Solutions must become more versatile to provide all the comfort and on-demand convenience expected of a smart building, while also optimizing energy consumption and reducing power costs. And, to provide truly complete control, energy management systems must not only have a clear picture of the main consumers; they must also have a way to manage all the loads centrally.
ABB asked its product and innovation teams a question: what is the simplest, most cost-effective way to measure, meter, monitor, and manage the consumption and status of individual loads?
Recognizing the untapped potential in the electrical system’s switch actuators, the result is the ABB i-bus® KNX Professional Switch Actuators with Energy Function. For energy management in some large buildings, it’s a small upgrade that makes all the difference.
The Professional Switch Actuators’ Energy Function embeds intelligence more deeply in the building’s electrical infrastructure. With supervision and management of individual loads, consumption can be fine tuned and energy can be saved, all while preserving high levels of comfort. Identifying energy thieves, faults and damaged consumers is also simpler.
Here is how it works:
Measurements that are made at load level
The Professional Switch Actuators measure current for each output. With the contact status supervision comparing the output switching status and current measurements, faults can be identified and reported quickly. The new Energy Function builds on this, making parameterization and alerts even easier to implement, sending measurement information to any KNX visualization or building management system.
Metering that focuses on the fundamentals
Metering functions analyze how energy is used across the building, for example, calculating the energy consumption of lighting across different floors in an office building. By embedding this at a deeper level in the electrical infrastructure, users have a clearer picture of their fundamental power consumption and how demand peaks occur, which can trigger higher cost electricity tariffs.
Monitoring that provides early warnings
The Monitoring function enables users to set thresholds for early warnings and alarms when measurements indicate faults or excessive values. By detecting changes in consumption for electrical and electronic equipment, any sudden or unusual increases in consumption are picked up faster, triggering prompt servicing or timely replacement of deteriorating equipment.
Management that delivers silent savings
The Switch Actuator’s load control function can be used with for example ABB’s EQmatic KNX Analyzer to control the building’s consumption. At times, reducing the current consumption by switching off or dimming less important loads makes a significant difference to costs and no difference to comfort. Fine-tuning power consumption in this way helps reducing energy consumption and can prevent the demand peaks that trigger higher-cost electricity tariffs.
By integrating the actuators into the load control management, the Professional Switch Actuators’ Energy Function gives energy management systems more agility, flexibility and resilience. Demand response strategies can become more precise and targeted. That may not be necessary for every smart building, but for many, this small upgrade would be a sharp investment.
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