iHomes & Buildings Autumn 2014 edition

Autumn 2014 Volume 11, Number 3 www.caba.org/ihomesandbuildings

Connected Devices for Smarter Home EnvironmentsScott Burnett notes that IBM is leading the Internet of Things in the connected home.

System Integration in Green Buildings

Achieving Zero Net-Energy in Skyscrapers

CABA Research Program Examines Big Data, IoT and BAS Market Size

Building Energy Management: Why Open Standards Matter

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARDDr. Kenneth Wacks Ken Wacks Associates (Chair)

Steven Brown CSA Group

David Labuskes RTKL Associates, Inc.

Labib Matta NeXgen Advisory Group FZ-LLC

Robert Knight Environmental Systems Design

Ken Sinclair AutomatedBuildings.com

Harshad Shah Eagle Technology, Inc.

MANAGING EDITORRonald J. Zimmer, CAE

EDITORRawlson O’Neil King

CONTRIBUTORSGeorge Grimes

Greg Walker

Association OfficeContinental Automated Buildings Association1173 Cyrville Road, Suite 210Ottawa, Ontario, CanadaK1J 7S6

Tel: 613.686.1814; 888.798.CABA (2222)Fax: 613.744.7833

Further editorial use of the articles in this magazine is encouraged.

For subscriptions, circulation, and change of address enquiries email [email protected]. For editorial and advertising opportunities: www.caba.org/ihomesandbuildings

The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those held by the Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA). CABA shall not be under any liability whatsoever with respect to the contents of contributed articles. The organization reserves the right to edit, abridge or alter articles for publication.

CABA BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIR

Dr. Satyen MukherjeePhilips

VICE-CHAIRSScot Adams

Cadillac Fairview CorporationDr. Morad Atif

National Research Council Canada

DIRECTORSJerine Ahmed

Southern California Edison Company

Scott BurnettIBM

Debra Gondeck-BeckerHoneywell Building Solutions

David ClaridgeTexas A&M University

Jonathan ClutsMicrosoft Corporation

Xavier DatinSchneider Electric

Jeffery DonneRobert Bosch LLC

Michel DostieHydro-Québec

Daniel DroletPCN Technology, Inc.

Larry EhlingerPella Corporation

Noah GoldsteinNavigant Research

Jeff HamiltonIngersoll Rand

Fabrice HoernerQualcomm

Raphael ImhofSiemens Industry, Inc.

Dawn MortimerAmerican Family Insurance

Elizabeth JacobsIntermatic, Inc.

Zouheir MansouratiTELUS Corporation

Stephen NardiRealView, LLC

Tom SemlerHydro One Networks Inc.

Eric SimmonsRogers Communications, Inc.

Hélène VaillancourtCSA Group

Autumn 2014, Volume 11, Number 3

Contents

FeaturesLarge Building Automation System Integration in Green Building by Jim Sinopoli ........................................................................................... 6Home Systems Connected Devices for Smarter Home Environments by Rawlson O’Neil King ....................................................11

ColumnsCABA President & CEO’s Message ................................................................................................................................2CABA Research Briefs U.S. Homeowners on Clean Energy: A National Survey ......................................................................................... 4 The Future of the Utility Industry and the Role of Energy Efficiency ......................................................................5Research Viewpoints CABA Research Program Examines Big Data, IoT and BAS Market Size by Greg Walker ..................................... 9Ken Wacks’ Perspectives Achieving Zero Net-Energy in Skyscraper ............................................................................................................. 14Opinion Building Energy Management: Why Open Standards Matter by Sachin Andhare ............................................... 18

DepartmentsNew Members ..................................................................................................................................................................3Industry Trends ............................................................................................................................................................. 20Upcoming Events .......................................................................................................................................................... 21

CABA NewsBriefPlease go to the CABA Web site at www.caba.org tolearn how to freely subscribe and sponsor

2 CABA iHomes and Buildings Autumn 2014

CABA PRESIDENT & CEO’S MESSAGERon Zimmer

CABA is an international trade association that now works with over 350 member organizations and over 13,000 industry professionals that freely subscribe to the CABA NewsBrief. The continued growth of CABA mirrors the growth of the “Connected Home and Intelligent Buildings” sector.

However, increasingly you will hear many new buzz words and terminology to describe integrated systems in homes and buildings. Terms like machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) are increasingly becoming part of the lexicon to describe the more traditional terms of home and building automation.

Recent research has been widely circulated that the “new” IoT will become a US$19 trillion business by 2020. What is more staggering is that currently only .06 percent of “things” that could be connected to the Internet currently are! More importantly, by 2020 the largest IoT group will be within buildings…a staggering 40 percent. Don’t you want a slice of that pie?

It is with this knowledge that new IoT growth is going to take place within buildings that will be unprecedented in the 26 year history of CABA or the industry. We are now seeing many non-traditional organizations joining CABA. Two good examples are Texas A&M and American Family Insurance, that have both joined CABA and been appointed to the CABA Board of Directors.

This is easy to understand, because no one person can possibly understand this growing and evolving marketplace and the roadmap that needs to be developed for their organization. CABA helps because, for as little as $800, organizations can access the largest “IoT, Connected Home, M2M and Intelligent Buildings” research library in the world. There are currently over 1,000 research reports, case studies and white papers that reside in the CABA Research Library.

Before they are added to the CABA Research Library, these documents are peer reviewed and approved by the CABA Information Council (CIC). At this time, we thank CIC Chairman Dr. Ken Wacks and CHC Vice-Chairman Wayne Caswell for leading this important and dedicated group.

CABA also appreciates the industry support so that your organization can continue to be “Your Information Source for Home and Building Automation.”

There isn’t another group like CABA!


A complete CABA member listing with both product and service information and Web links is available at: www.caba.org

ABI ResearchABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research’s worldwide team of experts advises thousands of decision makers through 70-plus research and advisory services. The firm was established in 1990.

Enbridge Gas DistributionEnbridge Gas Distribution is Canada’s largest gas distribution utility, and one of the fastest-growing such enterprises in North America. Enbridge Gas Distribution and its affiliates serve more than two million customers in central and eastern Ontario, southwestern Quebec, and parts of northern New York State. Delivering energy for 165 years, Enbridge Gas Distribution added a record 60,000 customers in 2003, began serving 40,000-plus new customers in 2010, and passed a very important company milestone in early 2013, reaching two million customers strong.

ROC Exhibitions, Inc.ROC Exhibitions is a premier event management company headquartered in Lisle, IL. The firm owns and manages numerous industry-leading events including: The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Conference & Expo, Fire Mexico and DRI International.

