Episode 225: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending May 14, 2017 captures the essence and impact of the 2017 Haystack Connect event held at the Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa, FL, last week. The 2017 Haystack Connect was about our industry becoming “Haystackable.” And, as many INTEL-igent people are realizing, both the stakes and the pay-offs are too high to ignore. Imagine a building, a city, or a country where all the devices, controllers, and server-side web APIs — are driving data to its highest potential. The 3-day convergence of industry experts, systems integrators, specifying engineers, and end-users was amazing. Just watch the videos — and be sure to stay tuned to ControlTrends as we bring you coverage of EasyIO’s Global Conference from Manchester, UK!
2017 Haystack Connect Begins on a Huge Note — A Thriving Community Assembles in Mass — Industry Gravitas, Systemic Benefits, and EcoHaystack Fun. ControlTrends coverage of the 2017 Haystack Connect begins among hundreds of industry experts, systems integrators, specifying engineers, and end-users — all mingling in a vendor-rich reception, an amazing and exciting testament to the growing Haystack community and ecosystem. As key Haystack Connect organizer, Marc Petock tells us, “This year’s theme is ‘Data Gets Real,’” and there will be many real-world examples featured, where Haystack is being used to deliver large-scale, high-level management strategies and solutions.
2017 Haystack Connect DAY 2 — Project Haystack Shifts into Overdrive: “Beyond Buildings: Data Models and Project Haystack.” ControlTrends is joined by Therese Sullivan, editor of BuildingContext.me, in summarizing amazing Day 2 of 2017 Haystack Connect — which shifted into overdrive as Keynote speakers Rita H. Wouhaybi, Systems Architect, Intel and Milan Milenkovic, Principal, IoTsense, took the early morning stage and helped to bring the enormous macro potential of Project Haystack into perspective. It is quite clear that there are no boundaries when it comes to data and scaling opportunities — and scaling strategies. A full complement of breakout sessions followed till 5:30 PM, with themes ranging from Industrial IoT & Connected Buildings, to Project Haystack on the Energy Path, to Large Scale IoT Architectures.
DAY 3 at 2017 Haystack Connect — Meet the Power, the Progress, and the Players of Project Haystack by Day — Rockstars by Night! This ControlTrends video proves that our industry is full of superstars by day and rock stars by night. DAY 3 at 2017 Haystack Connect was another fire-hose day of new information, new perspectives, and technical insight beginning with opening remarks from Scott Muench, Vice President, J2 Innovations, followed by a special presentation from Keynote speaker, Rawlson O’Neil King, Communications Director, CABA “Intelligent Buildings and the Impact of the Internet of Things.” Donny Walker, PE, RCDD, Partner at Newcomb & Boyd and Rawlson O’Neil King join ControlTrends and Therese to discuss some of the highlights from DAY 3. A sumptuous closing Gala Dinner was followed by the fantastic Interoperable Blues Band.
EasyIO World Conference, May 21-23, 2017, Manchester United, UK. EasyIO is changing the way building automation is deployed and is also reducing the cost. This Global Partner Event will unveil and officially release awesome new products and features to further enhance building and energy solutions for all types of buildings. We have a reputation to hold up for our amazing event programming, so this edition will definitely not disappoint you. Amsterdam, Madrid and Paris were previous hosts. For this year the surprising city of Manchester will be the place to be. We would love to invite you.
Episode 224: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for Week Ending May 7, 2017 features interviews with Leroy Walden, President and Chief Consultant, Highrose Consultants; Fred Gordy, Director of Cyber Security, Intelligent Buildings; and Ken Sinclair, owner and editor of Automated Buildings. Also in Episode 224: 2017 CGNA Synergy Conference highlights; EasyIO’s Global Event update and the 9-video EasyIO Training Video series is now available; 2017 Haystack Connect starts May 8th; and much more!
A Note to the Smart Buildings Controls Industry. This just in from Lynxspring’s Marc Petock: Lynxspring is pleased to announce that we will be demonstrating our latest edge-to-enterprise and IoT solutions at Haystack Connect 2017. The biennial Conference of the Project Haystack Organization is being held this year at the Saddlebrook Resort Tampa, May 8 through May 10, 2017. These solutions will be demonstrated in Lynxspring’s Booth # E11. Lynxspring is a founding member and holds a seat on the Board of Directors of Project Haystack, and is a Sponsor of the Haystack Connect 2017 Conference.
