ControlTrends

New Products from Around the Globe: Forest Rock at the 2016 Niagara Summit

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One of the great things about going to smart building conferences like the 2016 Niagara Summit is discovering new products from around the globe and then getting to introduce them to the ControlTrends Community. Michael Kirkland introduced us to their EnergyVision Package. This software tool automatically collects and analyzes all forms of energy consumption. Visually appealing graphics and charts guarantee a well-ordered and easily-understood presentation of the information you need. Energyvision helps you to collect, archive, evaluate and visualize your energy consumption and enables you to realize substantial reductions in energy costs.

Forest Rock develop software & hardware products, and design graphical user interfaces to operate buildings more intelligently, bringing together data from diverse systems such as Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning; Lighting; Energy Monitoring; CCTV; Fire and Life Safety Systems; Access Control. Our solutions help to create sustainable buildings that are more efficient to run, with a lower carbon footprint, and enhanced security and comfort.

Forest Rock are the UKs foremost developers of middleware and web-based UI applications for operating buildings. We provide a range of services to Integrator companies across the US, Europe, Middle East and Africa. They are certified Tridium Niagara developers, and distributors.Their product ranges include EnergyVision Energy Management software, SkySpark analytics, and the Krypton range of building automation products built on the power of the Niagara Framework.
Well done Michael.

Optigo — The New Way to Cut through BACnet Complexity

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As IoT continues to intersect with the Smart Buildings Controls Industry, more and more new players are showing up in our space with proven solutions that will work well in our applications. Ken and I had the chance to connect with just such a company, Optigo Networks. We had the privilege of speaking with their CEO Pook-Ping Yao. We were very impressed with Ping and his product solutions. Check out the video below to see the elegance and efficiency of the of the Optigo Connect network solution.

Optigo Connect – Optigo Networks from Optigo Networks on Vimeo.

Another product that made an impression on us, was their Visual BACnet product. We see that this will become a stable in the BAS controls engineers troubleshooting tools kit.

The following is from Daniel Ronald, VP Product Management, Optigo Networks

You already know the power of smart buildings. You’re well versed in BACnet protocols and networking solutions. But what happens when something goes wrong? [Read more…]

Siemens RDY 2000 a Strong Choice for 2015 Thermostat of the Year

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Global power house Siemens lit up the HVAC controls market with their roll out of the RDY 2000 thermostat. As you can see in this demo video, the Siemens RDY 2000 packs a lot of punch. Look for Siemens to build on this platform in 2016, but in the mean time, if you like what you see, consider giving the Siemens RDY 2000 a look when you vote for the 2015 ControlTrends Awards Thermostat of the Year.

2015 ControlTrends Award Thermostat of the Year Nominee Entouch

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The 2015 Thermostat of the Year is proving to be very competitive again this year. With strong contenders like Honeywell, Viconics, KMC, Ontrol, Ecobee and Siemens, the ControlTrends voting community is going too have some interesting choices.

One of our finalist Entouch brings and interesting approach to their thermostat system. In this video Stromquist & Company’s Dozier Mills shows you how you can do energy monitoring through the Entouch thermostat using the Entouch GM 8 module.

Voting ends January 15, so is you have not already voted click here.

New Router from KMC on Rob Allen’s 7 Minutes in Control

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Rob Allen sits down with Dave Bohlmann to talk about KMC’s new single port router.
The KMC Controls BAC-5051E is a multi-port BACnet router. This compact router is powerful enough for heavy network traffic and small enough to use as a control technician’s service tool.
Routing Install the BAC-5051E for BACnet IP, Ethernet, and MS/TP routing. The IP routing is fully compliant with BACnet Standard 134-2012, Annex J.
Browser Configuration Configure the BAC-5051E using only an Internet browser. No special software to learn or load.
Flexible Mounting Two mounting choices for permanent installations–DIN rails or surface mount.
Diagnostics Embedded metrics include: total number of devices, frame counts, frames in error, data frames, duplicate MAC addresses, and poll-for-master count.

New Power Meter from Dent Instruments

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It has been said that you can’t control or manage what you don’t measure, and this is especially true when it comes to Smart Buildings and controlling energy. I had a chance to catch up with Tim Van Slambrouck from Dent Instruments at the 2015 CGNA (Controls Group North America) vendors showcase. Tim is the VP of sales and marketing at Dent, and shows us a very cost effective way to monitor power consumption. Check it out!

ControlTalk Now for Week Ending April 14, 2013

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CTA Awards Steering Committee is the sponsor for this week’s ControlTalk NOW. The extraordinary BB King Blues Club will be the site of the 2013 ControlTrends Awards. Located in NYC’s Time Square, this famous venue promises to enhance the excitement and entertainment of the CTA’s.

Johnson Controls

Johnson Controls

Johnson Controls: See What’s Possible in Building Efficiency — The Boom Heard ‘Round the World.Technology [Read more…]

J2 Innovations FIN Builder: The Easy Way to Create a Central Plant Graphic

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J2J2 Innovations FIN Builder Creates Fantastic User Experiences, Promotes Company Standards, Is Simple to Use, Saves Time and Money, and Visualizes Any Data Source. Within FIN Builder there is a special feature called central plant builder, this revolutionizes the way you build central plant graphics.

Traditionally 3D plant and piping graphics were only possible [Read more…]

Nest: Back in the News — Are We Still Waiting for Smart Thermostats to Outsmart Us?

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The ControlTrends Community will soon be voting for the 2013 Thermostat of the Year. The Honeywell Prestige IAQ, Viconics, EnTouch, as well as the three other thermostats mentioned in the following article, Nest, Ecobee, and EcoFactor are all well recognized thermostats with an abundance of features and benefits.

I found this article written by Mary Catherine O’Connor posted in the Smart Planet Daily, which is a great source for Smart News and Ideas. Ms. O’Connor delivers a fresh, insightful, and big picture perspective, quite different from the traditional HVAC view, to the discussion of thermostats and the integral role the household thermostat will play in America’s, possibly, the world’s energy future.

Nest_AwayBy Mary Catherine O’Connor, April 11, 2013, 3:00 AM PDT

Americans are using less energy but are still failing to conserve energy.

That sounds like a contradiction, but it’s not. Because new homes are better insulated and heating and cooling system are more efficient, Americans burned around 10 percent fewer British thermal units to heat and cool their homes in 2009 than they did in 1993, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. But during that same period, the amount of energy consumed for appliances, electronics and lighting grew by around 10 percent. [Read more…]

The HVAC Time Machine: DGLux and SkySpark a New Approach to Building Graphics

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The DGLux HVAC Time Machine SkySpark is high-end visualization graphic user interface that zeros in on an exact event allowing you to understand why an event occurred and easily prevent its reoccurrence. One week of data can be scanned in minutes and combined with SkySpark Analytics, which automatically finds patterns and faults (Sparks) as they are run against “your rules” of collecting data make it this simple: Click on a Spark and the DGLux HVAC Time Machine instantly redirects you to the precise time frame when your issue occurred providing you with the actionable knowledge you need to achieve maximum performance and efficiency.

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