ValensValens is the world leader in HDBaseT technology and is a leading provider of semiconductor products for the distribution of uncompressed HD multimedia content. As the inventor of HDBaseT Technology, Valens delivers significant value to the entire entertainment ecosystem, from CE/PC equipment manufacturers and audio/video connectivity product suppliers, through systems integrators and retailers, to installers and consumers. With Valens’ semiconductor products homes, offices, hotels, airports and other public places can install a robust HD ecosystem easily and effectively, at very low cost.

Connect with us at www.caba.org

NEW MEMBERSThe Continental Automated Buildings Association is a not-for-profit industry association that promotes advanced technologies for the automation of homes and buildings. CABA members benefit from timely, competitive intelligence on the integrated systems industry. Here is a sampling of our latest members.


CABA RESEARCH BRIEFSCABA Research Briefs provide a condensed synopsis of specific research papers available in the organization’s research libraries. CABA research libraries provide industry intelligence to the home and large building automation and integrated systems sector.

U.S. HOMEOWNERS ON CLEAN ENERGY: A NATIONAL SURVEY

SolarCity and Clean Edge commissioned a survey of U.S. homeowners by polling firm Zogby Analytics. This study focused on U.S. homeowners and their choices and attitudes towards a wide range of clean-energy technologies.

1,418 randomly selected homeowners across the U.S answered questions about renewables, energy efficiency, clean transportation, energy storage, and other related topics. The purpose of the survey was to learn what homeowners know and think about clean-energy products and services, electric utilities, third-party energy service providers, and consumer choice.

The report determined that: • Homeowners want energy options.• Support for renewables is strong and widespread.• Homeowners weigh environmental impacts, but economics rule.• Clean-energy purchases are becoming mainstream, but perceived price barriers persist.

In addition to the national poll results, the report highlights growth rates of key clean energy products and services. Across the nation, U.S. homeowners are shifting to clean-energy products and services, ranging from solar PV systems and LED light bulbs to electric vehicles (EVs) and green home construction.

10-Year Compound Annual Growth Rates (CAGRs)

LEED Certified Green Building Projects

Solar PV Installations

Energy Star Buildings and Plants

Hybrid Electric Vehicle Sales

Utility-Scale Clean Electricity Generation

Source: Electric Drive Transportation Association, USGBC, IREC, EIA, and Energy Star with Clean Edge analysis

55%

54%

30%

23%

20%


CABA RESEARCH BRIEFS

THE FUTURE OF THE UTILITY INDUSTRY AND THE ROLE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY

The energy utility industry is facing many challenges, with sales stagnating, use of distributed generation growing, infrastructure aging, and environmental regulations tightening. In the past, utilities could make money by serving growing loads and earning returns on the large capital investments they make to serve those loads. Now, with loads barely growing, they will likely need new strategies to meet their fiduciary obligation to provide returns to shareholders.

This study from the American Council for an Energy Efficiency Economy (ACEEE) estimates future electric sales under several scenarios, concluding that in the coming two decades sales will either be level, increase modestly or decrease modestly. Even under the most extreme case examined we find that a “death spiral” is unlikely. This study also reviews more than 50 stud-ies and papers on the future role of utilities, identifying 19 options for the future and describing and evaluating each of them. Based on this review we make recommendations for the short, medium and long-terms including on the role of energy efficiency in the utility of the future. •

Electricity Savings from Potential Future Standards

Savings from existing standards

Electricity consumption without existing standards

Projected electricity consumption with existing standards (EIA 2011)

Electricity consumption with potential new standards

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LARGE BUILDING AUTOMATION

systems to gain functionality that neither system could do alone. This is the maxim that “the whole of the sum is greater than the parts”.

What follows are some examples of system integration opportunities to support green buildings:

Daylight HarvestingIf a building has motorized exterior shading, typical lighting controls and a DDC system, there’s a need to integrate the systems and optimize several variables within them. It’s really about controlling the penetration of sunlight. We’re trying to use daylight to offset the lighting system, thus saving energy and at the same time maintain a minimum recommended light level for the space. Too much sunlight may result in heat gain and trigger cooling from the HVAC system which would require additional energy. Too little sunlight or daylight harvesting may result in greater use of the lighting system. We try to balance the optimal lighting need for the occupants with the energy consumption of the lighting or HVAC system. The position of the shades affect thermal loads in the space via the amount of sunlight the shades let in as well as potential heat from the lighting system. At the same time there’s a need to take advantage of daylight harvesting. An integrated system approach between the different systems can be used to control active and pas-sive sources of heating, lighting, shading and ventilation via a preset sequence of operations.

WaterWhile most of the focus and attention regarding green buildings is on energy, there are LEED credits related to water use which address landscaping, water use reduction and innovative wastewater techniques. Water is a uniquely

Another plus for system integration is integrating the func-tionality of two systems to gain functionality that neither system could do alone.

Building owners seeking a green building certification or energy rating for a new building or the renovation of an existing building generally push the idea of system integration to the background. To some extent this is understandable. They’re probably familiar with integration in the typical fire alarm, smoke control, elevators, access control, essentially life safety integration; but not aware of the functional benefits of integrating other systems and the potential opportunities to analyze an integrated database of system data points.

Usually the idea of system integration is not even dis-cussed during project conception or schematic planning. For new construction the owner is dealing with the initial and more immediate issues such as the sustainability of the site, construction logistics, materials, etc. For existing buildings, system integration may get lost in initial issues related to building assessments and audits, cost estimates, scheduling, and the scope of renovation.

However, long term operation of a green building is mainly based on energy conservation, water efficiency and indoor environmental quality, all of which are con-trolled, monitored and driven by building control systems. Integrating these and other building control systems has significant advantages and can provide some additional building operational support. One benefit is acquiring data from the building systems, normalizing it into a standard data format, creating a database, analyzing the information, identifying correlations and outliers, and creating optimal rules for real time system operations. Another plus for system integration is integrating the functionality of two

System Integration in Green Buildings

Jim Sinopoli, PE, RCDD, LEED AP, explains the benefits of using system integration to create intelligent green buildings.



triggering a reduction of lighting levels via the lighting control system; commands to the DDC system to raise the space temperature setpoints for selected zones to reduce the cooling load, turning off selected pieces of equipment to represent KW load reduction or raising the chilled water discharge setpoint for simulated reduced cooling load as an energy reduction sequence.

Different building uses require different approaches to curtailment. For example, a hospital or other healthcare facility may have a curtailment plan that turns off all non-es-sential lighting, delays the use of dishwashing or laundry and reduces the number of usable elevators and escalators. The curtailment plan in an office building may involve reset-ting the temperature for air conditioning, slowing fan speeds, reducing overhead lighting, turning off all non-critical or unused equipment and doing so only in non-executive areas. Educational facilities may curtail the use of cafeteria and kitchen equipment, reset thermostats or delay the use of laboratories. The point is that each building owner or manager needs to develop varied detailed curtailments for different levels of reduction and automate the response using system integration.

