each air conditioner (1.5TR) is 12.5 KWh and typically 15-30% of this consumption can be reduced through a combination of Scheduling, Auto-ON/OFF when people are present/absent, Re-setting temperatures to reasonable levels, Shutting OFF ACs that are consuming current beyond their specified limits (fire hazards). Payback is often between 6-15 months.  BuildTrack is the 2 time winner of Excellence in Energy Management Award by CII and also rated 4star by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).

So it is possible to Tame your Energy Guzzling ACs! Start today !