ControlTrends takes a deep-dive into CyberSecurity with our interview with two top industry experts, Leroy Walden, President and Chief Consultant, Highrose Consultants and Fred Gordy, Director of Cyber Security, Intelligent Buildings. Listen in, as Leroy and Fred advise the ControlTrends Community about attending industry events that are real opportunities to get up-to-speed with threat assessment, risks, and best practices — to deal effectively with the cyber terrorism. Both experts caution that the liability to safeguard networks is being shifted onto the shoulders of the system integrator integrating the building automation system into the network. Be sure to contact Leroy Walden at (lcwalden256@gmail.com) — to take advantage of Leroy’s $100.00 discount for the 2017 Realcomm|IBcon Conference and Smart Buildings Integrator Summit, June 13th-15th in San Diego, CA.
Ken Sinclair’s Automated Buildings May, 2017 Theme: Our second interview is with Automated Buildings owner and editor, Ken Sinclair, who discusses the many IoT challenges and trends facing our industry along with his May theme, “The Uberization of Comfort, Satisfaction, and Wellbeing.” “Occupant self-love” continues to improve its presence and functionality — integrating itself more readily into our building automation industry with a host of IoT applications that input the human whereabouts — and its condition, into the building network of things. Click here to read another great edition of Automated Buildings.
ControlTrends Interview with ACI’s Barry Gordon at the 2017 CGNA Synergy Conference. ControlTrends had the opportunity to visit with Barry Gordon, Senior Sales Engineer at ACI, who was excited to tell us about ACI’s new DLP Low Pressure Transmitter. The DLP Series is based on a piezoresistive, silicon sensing element which senses Differential Pressure and provides an analog output. The hinged cover on the DLP can be easily opened using the integrated locking tab on the side of the enclosure. This allows for easy access to the zero function and field selectable ranges and outputs.
2016 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: Catch all the excitement as the global ControlTrends Community crowns the 2016 Light Commercial Controls Solution of of the Year Award winner. In this case, it will take two crowns as both KMC Controls and Proton Optergy get recognized for their outstanding solutions. KMC’s mission is to “provide innovative, intuitive building automation and Smart Buildings Controls solutions from responsive and supportive people,” and the KMC Commander delivers as an open building automation and Smart Buildings control system that is open, secure, and scaleable. “Proton by Optergy became the first true open supervisor and controller that can interoperate with any BACnet unitary controller and is 100% web based. It has all the needed tools to setup, operate and maintain the system, and has all of this at economical price points.”
The Complete EASYIO FG Training Series. In this 9 part video training course, Mike Marston shows you everything you need to know to get up and running with one of the most powerful controllers in Smart Building controls — the EASYIO FG controller. Learn how to program the controller, and create graphics and analytics. Click here to go to the EASYIO FG Training Course.Great job Mike!
The EasyIO Global Partner Event agenda has been set with the following speakers: David Kipling, vice president of Jabil Circuit Inc. (US), Andrius Jasiulionis, automation engineer of Helgevold Electro (Norway), Jason Briggs, CEO of J2 Innovations (US). And of course, key people from EasyIO will tell you all about where we are going as a company: Johan Schakenraad, President & CEO of EasyIO Europe B.V., Mike Marston, vice president of EasyIO Holdings Pte Ltd., Lim Hoon Chiat, CTO/R&D EasyIO Holdings Pte Ltd., and EasyIO Tech Team. But there’s more than just the conference: an informal pre-event gathering at the Hard Rock Café on Sunday evening May 21, dinner and awesome entertainment on Monday evening, May 22, and an exclusive VIP training for CPT Tools and EasyStack on Tuesday, May 23. Check out the full program.
Episode 223: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending Apr 30, 2017 takes on a special dimension as we videoed the show on location at the CGNA Synergy Conference at the Peabody Hotel, in Memphis, TN. Additionally, EasyIO releases VAV using Wi-Fi Mesh and Live Wiresheets; Hepta Systems’ Jason Houck, Award-Winning Master Systems Integrator on ControlTalk Rewind; Acuity Brands Introduces SiteView Energy Solution; AHR interview with Dimitri Papadopoulos of Johnson Controls; ControlTrends Rewind with Therese Sullivan; and new Edge Controllers from Lynxspring.
ControlTrends CGNA Vendor interviews with Earl Doyle, Director, Product Management & Smart Systems Efficiency, VERASYS, Johnson Controls’ Plug-and Play Controls System for Light Commercial Buildings; Josh Felphrin, Senior Sales Manager, Siemens’ TRA and BT300 Solutions; Gina Elliott, Marketing Manager, Small to Mid-Markets, Schneider Electric’s New Building Insights, Small Building & Energy Management System; Aaron Gorka, Innovation Manager, ANT Technologies’Paperless, cloud-based, operational technology for HVAC & Control Contractors; Barry Gordon, Senior Sales Engineer, ACI’s New DLP Differential Low Pressure Transmitter; Maggie Talbert, North East Regional Sales Manager, Functional Devices’ new products and continued partnerships; Bill Dunkleberger, President, Blue Ridge Technologies’ BACnet Unified Lighting Solutions; and Mike Sackett, Executive Director, CGNA Elite — Industry’s Elite Working Together.