The development of this automated logic is not easy; as buildings become increasingly complex the decisions regarding their performance become more intricate and there are many more variables in the decision making pro-cess. The demand response policies will need to touch on every significant building situation or scenario affecting energy, operational costs, life safety and tenant comfort.

Much of the data used as the basis for “policies” will rely on near real-time data from the building systems, however critical data and system-to-system communications are needed with the facility management systems, business systems, the utility grid and other external systems, such as weather or energy markets. An automated building will require numerous policies, control logic, system integration and sequences of operations taking into account a great number of variables to optimize or fulfill the demand response requirements.

Energy ManagementA typical commercial building will have an energy manage-ment system. It will need to integrate power consumption data from the HVAC system, power management and con-trol systems and the lighting system in order to provide

critical resource and also has a direct connection to energy use. Every drop from the faucet requires some pumping or treatment which uses energy, therefore reducing potable water use reduces energy consumption. From a green build-ing perspective, the interest is primarily in how we manage and monitor the water use in buildings. More specifically, the focus is on systems that will allow us to collect data on water use and provide actionable information to the facility or property manager. The water management system can identify water leaks and running fixtures, provide informa-tion as to when the fixtures are in use, flow rates, restroom traffic patterns and how water usage changes with the season.

By integrating data from a power management or energy management system with the water management system, an owner can measure energy consumption of the water distribution or irrigation systems but also use the power usage and gallons per minute (gpm) of the pumps to detect inefficient or failing pumps. For example, if you see the kw/gallon drift up from historical data for the same gpm (i.e. not just a performance curve variance), you know that the pump (while operational) needs service because it is less efficient.

Demand ResponseFor building owners demand response is a real opportunity to generate small to modest revenue. It also forces building owners to think about how exactly they can reduce energy consumption which is beneficial even when there isn’t a demand response event. To take advantage of demand response building owners need to develop a detailed energy curtailment plan (or more likely an array of reduction plans based on different levels of energy usage)

Curtailment plans for building owners are more than just about energy; they must take into consideration busi-ness operations, priorities within the organization, critical systems and spaces, and occupant comfort and productiv-ity. The ultimate goal is to maximize the attainment of the required energy reduction, while minimizing the effect on occupants and building performance.

The response to a curtailment event for sizable buildings is automated and requires the integration of the energy consuming systems. For example, a power monitoring and control system (PMCS) can provide data that would trig-ger demand or energy reduction sequences. The process could involve the building KW load data from the PMCS


Event ManagementMany large buildings or campuses have scores of meeting and conference rooms and they manage the rooms via an event management scheduling system. By integrating the meeting scheduling system with HVAC, lighting, access control, and even AV systems, the suite of systems can auto-matically set up the room prior to its schedule (turn on lights, unlock doors, change the HVAC set point, etc.) and based on occupancy sensors can return the room environment to its unoccupied state afterwards. The application saves energy and operational staff time.

Integrated Building Management SystemThe most innovative building management systems inher-ently have extensive system integration, facilitated via soft-ware. Any data point in nearly any building system can be accessed, acquired and normalized to the standardized for-mat of an integrated building management system. Typically these systems are scalable, with applications and integration taken to the enterprise level. Examples are retail stores, cam-puses, or commercial buildings in multiple locations.

The integrated building management systems (IBMS) read or write to data points in building control systems and create a database of enterprise system data. This allows one software platform and a Human Machine Interface (HMI) to access a broader range of building data and more importantly improves the capability to analyze data. The use of analytic software applications for building control systems (especially the HVAC system) have shown reduc-tions in energy consumption as well as improved operations. Other applications incorporated into an integrated building management system may be green building functions such as automated demand response and an integrated energy management application.

Building systems integration continues to demonstrate a significant and positive impact on building life cycle cost, primarily impacting operations and energy consumption. As the process for implementing integration projects contin-ues to develop and improve and as buildings become more complex, owners and facility managers will more readily adopt the integrated approach. •

James Sinopoli is Principal of Smart Buildings, LLC.

the owner with information on the energy consumption of the building.

The more expansive use of integrated systems related to energy management is for enterprise applications. These include large campuses, retail, and enterprise commercial holdings, where there are multiple buildings in different locations or multiple buildings using different building management system. Integration will allow the acquisition of different remote building data from disparate building management systems to be integrated in to an enterprise database and allow the owner to view enterprise data, with the capability to drill down to particular buildings or control systems.

Other examples of system integration related to energy management and green buildings include:

Integration of the Building Management and Facility Management SystemsBuilding system data needs to be integrated with facility management applications for work orders, asset manage-ment, preventative maintenance and more. It is one thing to construct a new green building; it’s quite another to prop-erly operate the building to maintain it as a green building. Applications such as predictive or preventative maintenance and asset management are needed to support the facility management staff in sustaining the building performance. Also, integrating this data into business systems such as accounting, budgeting, and purchasing enable the financial side of energy and facility management.

Off Hours System ActivationThis is an application that integrates the card access system, HVAC and the lighting system in a building for occupants entering the building after hours or on the weekend. Once a person provides credentials to the access control system and is authenticated, the access control system will trigger the activation of lighting and HVAC zones during off hours. The card access information includes the spaces within the building that the occupant can enter and the system will then issue override, enable, start/stop or other commands to the lighting control and DDC system in those spaces for a fixed time. The application saves energy and operational staff time.



the research and expects the study to be completed by December 2014. Navigant Research, a CABA Board mem-ber, is a market research and consulting firm that provides in-depth analysis of global technology markets. The team’s research methodology combines supply-side industry anal-ysis, end-user primary research and demand assessment, and deep examination of technology trends to provide a comprehensive view of these industry sectors.

This study is a major initiative of the CABA Research Program, which offers a range of opt-in technical and advi-sory research services designed to provide industry stake-holders with collaborative research and R&D opportunities.

CABA, with support from its Connected Home Council, is also pleased to have launched its new Connected Consumer Roadmap research project. Using a two-phased research approach, including both an extensive consumer survey and in-depth industry interviews, CABA will con-sider ecosystem that goes beyond the connected home. This unique landmark research study will leverage an “Internet of Things” perspective, taking into account a consumer focused view, from both inside and outside the home. The Roadmap will examine the health and wellness, entertainment, mobil-ity, transportation and security segments.

“The Connected Consumer Roadmap: Driven by the Internet of Things” research study will assess consumer expectations around the enabled devices they use every day to live in a fully connected world, and also provide insight into key industry topics, ranging from cybersecu-rity to privacy. Importantly, this research will exmplore and identify new opportunities and solutions within ecosystems and across ecosystems.

