HVAC Controls Product Review: Millennial Net Wireless Pneumatic Thermostats

I am posting this for Dieter Schill. Dieter is the president and CEO of Millennial Net. I was unfamiliar with Millennial until Dieter made a comment regarding the Controltrends post “Results of Controltrends 2012 Pneumatic Controls Survey“. Because of Dieter’s comments and because Controltrends is interested in all HVAC control products, I asked Dieter if he would like to educate the Controltrends community on the Millennial Net Control offering. Our sponsor Stromquist & Company does not handle Millennial Net; it looks like a very cool and innovative product offering. If you have used these products, PLEASE PLEASE, tell me about them in comments. I am very curious about this product line.

The following is from Dieter:

Millennial Net Wireless Energy Management Solution Description

Millennial Net’s MeshScape® Energy Management Solution is a wireless sensor network based EMS to provide monitoring and control of buildings’ heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (“HVAC”) systems, lighting and other energy consuming devices, allowing building owners and operators to reduce energy consumption and manage peak demands.

Some of the more distinctive elements of Millennial Net’s EMS are the wireless pneumatic thermostat Wi-Stat IIIp and the wireless electrical sub meter Wi-LEM. Our wireless pneumatic thermostat is a really unique solution for pneumatically controlled HVAC systems. It is fully functional Direct Digital Controls (DDC) thermostat which can replace most of the thermostats on the market and easily retrofits existing pneumatic HVAC infrastructures. Unlike conventional bi-metal pneumatic (mechanical) thermostats, the Wi-Stat IIIp has no mechanical parts. Instead it uses solid state valve technology based on the Piezo principle that enables unmatched reliability, longevity and flexibility. This improves control quality and responsiveness. It also reduces the cost and frequency of unit replacement and maintenance. In fact, routine maintenance and recalibration are eliminated. With the Wi-Stat IIIp, time and cost of installation are reduced as there are no wires, no adjustment screws and no need for calibration. Retrofits can easily be done during operating hours of a building.

Wi-Stat IIIp is equipped with 2.4GHz IEEE 802.15.4 radio and communicates via MeshScape® mesh network protocol. The wireless mesh network forms itself and data communications enable remote monitoring, adjustment and trending to ensure long term performance. Devices are immediately accessible bi-directionally and easily integrated with other automation systems via BACnet/IP or Mobus gateway.

Also if one is looking for simpler solution – Wi-Stat IIIp can operate as a standalone programmable Weekday/Weekend thermostat. Switching between standalone and wireless can be done via configuration menu by pushing few buttons, so one can start with standalone devices and switch to fully featured wireless DDC solution at a later stage.

Several important features separate Wi-Stat IIIp from competitor products:

· No reoccurring maintenance/manual valve calibration – mechanical parts replaced with new Piezo valve technology

· Pneumatic settings (gain, set point PSI, unoccupied PSI, proportional/throttling range) can be configured locally in the field or remotely from software

· Configurable action direction (local or remote) – no need to stock different/additional equipment

· Automatic Main/Branch line leak detection and status notification

· Includes fan switching relay (optically isolated) or motion sensor input

· No wireless network settings programming required on site – self recognizing wireless network protocol takes care of this.

· Longer wireless signal range indoors (typically 50-250 feet depending on building material).

· More devices on a single network

· Adjustable reporting rate, default 5 minutes.

· Significantly lighter and smaller device

· Extensive information locally on LCD screen:

1. Temperature and set point values

2. Operational mode

3. Network status

4. Battery level

5. Heating/Cooling output

6. Branch line pressure – requested and actual

7. Error Code if applicable

· Available wireless DDC or standalone programmable

In addition to Wi-Stat IIIp, Millennial Net offer a wide range of devices and integrated systems ideally suited for retrofitting existing buildings in industrial, commercial, public and multi-residential environments. Energy savings are achieved by improved compliance and energy policy enforcement. System reliability and robustness are critical to sustained performance of any energy management solution. All our devices are equipped with 2.4GHz IEEE 802.15.4 radio and communicate via MeshScape® mesh network protocol. The company’s core MeshScape technology provides highest reliability and performance as a wireless mesh network to meet the unique requirements for this bi-directional communication and control applications. It overcomes critical challenges traditionally associated with wireless sensor networks, such as scaling, long distances, dynamic environments, etc. Wireless networking avoids the time and disruption of a hard-wired installation. The system creates a robust flow of energy data for compliance monitoring, analysis, optimization, and reporting while leveraging investments in existing building infrastructure.

