Imagine a smart campus of the future where buildings, occupants, and devices all operate in a harmonious and energy efficient manner. This campus would produce nearly as much as it consumes - effectively net zero - while maintaining comfort, productivity, and overall well being for inhabitants.
In a campus environment (such as a university or school), the large number of buildings, generally built over a long period of time, creates challenges for getting legacy and new systems integrated. By integrating the building systems (HVAC, lighting, shading, power and security), it becomes easier to orchestrate and maintain.
Open protocols like BACnet get devices talking to devices, and open data standards such as Project Haystack make it easier to connect devices to applications. The normalized data unifies the campus, making it easier for building automation and controls to manage large numbers of equipment and points.
In a recent FINcast interview with Julian Morgan, he discusses his experience using FIN for automation and control.
Advanced strategies for indoor air quality, health and safety, as well as comfort, are easily deployed across the enterprise. Advanced routines will also optimize equipment efficiency and minimize energy consumption through the use of a holistic approach.
The campus of the future will not only control and manage the consumption of energy, but will also coordinate the production of energy. Traditional automation controls help reduce consumption and demand through control strategies. Looking ahead, advanced routines incorporate both smart load shedding in conjunction with smart renewable energy production.
Creating high-performing systems to reduce energy and costs can be achieved once you have multiple subsystems integrated and normalized. New technology, such as electric vehicle charging, will also be integrated into the building’s infrastructure for better managing and monitoring.
New energy sources, such as renewable solar, micro-generation, and onsite storage become assets of a campus of the future, providing new options for managing both demand and consumption. Through the use of interactive dashboards and analytical reporting, energy saving opportunities can be identified and performance metrics can be verified.
Maintaining a college campus can be a challenge when you consider the large number of buildings and the variety of control systems. Command and control of a campus through a Single Pane of Glass (SPoG) offers a unified view of equipment and systems. This can be accomplished through the implementation of open protocols and the normalization by tagging standards.
Here Julian highlights the importance of having a unified view of his campus.
Smart campuses also incorporate integrated applications that work together to share data and provide new functionality. For example, computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) will receive alerts and alarms from BAS to automatically generate maintenance work orders.
Scheduling and event management is the most important way to save energy by turning things off when they’re not needed. Global scheduling and event overrides often serve multiple stakeholders but need to be managed holistically across the entire campus. Through a Single Pane of Glass (SPoG) interface and integrated applications, the campus uses less resources and therefore less carbon emissions.
Incorporating the integration and management of access control, video, and intrusion detection into a smart campus provides additional benefits when data is shared between siloed systems. For example, occupancy information about how many people are in a given space can be shared with the HVAC system to provide precise ventilation requirements, as well as provide Covid safety compliance. New control sequences recommendations for maintaining a healthy building can easily be implemented globally as well.
Here's how easy it is to respond to new health and safety requirements when using FIN.
No need to wait for the future, you can create and manage, comfortable, efficient, green campuses with our open and flexible FIN Framework software and application suites. Discover the Smart Campus of the future here.
We will also be at SRAPPA in Mobile, Alabama (U.S.) October 9-13 to share how FIN Framework can make campuses smart. Be sure to visit our booth if you're attending.
Topics from this blog: Smart Buildings
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