Funding partners participating in CABA’s Connected Consumer Roadmap study include: Alarm.com, American Family Insurance, Arrayent, Hydro One Networks, Hydro-Québec, IEEE, Intermatic, Inc., Microsoft Corporation,

The Continental Automated Buildings Association, through its Intelligent & Integrated Buildings Council, has launched a collaborative research study entitled “Intelligent Buildings and Big Data”.

Industry consensus concurs that the proliferation of intelligent devices and Internet technologies has created an exponential increase in the volume, velocity, and variety of data. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as “Big Data”. The goal of this new CABA research project is to examine new tools and resources that can help companies filter, analyze, and use “Big Data” collected from intelligent and integrated buildings.

Current data management systems are not capable of processing this new influx of data, and as a result compa-nies are forced to ignore the majority of the data available. Leveraging “Big Data” will enable a better understanding of customer behaviors, competition, and market trends.

“CABA believes that high quality research focused on the proper utilization of ‘Big Data’ from building systems is crucial to staying competitive in this dynamic connected marketplace,” stated Ronald J. Zimmer, CABA President & CEO. “We hope that the project will help quantify current and near-term challenges and opportunities that ‘Big Data’ provides to automated building management and opera-tions.”

The following CABA members are confirmed spon-sors of the study: The American Institute of Architects, Automated Logic Corporation/UTC, BC Hydro, BACnet International, Belimo Air Controls Inc., Cadillac Fairview Corporation, CSA Group, EcoOpera Systems Inc., Honeywell International, Hydro-Québec, Ingersoll Rand, Johnson Controls, KMC Controls, Inc., Larsen and Toubro Ltd., Philips, Robert Bosch LLC, Rogers Communications, Schneider Electric and Siemens Industry, Inc.

CABA has contracted Navigant Research to undertake

RESEARCH VIEWPOINTS

CABA Research Program Examines Big Data, IoT and BAS Market SizeBy Greg Walker


RESEARCH VIEWPOINTS

Corporation, Distech Controls, Honeywell International, Inc., Johnson Controls, KMC Controls, MechoSystems Inc., Overhead Door Corporation, Panduit Corporation, Philips, Siemens Industry, Inc., Schneider Electric, United Technologies - Building & Industrial Systems.

The “Market Sizing North America Version 2” research project will be conducted by the UK-based Building Services Research and Information Association. BSRIA’s Worldwide Market Intelligence unit has over 25 years of experience in global market research and have conducted studies in affiliated CABA subsectors such as air conditioning, heating, IT cabling, piping, bathroom equipment, building control systems, renewables, facilities management and contracting.

All of CABA’s research projects are conducted through the association’s Research Program.

The CABA Research Program offers a range of opt-in technical and advisory research services designed to provide industry stakeholders with collaborative market research and R&D opportunities. The program is designed to be flexible and to maximize relevant and actionable results for all research participants while concurrently sharing and minimizing costs. It leverages agnostic, systematic and proven project management techniques to ensure that real-istic and neutral research results are achieved.

For more information about the CABA Research Program, please see www.caba.org/research. To learn more on how to participate in any of these studies, please contact me at 613.686.1814 x227 or at [email protected]. •

Greg Walker is Research Director at the Continental Automated Buildings Association.

Moen, Pella Corporation, Philips, Qualcomm Incorporated, Schneider Electric, SecurTek Monitoring Solutions, TELUS and UPnP Forum.

The last project underway is CABA’s “Market Sizing North America Version 2” research project.

The Continental Automated Buildings Association, through its Intelligent & Integrated Buildings Council, has begun to conduct a comprehensive update to its original

“Intelligent and Integrated Buildings Technologies: Market Sizing in North America 2010” report.

The original “Intelligent and Integrated Buildings Technologies: Market Sizing in North America 2010” report provided an in-depth analysis of the North American mar-ket for integrated and converged intelligent building con-trol systems. The report examined environmental control technologies, fire detection, security, lighting systems and IT convergence.

CABA’s new, updated “Market Sizing North America Version 2” research project will include a market review of the threats to the building automation and control systems (BACS) business, that include: new direct expansion central air conditioning (DX AC) entrants, increasing sophistica-tion of air conditioning (AC) and heating controls, variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems equipped with control and energy management functionality, and new developments in smart homes and communicating room controllers.

CABA’s updated market sizing study will also be designed to assist industry stakeholders focus on a large range of concerns involved in the design, manufacture and installation of intelligent buildings controls. The study will assess market sizes by product at the first point of distribu-tion, products at engineered and commissioned prices and determine the total value added, factoring in hardware price erosion, throughout the entire supply chain.

CABA’s updated study will be designed to be of interest to: building controls manufacturers; systems integrators; controls contractors; facility management companies; energy management service companies; original equipment manufacturers of heating, ventilation and air conditioning hardware; architects; building services consultants; security, fire alarm and lighting control companies; telecommunica-tions and computer hardware manufacturers; network and structured cabling suppliers; and installers.

Funding partners participating in CABA’s updated mar-ket sizing study include: Belimo Air Controls Inc., Broadcom

CABA’s Intelligent Buildings& Digital Home Forum

April 14-16, 2015Austin, TX

Learn more at:www.caba.org/caba-forum


manufacturers have the right part, or better yet, update the software or firmware remotely over the air, which may solve problems without a service call.

Home-based appliances and devices can capitalize on sensor-derived Internet of Things data to dramatically change daily domestic lifestyles and enhance home envi-ronments for consumers. Consumers are then able to make smart and accurate decisions related to home security, per-sonal health of family members, and energy utilization of appliances, to name a few.

Smart Home Technology“Due to benefits presented by the Internet of Things, IBM is pleased to be working with CABA on its Connected Consumer Roadmap: Driven by the Internet of Things study,” said Scott Burnett, Director, Global Consumer Electronics Industry at IBM. “The Roadmap is a new research proj-ect that will explore and identify new opportunities and solutions within the smart home ecosystem and beyond.” Burnett is Chair of CABA’s Connected Home Council , who has spoken at CABA’s Intelligent Buildings & Digial Home Forum (see cover photo).

Using a two-phase research approach, including an extensive consumer survey and in-depth industry inter-views, the project will consider a vast ecosystem that is much wider than the connected home. The study will take into account a consumer-focused view, from both inside and outside of the home, of health and wellness, entertainment, mobility, transportation and security market segments.

IBM has also partnered with Shaspa in an effort to equip homes with technology that enables the occupants to use a single device to control all electronic devices and appliances. Shaspa’s Smart Home Kit is one example of its solutions

Connected devices at home services are growing at a rapid pace every day, and the Internet of Things—which excludes personal computers, tablets, and smartphones—is growing even faster than one can imagine. This explosion of con-nected devices and the plethora of data they are expected to collect and send represents tremendous challenges for individuals and organizations. They will need to make sense of this data to make it actionable. According to Gartner, by 2020 there will be nearly 26 billion devices on the Internet of Things, and the number of smartphones, tablets, and personal computers in use will reach about 7.3 billion units.

