Intelligent Climate Control for Commercial Buildings

Commercial buildings may invest in state-of-the-art air conditioning systems, but they still don’t get the savings they expect. Why? The problem isn’t the ability to cool – it’s a lack of control.

Consider the buildings equipped with single rather than multiple split outdoor air conditioners. Each floor might have several units, each with its own wall-mounted or handheld controller. This isolated control setup leads to inefficiency. Often, these controllers are located in a single row, making it impossible to reflect the actual temperature of each room. Moreover, they typically don’t account for actual usage of each room. When adjustments are needed, the same changes must be made repeatedly across multiple controllers. As a result, the system lacks centralized control and optimization, leading to rising costs.

The scenario can be solved by connecting the cooling to the opening of the window, allowing the unit to be automatically turned off via a contactor when a window is opened. Unfortunately, this can harm the device and shorten its service life.

Another inefficiency arises from the lack of tracking the presence of people in rooms. Often, cooling continues even after employees leave, as it’s easy to forget to turn off the system.

Additionally, controlling cooling in commercial buildings can create conflicts with other systems, such as heating and air curtains. It is difficult to prevent the parallel operation of these technologies, even if it is uneconomical and pointless.

Unnecessarily overestimated reserve power

Imagine a sunny day at a hotel resort. Guests are having lunch and usually go into a cool room for an hour, perhaps to take a nap. By midday, the rooms have warmed from the sun, prompting many to switch on the air conditioning simultaneously. This sudden spike in electricity use creates a peak demand for the entire building. To avoid overloading during these high-demand periods, the hotel must reserve a higher power capacity, which leads to costly flat-rate charges.

The key to efficiency and comfort: Intelligent air conditioning

These and many other problems arising from manual operation can be solved by intelligent control systems. When you think of “intelligent buildings,” it’s not just about futuristic designs; it applies equally to new constructions and older spaces, such as a 30-year-old office or a historic city building. In short, an intelligent building simply controls existing technologies in a modern way – including active cooling systems – and thus eliminates operational difficulties. This ensures better energy management and reduces the budget.

These are features and advantages that enhanced control for an existing air conditioning system can bring:

• Central visualization and control of all units in a mobile or desktop application (real-time monitoring).
• Limitation of the maximum and minimum temperature that the user can set.
• Standard shutdown of cooling when a window is open for more than, say, five minutes – thanks to the connection to the window sensor.
• Cooling turns off automatically when the room is empty for a while.
• One wall panel to control multiple air conditioners, even if they are not multisplit. There is no need to replace the boxes.
• The air conditioning responds to the activation of the heating or air curtain.
• Load manager function regulates power and surges, eliminating the need for giant transformer and overestimated lump sum reserved power.
• Alerts to the app if the desired temperature cannot be reached, indicating for example an open hallway door. The administrator knows exactly where to go to close the door.
• Connecting to electric roller shutters saves even more costs – if possible, the system will prioritise passive cooling over active cooling and trigger shading technology.
• The forecast prevents cooling from starting when pleasant weather is expected.
• Thanks to the connection with FVE or SPOT, the system can pre-cool rooms at convenient times.
• Of course, all devices are immediately turned off when fire is detected, which is required by law.
• Service intervals can be set in the app and notifications can be sent when maintenance is due.
• Air-conditioning operation can be linked to the calendar, including holidays and vacations.
• Connect control and data from multiple locations in a unified application.

What does it look like in practice?

In practice, these ideas are often limited by controls provided by the manufacturer, but they are not unrealistic. Modern air conditioning units usually have open interfaces and can therefore be controlled by a higher-level system.

There are two ways to integrate control systems. The first is to create a custom solution, which is costly, challenging to maintain, and hard to scale. The second, more efficient option, is using a universal system like Loxone. With Loxone, you get a ready-made software solution that includes regular updates, ensuring minimal commissioning and maintenance expenses.

Loxone also enables the integration of all building technologies into a single application, maximizing sensor functionality for lighting automation, alarms, or occupancy-based cooling. It seamlessly incorporates both multisplit systems with zone control via Modbus and stand-alone air conditioning units through AC Control Air.

Satisfied users, easier sustainability certifications

With limitation to manual control might come frustrations. However, after a few days, the users will realize the benefits of allowing automation to manage cooling. The room will maintain a comfortable temperature without fluctuations, and adjusting the temperature becomes far simpler than troubleshooting complex controls.

Additionally, effective energy management is crucial for achieving sustainability certifications like LEED and BREEAM. With an automated system, you can easily demonstrate your energy efficiency to certification committees, earning valuable points.

In short, intelligent HVAC and automated climate control are essential for efficient commercial building management. The Loxone system provides a modern approach to temperature control, ensuring optimal conditions for users while enhancing the building’s energy sustainability. When properly implemented, it not only delivers cost savings but also increases comfort and meets rigorous environmental standards.