Places for People Case Study

AMC Energi Ltd is a West Midlands-based systems integrator, renowned for taking a 'big picture' approach to building automation. The company examines how the whole building interacts and operates to make sure they can maximise the efficiency of its plant and the comfort of its occupants as well as delivering useful building management information to the fingertips of the client.

Whether it is a small refurbishment to the biggest new build, AMC Energi has a passion to bring the latest innovations and techniques for reducing energy and improving building performance to its projects. One such technology is FIN and its implementation for Places for People in the UK.

About the project

Places for People (PfP) is one of the largest, most diverse housing providers in the UK, responsible for building a wide range of homes to rent and buy, alongside property and asset management services – from market rent and affordable housing, to student and leasehold management, and specialist accommodation. PfP also designs, builds and manages large-scale regeneration projects.

PfP called in AMC Energi to provide an effective and simple to operate cloud-based framework solution for building management of multiple sites spread over the UK. They were seeking a way to manage and monitor the energy performance and usage of HVAC services within twelve assisted-living sites across Lancashire and the North West to help save energy and lower costs for residents.

The solution allows the client quick and simple access 24/7 to information from disparate controllers using multiple protocols covering boiler operation, hot water services, variable and constant temperature control.

Why FIN was the right solution for this project

From a client perspective, FIN Framework technology has proved to be intuitive, simple and straightforward to use and allows the information from multiple sites to be presented in an easy way that can be securely accessed by the facilities team from wherever they are - office, home or on a train – using mobile phone, iPad or desktop. With just one click, all building management data from all sites is visible and easily navigable.

How did FIN help to elevate the project and make it better?

Adrian Platt of AMC Energi describes how FIN allows for the information required to be presented in a unified and coherent format:

Previously, using the Niagara AX framework, data from multiple sites could not be so easily accessed nor understood in such a presentable format. FIN provided a solution whereby data from all the sites could be brought together, even though HVAC equipment from different sites may be using different communication protocols. For PfP, FIN made it simple to integrate non-core products into the estate.

The client can easily understand the simplicity of the user interface and work with it in a quick and straightforward manner – it’s a big selling point. In addition to its functionality, FIN allows the user to pull back to the last 12 months to see and compare the performance of the various HVAC systems to enable better management and improvements to be effected. The maintenance contractor can now leave detailed messages to clearly show the jobs that have been booked and actioned.

Furthermore, FIN allows the end user to see more easily what particular problems might be, what type of engineer is required or even if an engineer needs to go at all since the problem may be able to be fixed remotely. FIN allows for a user at, say, a remote call centre, to identify the problems and potentially remedy them remotely.

Adrian Platt

AMC Energi

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