For manufacturers, Internet access opens up new oppor-tunities to increase return on investment and understand how appliances are being used by consumers. By leveraging cloud technology and Big Data techniques, companies are able to analyze a wealth of data. This data offers manufactur-ers the ability to perform predictive maintenance, optimize supply chain and service delivery as well as get insights into how, when and where devices are being operated. Ultimately this will drive cost savings and spur product innovation based on the direct relationship with consumers through apps and other interfaces. And finally, by understanding how appliances are used, manufacturers can improve the design of the next generation product offering.

For consumers, Internet-connected appliances add simplicity, reliability and efficiency to everyday living. For example, consumers can prolong usage by receiving an alert when a refrigerator filter needs to be cleaned or changed. By understanding the use patterns, it now becomes possible to create an automated delivery service of consumables such as detergent. And if the appliance stops working correctly, this Internet connectivity can help service professionals diag-nose the problem before they leave the shop. This ensures

Connected Devices for Smarter Home Environments

IBM is an industry leader in developing Internet of Things frameworks for the connected home.

HOME SYSTEMS


HOME SYSTEMS

occupants analyze conditions that might indicate a problem. For example, usage information can be collected from a washing machine connected to the bridge to know when new supplies and accessories such as filters or belts may be needed. And even the detergent dispenser can have a sensor linked to the bridge to indicate when it needs to be refilled.

When alert conditions are detected, connected devices at home notify customer support to proactively reach out to the home’s occupant. In addition, historical analytics can be performed on an ongoing basis to determine potential upcoming repair needs and an appliance’s operational effec-tiveness. This operational information can be correlated with the asset repository to generate a work order for any necessary maintenance or repairs, which is then dispatched to the appropriate repair technician through a mobile device. This process helps reduce the number of truck rolls per repair, and helps ensure that technicians are properly equipped in advance.

Not only does this process assist the home’s occupants, but it also supplies meaningful insight to the home appliance

that focus primarily on environmental monitoring, energy management, assisted living, comfort, and convenience.

The Smart Home Kit is an open platform that employs a network of intelligent sensors to provide information about the state of the home. These sensors monitor systems such as energy generation and metering; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC); lighting; security; and environ-mental key performance indicators. Utilizing a bridge called

“SmartGate”, data is processed and made available through a number of access methods such as touch screens, mobile phones and 3–D browsers.

This technology—based on IBM Informix database deep embedding—is intended as an IBM initiative which will helps people manage diverse and interactive data. Home appliance providers can combine the technology with busi-ness analytics applications to not only enhance the end-user experience, but help end users make more informed decisions.

Home appliance manufacturers are also realizing the importance of collecting data from home locations to help

Integrated equipment and appliances through the Informix-embedded Shaspa framework


HOME SYSTEMS

company for making better and faster decisions than they could make for traditional homes. It also provides valuable information for developing new products.

This framework embeds Informix database software for its smart home solutions. Informix incorporates design concepts that are well suited for the data volume challenges that the Internet of Things presents. And advanced database capabilities can help deliver high levels of performance and availability, robust data replication and scalability, and min-imal administrative overhead.

Connected Home HealthIBM’s vision for the smart home also includes applications for connected home health. Growth in the population of chronic conditioned, elderly and obese individuals around the world necessitates new models for care and collaboration between patients and healthcare providers. To support these efforts, IBM is an early, contributing member of Continua Health Alliance, a non-profit alliance of healthcare and IT companies dedicated to providing standards for providers to exploit new sources of data from medical devices and sensors.

The connected home health solution from IBM com-bines data from sensors and medical devices located within a patient’s home and IBM’s business process management, event processing and business optimization capabilities to deliver new insights to care teams. This solution is designed to help improve healthcare management across three key domains: chronic disease management, elderly monitoring, and health and wellness.

Over 600 million people worldwide have chronic dis-eases, and the spending on chronic diseases is expected to increase. For example, in the U.S. alone, spending is expected to increase from US$500 billion a year to US$685 billion by 2020. Connected home health can help people with chronic conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, congestive heart failure and hypertension manage their conditions more effectively and live healthier lives.

Patients can take their blood pressure, weight, glucose level, temperature and other vital signs at home using special devices that automatically transmit the results to a personal health system in their home and on to a monitoring service where they can keep track of their condition. For instance, if a patient’s weight drops, their blood pressure gets too high

or other issues are reported, their care team is notified and can take action immediately.

This can help improve the patient’s health, and also reduce healthcare costs through early detection of health issues. In addition, by allowing patients to manage their own care at home, connected home health can empower them to take ownership of their own health. And it enables better coordinated care across disciplines by providing an integrated view of a patient’s health information.

There are 600 million elderly individuals worldwide, and this number is expected to double to 1.2 billion by 2025. Connected home health can enable these people to age independently, with dignity and security. In addition to monitoring vital signs through sensor-equipped medical devices, IBM’s solution can use sensors to assist with daily health and monitoring tasks, and provide early warnings using biosensor data collection.

If everything is the norm, family caregivers are notified as such on a regular basis. If the patient doesn’t take their medication, for example, the caregiver is also notified so they can call the patient and remind them to take their medicine. If there is an emergency, first responders can be notified immediately.

Connected home health can even help prevent obesity and other illnesses by enabling healthy individuals to share information from fitness equipment, pedometers, weight scales, blood pressure cuffs and other devices directly with their weight loss and fitness coaches. This can help them stay motivated and achieve their goals by connecting them to their health and wellness team through a more efficient exchange of their personal fitness information.

IBM’s WebSphere-based “SensorEvents” connected home health solution collects and correlates data and events from all types of medical devices, providing a platform to aggregate, analyze and visualize events. That data can be integrated into existing electronic medical record systems and disease management applications for management of diabetes, congestive heart failure, and other chronic diseases or medical conditions. •

Rawlson O’Neil King is Communications Director at the Continental Automated Buildings Association.


the numbers show, the “goal for a super high-rise office tower is impossible by relying on on-site renewable energy generation.” Dr. So then introduces the concept of a net-zero solution applied to a combination of the commercial building plus the homes of the managers at the companies that occupy the building.

An ultra-low-energy high-rise building that cannot reach ZNE alone could be part of a community including the managers’ homes and apartments, which in aggregate achieves ZNE. This proposal is limited to managers since it may be too complicated to involve all building occupants in such a program.