EasyIO is CHANGING the Game — Again! VAV using Wi-Fi Mesh and Live Wiresheets. EasyIO is CHANGING the Game — Again! This time with VAV using Wi-Fi Mesh, Live Wiresheets, and you can mix wired and wireless, all running BACnet IP, with free tools and no extra fees. Does it get any better? And you get to keep the labor and wiring savings, as we are not charging a premium for this awesome device. See this in Manchester, UK, May 22-23, 2017, at the Global EasyIO Partner Event.
Acuity Brands Introduces SiteView Energy Solution! Real-Time Power Metering to Manage Energy Consumption and Costs. ATLANTA – April 25, 2017 — Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI) today introduced its SiteView Energy solution, which combines power metering devices and a digital dashboard, to create a detailed, real-time look at actual energy consumption within a building. The SiteView Energy solution takes advantage of software that is hosted within nLight ECLYPSE smart building-ready controllers, also from Acuity Brands, to help building owners track and analyze weekly, monthly and yearly energy data to identify trends and savings.
Catching Up with Dimitri Papadopoulos and Johnson Controls at the 2017 AHR Show. ControlTrends interview with Dimitri Papadopoulos of Johnson Controls, who tells us all about Johnson Controls’ new Niagara Analytics and the Johnson Controls new technology on display at the 2017 AHR Expo. Johnson Controls featured their FX Supervisory Controllers, which are web-based supervisory-class controllers in the Facility Explorer product family. FX Supervisory Controllers manage networks of field controllers using open communication protocols, such as such as BACnet®, LONWORKS®, and N2 protocols.
Edge Controls the Smart way to do Smart Building Controls: Lynxspring explains at the 2017 AHR Show. ControlTrends stopped by the Lynxspring booth at the 2017 AHR product show case. See what Marc Petock and Chris Ryan had to show us about the edge and Edge controllers. The Edge is the next great frontier in making smart building controls smarter.
Smart Buildings ControlTalk Rewind: Therese Sullivan. On this episode of ControlTalk Now Smart Buildings Control Rewind we feature Therese Sullivan, editor buildingcontext.me. Therese is writer/technologist and marketing professional providing news and analysis for commercial building system integrators, facilities managers and real estate professionals about innovations in building automation with emphasis on data analytics, mobile apps, cloud services and wireless networking.
Episode 222: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending Apr 23, 2017 features interviews with DLR Groups’ Ruairi M. Blackwell; Drew Mire, CEO of Computrol; and Scott Cochrane, CEO of Cochrane Supply. Big, big week in the HVAC Industry — several new products and releases from Honeywell, Belimo, Sierra Monitor Corporation, and KMC Controls reminds of their last order date. Johnson Control named 16th Best Corporate Citizen and Lynxspring receives Frost & Sullivan Excellence Award; Memoori – Cimetrics Podcast: Creating transparency from Building Analytics; and Fulham acquires Control Network Solutions.
ControlTalk NOW’s first guest interview is with Ruairi M. Blackwell a principal with DLR Group’s Chicago location. Ruairi leads the Building Optimization enterprise within the firm. In this role, Ruaiari is responsible for growing Building Optimization as a distinct DLR Group service area while contributing his expertise in high performance building design to benefit clients in the firm’s core market sectors. Ruairi is a respected high-performance building design expert and his aim is to elevate the built environment and restore order to the climate for future generations. Additionally, Ruairi specializes in commissioning services for new and existing buildings, building energy assessments, high performance building design, energy modeling/advanced building simulation, and measurement and verification consulting.
Frost & Sullivan Applauds Lynxspring’s Strategic Thought Leadership and Technical Excellence, Making it a Top Contender in the Smart Buildings Market. SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Based on its recent analysis of the Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled smart buildings market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Lynxspring with the 2017 North American Award for Competitive Strategy Innovation and Leadership.
KMC Controls REMINDER – End of Life – Last order date May 1st! “As announced last year, end of life for the KMC Controls legacy BACnet controllers BAC-58XX and VAV’s BAC-7XXX is less than 2 weeks away. I know you may already be using the next generation Conquest controllers…but I wanted to send one last reminder. If you need to order these devices you must place your order no later than May 1, 2017…or sooner.”