The other very distinct product is the electrical sub meter Wi-LEM. Wi-LEM is a complete energy sub-metering network device that is fast and easy to install. It is an assembly of 1 to 3 current transducers with a signal processing module. Wi-LEM can be deployed to measure energy consumption at any point in the power cabinet and transmit the data. It can be used for single of 3 phase (Delta or Wye) from 20 A to 2000 A and has class 1 accuracy.

The Millennial Net EMS solutions are designed for rapid and affordable deployment across multiple buildings and sites. Various wireless MeshScape devices for sensing and controlling are integrated and managed with a higher-level Energy Management Systems on-site or remotely via internet and/or BACnet to reduce installation costs and provide greater coverage of sensors and control points. The MeshScape devices form the wireless mesh sensor network autonomously as they discover one another and establish bi-directional communication paths through single- and multi-hop routes, requiring no administrative overhead or IT management. The intelligent devices (e.g. wireless thermostats, sensors, and actuators) communicate with a central gateway at each building/site. This gateway connects the networked devices to existing Building Management System via BACnet or communicates with hosted internet-based application for monitoring and control. The devices are designed to work with legacy HVAC systems, fixtures, and appliances, making it unnecessary to upgrade HVAC equipment to save energy.

The patented MeshScape wireless network is ideal for all types of buildings. This industrial-class wireless networking technology is a proven robust and scalable foundation for energy conservation. Its highly responsive self-forming and self-healing network allows wireless sensors to be installed easily and put into service with minimal cost and disruption to existing facilities. While Millennial Net develops and markets several unique products for energy management applications, it also works with leading OEMs to develop and market other sensor and control products and integrated systems.

COMPONENTS INCLUDE:

· Wi-Stat II is a family of wireless thermostats designed to replace conventional analog and digital thermostats.

· Wi-Stat IIIp is a wireless pneumatic thermostat that replaces mechanical Bi-Metal elements with advanced solid state valve technology for much more accurate pneumatic controls.

· Wi-Stat III-SR is a wireless single relay thermostats designed to retrofit any manual single contact device such as space heater thermostats or simple mercury switches.

· Wi-Controller a family of wireless controllers for specific digital and/or analog control applications.

· Wi-IO – input/output devices could be used as ON/OF switch or for third party sensor input

· Wi-Pulse accumulates Meter-Output Pulses. It can be deployed in with all types of meters with pulse outputs.

· Wi-LEM is a local electricity sub-meter. It can measure separate circuits in the building and provide much needed details about energy consumption.

· Wi-Temp measures and communicates temperature conditions. It has two thermistors so it is ideal for monitoring inlet and outlet temperatures.

· Wi-Zone – wireless temperature and humidity sensor.

· Wi-Router is provided to extend the range of the network or provide additional network mesh nodes to further improve the self healing characteristics of the mesh network.

· Wi-BACServe is a wireless gateway connecting the MeshScape network to existing BMS solutions via BACnet IP protocol.

· Meshgate II is a wireless gateway that connects wireless devices to 3rd party control software via Modbus protocol.

Our customers experience on average energy savings between 15 % and 50 %. In our first of several installations GE Capital Real Estate experienced 33 % energy savings according to this press release:

http://www.gecapitalrealestate.com/en/success_stories/managing_our_portfolio/Commercial_Office_Tenants_Want_Green.html

Bio:

Dieter Schill – President and CEO
As the company’s president and chief executive officer, Dieter Schill is responsible for the strategic direction of Millennial Net. He manages overall business operations by providing direction and leadership toward the achievement of our corporate philosophy, mission, and strategy. He has over two decades of executive-level business management experience. Prior to Millennial Net, Dieter served as Founder, President and CEO of DMG Canada, Inc. from 2000 to 2007. He grew DMG Canada (subsidiary of Gildemeister AG) to become one of the largest machine tool companies in Canada. He was Regional Sales Director – Americas, for Festo Germany, where he managed a $200 million sales operation. Earlier he served as Festo’s General Manager in South Africa, and in other management positions in Canada and Germany. Dieter holds a Master’s degree in International Business from the University of South Carolina, as well as a Master’s degree in Business and Electrical Engineering from the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany.

Thanks Dieter. This looks like a really cool control product line. Has anyone used it ? If so please tell us about it in comments!