Public policy on Zero Net-Energy buildingsThe impetus for smart grids and ZNE buildings in the United States comes from the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA). According to Section 422 of EISA a “Zero-Net-Energy (ZNE) Commercial Building” is defined to be a high-performance commercial building that is designed, constructed, and operated:

• To require a greatly reduced quantity of energy to operate.

• To meet the balance of energy needs from sources of energy that do not produce greenhouse gases (GHGs) in a manner that will result in no net emissions of GHGs.

• To be economically viable in all climate zones of the nation: marine, hot-dry, hot-humid, mixed-dry, mixed-humid, cold, very cold, and sub-arctic.

According to EISA the implementation of ZNE applies to:• Any commercial building newly constructed in the U.S.

by 2030.• Fifty percent of the commercial building stock of the

U.S. by 2040.• All commercial buildings in the U.S. by 2050.

CABA provides a variety of information on home and building systems in the form of:

• Reports on research studies funded by CABA members.• A library of papers reviewed by the CABA Information

Council.• Original white papers developed in the CABA

Connected Home Council (CHC) and the Intelligent & Integrated Buildings Council (IIBC). I chair the IIBC White Papers Subcommittee.

According to the CABA Terms of Reference for the IIBC White Papers Subcommittee: “The purpose of the IIBC White Papers Subcommittee is to collaborate with the IIBC membership regarding the identification of relevant and emerging issues in the Intelligent Buildings industry that could serve as potential IIBC White Papers. IIBC White Papers are intended to facilitate knowledge sharing and to foster increased awareness amongst CABA members by broadening our understanding of issues and challenges facing the industry.”

I am pleased to report the approval of an important IIBC white paper on energy conservation in high-rise buildings entitled Toward Zero Net Energy (ZNE) Super High-Rise Commercial Buildings. This paper was proposed by Dr. Albert So from the Asian Institute of Intelligent Buildings. Dr. So’s contributions were supplemented with inputs about the Canadian market from David Katz of Sustainable Resources Management Inc. and about smart grids from me.

Can Zero Net-Energy be achieved?The focus of the CABA white paper is achieving Zero Net-Energy (ZNE) in commercial buildings above 50 sto-ries (called a “super high-rise building”). The white paper presents quantitative data about the energy consumption of various buildings and locations in North America. As

KEN WACKS’ PERSPECTIVES

Achieving Zero Net-Energy in SkyscrapersBy Ken Wacks



• ZNEB:A buildings generate and use energy through a combination of energy efficiency and renewable energy collected within the building footprint.

• ZNEB:B buildings generate and use energy through a combination of energy efficiency and renewable energy generated within the building footprint as well as within the site.

• ZNEB:C buildings use renewable energy strategies as ZNEB:A and ZNEB:B buildings as far as possible, and also bring off-site renewable materials, such as wood chips, waste vegetable oil, bio-diesel, and ethanol, onto the building site to produce energy.

• ZNEB:D buildings use energy strategies of the ZNEB:A, ZNEB:B, and ZNEB:C buildings plus purchased off-site renewable energy such as utility-scale wind from certified sources.

Technology for ZNE buildingsAccording to a 2009 white paper from Johnson Controls, common characteristics of buildings that achieve ZNE include:

• The buildings are not very tall.• Energy efficiency is important for load reduction,

systems efficiency, regenerative systems, and renewable systems.

• Integrated design and operation are necessary and should be based on a joint effort of owners, designers and architects, contractors, and operators.

• On-site renewable energy, mainly from solar power and wind, is a priority.

Some states have ZNE mandates:• California requires all new residential construction

to be ZNE by 2020. All new California commercial buildings must achieve this ZNE goal by 2030; 50 percent of the square footage of existing state-owned buildings must be ZNE by 2025.

• Washington State requires a 70 percent reduction in energy consumption by 2031 relative to the 2006 Washington State Energy Code.

In the European Union, a March 2009 resolution requires that by 2019 all newly constructed buildings produce as much energy as they consume on-site.

In Canada, similar efforts to reduce energy in office buildings are underway. An Ontario electricity tariff that authorizes utilities to buy excess locally generated solar power has provided the stimulus for a large increase in renewable energy projects. The Real Property Association of Canada (REALpac) set a target for 2015 to make existing buildings more energy efficient while lowering energy costs and emissions, although it will not achieve ZNE.

Definitions and characteristics of ZNE buildingsThere are many definitions for a ZNE building. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a U.S. Department of Energy facility, there are up to four definitions as listed in Table 1.NREL proposed a classification grading system for ZNE buildings (ZNEB) based on the renewable energy sources that a building uses:

Class Definition Description

1 Net Zero Site Energy

Produces as much renewable energy as it uses annually within the footprint of the building, when accounted for at site.

2 Net Zero Source Energy

Produces (or purchases) as much renewable energy as it uses annually, when accounted for at the source. Source energy refers to the primary energy used to extract, process, generate, and deliver energy to the site. An appropriate set of site-to-source conversion multipliers is applied to the calculation of imported and exported energy.

3 Net Zero Energy Costs

A building in which the amount the utility pays the building owner for the renewable energy the building exports to the grid is at least equal to amount the owner pays the utility for energy services and energy used annually.

4 Net Zero Energy Emissions

Produces (or purchases) enough emissions-free renewable energy to offset emissions from all energy used in the building annually. Carbon, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur oxides are common emissions that ZEBs offset.

Table 1 – Classification of Zero Net-Energy Buildings



The CABA white paper describes passive, active, and renewable technologies for ZNE buildings covering the topics shown in Table 3.

A proposal for ZNE buildingsBased on a survey of technical literature, Dr. So concluded that a super high-rise building always consumes much more energy than it can generate on-site. This is due to the limited roof area for installing photovoltaic panels and wind turbines.

Therefore, Dr. So proposes that an ultra low-energy super high-rise office building (ULEB) be considered part of a ZNE cluster consisting of the office building plus all the houses and apartments of these managers. Most houses and apartments in North America and Europe are low-rise, at most three stories high. For these types of buildings it is much easier to achieve Negative Net-Energy (NNE) than in the office building. NNE buildings (NNEBs) generate more electrical energy than consumed annually. The resultant

• Sales of excess power to the utility are important provided that the utility offers net-metering (allows the meter to run backwards when inserting locally generator power onto the grid) or a special feed-in tariff to purchase locally generated power at a premium price.

• A good monitoring and verification process is necessary to validate the achievement continuously.

Limitations of ZNE buildingsIn 2012, Arup, a design and engineering firm, simulated buildings to determine the technical feasibility of ZNE buildings in California. They concluded that the California ZNE goal is not easily achievable. Steps to reach ZNE include load reduction, passive systems, active efficiency, energy recovery, on-site renewables, and co-generation. Very often, a parking lot associated with the building has to be utilized by installing solar power (photovolatic, PV) panels on the roof of the lots. The Arup findings are shown in Table 2.

Type of Building Possibility of Zero Net-Energy

Single family residential (1 story)

Possible across all climate zones

Multi-family low-rise (3 stories)


Multi-family high-rise (10 stories)

Impossible unless with parking lot PV

Medium office (3 stories)


Large office (12 stories)

Impossible unless with parking lot PV

Strip mall (1 story) Possible across all climate zones

High school (2 stories)


Large hotel (6 stories)

Impossible unless with parking lot PV and CHP

Grocery (1 story) Possible across all climate zones

Sit-down restaurant (1 story)

Impossible

Hospital (5 stories) Impossible

Warehouse (1 story) Possible across all climate zones

PV: photovoltaic CHP: combined heat and power

ZNEB Cluster

NNEB

ULEB = Ultra Low Energy BuildingNNEB = Negative Net-Energy Building

H = Home of a manager working in the ULEB

O�ice ULEB>50 Stories

H H

H H

Table 2 – Building Options for Zero Net-Energy Figure 1 – Zero Net-Energy Building (ZNEB) Cluster


ultra low-energy buildings rely on on-site renewable energy sources plus renewable contribution from certified houses or apartments of occupants.”

Transactive Energy support for renewablesThe 100-year-old electrical and gas regulated-utility busi-ness model is being transformed with the introduction of smart grids. The U.S. Department of Energy has asked the GridWise® Architecture Council (GWAC) to develop the Transactive Energy Framework document (available at www.gridwiseac.org). Transactive Energy addresses the challenge of ensuring a reliable and resilient grid while transforming the electric industry from centralized production to distrib-uted energy resources including renewable energy sources.

As I explained in my article, “Transactive Energy for Balancing Smart Grids,” in the Summer 2013 issue of iHomes and Buildings, Transactive Energy is a set of eco-nomic and control tools intended to maintain grid stability as renewables proliferate. Some renewables may be large solar and wind farms operated by existing utilities; others may be local generation by consumers, both residential and commercial, who sell excess production by inserting it into the grid. ZNE and Transactive Energy are both important methods for reducing carbon emissions while providing clean, reliable energy as we transition from the industrial to the information age.

The path toward ZNE buildingsDr. So concludes the ZNE white paper with the following recommendations:

• Employers may give incentives to their staffs to erect PV panels on the roof of their houses and feed electrical energy into the grid.

• The government must provide incentives to utilities and to energy consumers to encourage cooperation for a successful system.

• Codes in all states must be enforced so that super high-rise buildings are more widely separated in order to increase solar energy absorption. If these buildings are not congested in the commercial business districts, PV panels on the vertical façade and on parking lot covers will then become practical.

Type Name of Technology

Passive

Thermal insulation

Low-E glass

Passive solar

Utilization of daylight, and light colored interior paint

Use of green, cool roof and walls

Natural ventilation

Stairways

Active

Demand controlled and energy recovery ventilation

Dynamic blinds and windows

Night purge

Dedicated outside air supply (DOAS)

Radiant heating and cooling

Ground source heat-pump

Air conditioning means

Ice storage

Low lighting power density (LPD)

Occupancy sensors

Daylight photo-sensor controls

Lighting environmental controls

Building management systems (BMS) & key performance indicator (KPI) energy dashboards

Advanced plug strips

Advanced elevators

Renewable

Photovoltaic panels

Wind turbines

Biomass

summation of energy consumption and generation of all these NNEBs plus the ultra low energy building (ULEB) can provide an equivalent ZNEB cluster, as shown in Figure 1.

The owner of the ULEB would purchase the excess electrical energy generated by the NNEBs of the business managers working in the ULEB to fulfil the overall require-ment of the ZNE building. Dr. So calls this concept “ZNEB:E


Continues on page 20

Table 3 – Current Technologies for ZNE buildings

cases the implementation of wireless technology is not open-standard ZigBee but a proprietary mesh technology built from the ZigBee platform. Deploying a proprietary version of ZigBee has far-reaching consequences for the customer because a proprietary ZigBee is not only cost prohibitive and designed to work with only one specific vendor, therefore offering no advantages of economies of scale, but does not offer a plug-and-play option. Imagine the plight of an SMB customer who spends thousands of dollars to enable wireless lighting controls only to realize later that the proprietary system cannot communicate with other smart building applications (such as HVAC and Plug-Load Controls). Instead of proprietary controls, if the customer would have invested in open-standards ZigBee, they would have been able to buy any ZigBee certified products off-the-shelf, expand the controls to other applications, and the integration with the controls platform would have been painless. To avoid this situation, a savvy customer should discover subtle differences between open-standards ZigBee and proprietary ZigBee.

ZigBee OverviewZigBee is a wireless communications and applications protocol governed by the ZigBee Alliance, an independent, neutral, nonprofit corporation. Based on open, global stan-dards, and support from over 400 companies worldwide, the alliance develops wireless sensor and control network standards, certification and compliance programs. The underlying wireless technology in ZigBee is:

Based on IEEE 802.15.4• Serves as the communications standard• Uses small, low-power digital radios• Forms a “mesh network”

Open standards have made a huge impact in various tech-nology sectors. Whether, it’s the LAMP stack, Hadoop, or others, open standards have helped companies accelerate their development efforts and provide quick time to market. With the Enterprise Internet of Things market poised to become the next big thing, open standards seem to be play-ing a major role in providing a pragmatic solution. Building energy management, which has become the core for E-IOT, is also finding a lot of success with open standards. One such open standard that is becoming important for both E-IOT and Building Energy Management is the ZigBee protocol.

It’s expected there will be more open standard based protocols in this space and Daintree Networks is com-mitted to supporting the key ones based on the market requirements. For now, it appears that ZigBee protocol is providing the early infrastructure for the Internet of Things (IoT) market. It is certainly the case for the building con-trols and energy management segment – several lighting manufacturers (such as Juno Lighting, Deco Lighting, and LG Electronics) design and sell luminaires integrated with ZigBee wireless protocol. LG’s recent announcement to offer LED fixtures with embedded ZigBee wireless control was a watershed event for the lighting controls industry. A recent Greentech Media article heralded the advent of ZigBee as the key wireless standard based on LG’s adoption of ZigBee over other competing wireless technologies. With so much publicity around wireless control, one would think that finding systems that conform to ZigBee open-standards and vendors to implement ZigBee solution should be easy. It is hardly the case and the wireless controls market is full of false advertising.

Outrageous ClaimsMost vendors in the lighting controls market contend that they offer ZigBee wireless controls. However, in many

OPINION

Building Energy Management: Why Open Standards MatterBy Sachin Andhare

CABA iHomes and Buildings Autumn 201418


OPINION

Besides higher cost, a proprietary solution has several other problems:

• Not future proof• Not scalable• Not widely available• Not mature, unreliable architecture• No oversight and testing

An important, but often overlooked, factor is the question-able viability of proprietary wireless technology. With pro-prietary technologies, a customer is at the mercy of a single vendor and there is always risk of technology support if the vendor goes belly up. Unlike proprietary mesh, open-stan-dards ZigBee has support from over 400 global companies, technical oversight, and independent testing. This ensures that ZigBee is a viable, robust, and reliable technology that can co-exist in the vicinity of other 2.4 GHz RF products (such as Wi-Fi) without interference or signal degradation. The rigorous certification process required by the ZigBee Alliance ensures that customers get true interoperability for a global deployment. Only open-standard ZigBee based on the prescribed IEEE 802.15.4 specification and certified by ZigBee Alliance will offer interoperability, seamless integra-tion (with other ZigBee certified products), and scalability to grow to large areas or enterprise grade solutions.

Targeted at RF applications that require:• Low data rate• Low power / Long battery life• Self-organizing, self-healing

The above diagram shows the difference between open standards ZigBee and proprietary mesh technology. Applications built from the former use the entire protocol stack mandated by the ZigBee Alliance while implemen-tations from the latter create a custom application layer, modifying the technology and developing modules that do not adhere to ZigBee standards.

Problems with Proprietary SolutionsOften disguised as ZigBee, the modified 802.15.4 imple-mentation in reality is a proprietary mesh technology (that deviates significantly from prescribed standards as written) and has major customer ramifications – vendor lock-in, higher cost, and extremely limited choice of end products.

With a proprietary mesh implementation, a customer is locked-in to a specific system and must buy all proprietary hardware/software from a single vendor, increasing the cost of the solution and total cost of ownership. As a proprietary mesh customer, you will not have the wide choice to buy products from ZigBee certified manufacturers and will not have the convenience of simple plug-and-play that greatly speeds up the installation and network expansion.

Defines the “language” between devices, eg. how to

turn a light o�

Defines how the mesh network forms and how

messages are routed

Defines the radio characteristics – RF

bands, channels

Proprietary systems stop before the App. Layer and build the rest themselves

Application Layer

Network Layer

Medium Access Control(MAC) Layer

Physical (PHY) Layer

Defined byZigBee

Alliance

Defined byIEEE

802.15.4

Daintree usesthe entire

ZigBee StackTo be ZigBee certified and listed on

www.zigbee.org systems must implement ALL layers

ConclusionFacility managers, retailers, office and building owners need to make informed decisions about wireless controls for building energy management system. The question of whether to go with proprietary technology versus open standards is vitally important because the choices custom-ers make will have profound implications over the life of the project. A simple inquiry with the Certified Products Program (ZigBee Alliance Certified Products Overview) will validate compliance and save the customer from misery and pain associated with proprietary technologies.

Open standards ensure interoperability, future-proof technology, and offer simple integration; vendor

independence minimizes risk for the customer and benefits all players in the ecosystem. For all these reasons, going with solution based on open standards is always a better choice.

Ensuring that building control systems are built on a true open-standards wireless network will give customers a choice of devices across applications and vendors, all for the lowest installed cost. •

Sachin Andhare is Director, Product Marketing at Daintree Networks.

KEN WACKS’ PERSPECTIVES continued from page 18

• The government should reward building owners with tax incentives, density bonuses, expedited permitting, grants, loans, insurance, etc. to achieve the EISA goal for all super high-rise office towers.

• Corporate managers in these buildings must be willing to participate in this scheme.

The implementation of this scheme requires significant co-ordination among building owners, company employers, and managers, as well as the government, utility suppliers, and the general public. Further research is recommended

since the deadline for achieving zero net-energy buildings is approaching. •

Dr. Kenneth Wacks has been a pioneer in establishing the home systems industry. He advises manufacturers and utilities worldwide on business opportunities, network alternatives, and product development in home and building systems. In 2008, the United States Department of Energy appointed him to the GridWise Architecture Council. For further information, please contact Dr. Wacks at 781.662.6211; [email protected]; www.kenwacks.com.

INDUSTRY TRENDSConnected DevicesThe NPD Group forecasts that the U.S. will have 204 million connected television devices by 2017, more than double the total of U.S. Internet households. Internet-connected TVs and streaming-media players will drive the growth, according to the market research firm, while more consumers will take to applications for connected devices.

Wearable TechnologyOver the next five years, 700 million wearable tech devices will be shipped, according to ON World, for a global annual market worth $47.4 billion at this time. Hardware will make up the majority of the revenues during this period but mobile apps and subscriptions will grow faster.

Communication NodesAccording to Navigant Research, worldwide shipments of communications nodes for BASs will reach 387 million annually by 2021. Integrated building management and building automation systems (BASs) rely on networks of sensors, switches, fans, alarms, and other devices, along with powerful software tools to provide a real-time view of the current state of a building.

OPINION


Security Canada AtlanticSeptember 18, 2014Moncton, NBwww.securitycanadaexpo.com/websites/securitycanadaexpo/index.php?p=36

EU PVSEC 2014September 22-26, 2014Amsterdam, Netherlandswww.photovoltaic-conference.com

GANA Fall ConferenceSeptember 23-26, 2014Toronto, ONwww.glasswebsite.com/events/fallconference

Canadian Infrastructure Project Owners ForumSeptember 29-30, 2014Toronto, ONwww.insightinfo.com/canadian-infrastructure-project-owners-forum

Critical Facilities SummitSeptember 29-October 1, 2014Charlotte, NCwww.criticalfacilitiessummit.com

NFMT VegasOctober 7-8, 2014Las Vegas, NVwww.nfmt.com/vegas

National Conference on Building and Facility OperationsOctober 14-15, 2014Vancouver, BCwww.ncbfo.ca

Security Canada CentralOctober 22-23, 2014Toronto, ONwww.securitycanadaexpo.com/websites/securitycanadaexpo/index.php?p=37

Electronic Security Technology SummitOctober 22-24, 2014Colorado Springs, COwww.electronicsecuritysummit.com

GreenBuildOctober 22-24, 2014New Orleans, LAwww.greenbuildexpo.com

CoRETECH 2014November 10-11, 2014 Overland Park, KSwww.realcomm.com/coretech-2014

Interlight MoscowNovember 11-14, 2014Moscow, Russiabit.ly/1CmCOz7

Energy Harvesting & Storage USANovember 19-20, 2014 Santa Carla, CAwww.idtechex.com/energy-harvesting-usa/eh.asp

AHR EXPO 2015January 26-28, 2015Chicago, ILwww.ahrexpo.com

UPCOMING EVENTSNeed information on upcoming industry events? Go to: www.caba.org/events

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iHomes & Buildings Autumn 2014 edition