Belimo Proudly Announces New Products and Innovations for 2017 — Get Your Access to New Pricing and Media Files. For over 40 years, Belimo has successfully focused on the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning markets. Our relationships with you and our employees are based on trust and adding value with a focus on sustained prosperity rather than short term gains. Our innovative products have always been designed to help you achieve your objectives better, faster and more economically. Investing in new technology has been a key to our success and Belimo proudly announces these new products and innovations for 2017.
Sierra Monitor Corporation Launches Cloud-Connected Network Discovery and Management Appliance for Facility Automation. BACnet Explorer NG appliance enhances device and network commissioning and integration for installers and system integrators. MILPITAS, Calif., April 18, 2017 — Sierra Monitor Corporation (OTCQB:SRMC), a provider of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions that target facility automation and facility safety requirements, today announced the availability of the BACnet Explorer NG, the industry’s first cloud-connected network discovery and management solution for BACnet networks.
Creating Transparency From Building Analytics. Great stuff from Memoori. Our friend Therese Sullivan, from Building Context, turned us on to this great Smart Buildings Resource. Here is the Audio Stream from the 4th Free Webinar in the 2017 Smart Buildings Series, sponsored by Project Haystack. Creating Transparency From Building Analytics. This was an in-depth Q&A Webinar with James Lee CEO & President of Cimetrics. We discus Jim’s recent article “Analytics Creates Transparency” and his thoughts on why he thinks analytics is the key that the industry has been waiting for to unlock the true business value from building technologies.
ControlTrends Breaking News
Honeywell Introduces New and Improved Variable Frequency Drives. Honeywell is pleased to announce the introduction of the SmartVFD HVAC2 line of Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) available to all Commercial Distributors. This new offering provides a reliable, high-performing VFD that minimizes HVAC energy consumption on fans and pumps. Honeywell’s SmartVFD HVAC2 provides maximized energy savings and monitoring capabilities at an affordable price, with quality products backed by a strong 3-year warranty and solid technical support.
Fulham Acquires Control Network Solutions to Bring DALI® Control to Customers for Emerging Smart Lighting Products. CNS’s Smart Light Management Software and Technical Expertise Helps Fulham Meet Growing Demand for DALI-enabled Clever LED Drivers and Smart Lighting Controls. HAWTHORNE, Calif. – April 19, 2017 – Fulham Co., Inc., a leading supplier of lighting components and electronics for commercial and specialty applications, today announced the acquisition of the assets of partner company Control Network Solutions (CNS), the UK-based creator of the elitedali smart lighting control and management system.
Functional Devices and Contemporary Controls Smart Building winners
ControlTrends Award Highlight: 2016 Peripheral Product of The Year. Catch all the excitement as Smart Building Controls Powerhouses Contemporary Controls and Functional Devices are Awarded the Peripheral Product of The Year. Contemporary Controls designs and manufactures the system building blocks for networking, integrating and controlling automation processes where performance and reliability are important. Functional Devices, Inc. has been designing and manufacturing quality electronic devices in the United States of America since 1969.
ControlTalk NOW second guest interview is with Computrols’ CEO, Andrew Mire, who took the helm of VP of operations in 2014, and was promoted to Chief Executive Officer in 2017, where he manages corporate operations, Computrols’ dealer program, and remote job operations. In 1983 Computrols began providing first-rate professional technical service for large building automation systems. A complete dedication and commitment to customer satisfaction has provided valuable lessons that have carried the company for years. Simplicity, flexibility, and power are the Computrols cornerstones of success, and it is this first-hand knowledge of what’s important to customers that drives product development even today.
Hanging Out with Scott Cochrane at the 2017 AHR Show. I had a chance to catch up with one of the smartest people in Smart Buildings controls at the Distech booth. Check out what Scott Cochrane had to say about Building Automation Controls, why Cochrane is now handling Distech Controls, and the CONTROL-CON 2017 Event hosted by Cochrane Supply & Engineering, CONTROLS-CON will take place June 8th and 9th, 2017 at the MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit, Michigan. This fast-paced, education-packed event will bring together hundreds of integrators and end users from throughout the United States and Canada to explore the latest technologies and possibilities of Building Controls and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
Future Shock: Something to think about! Excerpt: Artificial Intelligence: Computers become exponentially better in understanding the world. This year, a computer beat the best Go player in the world, 10 years earlier than expected. In the US, young lawyers already don’t get jobs. Because of IBM Watson, you can get legal advice, (so far for more or less basic stuff), within seconds. With 90% accuracy, compared with 70% accuracy when done by humans. So, if you are studying law, stop immediately. There will be 90% fewer generalist lawyers in the future; only specialists will be needed.
Episode 221: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending Apr 16, 2017 features an interview with one of the most venerated experts in the Building Automation Industry, Leroy Walden, President and Chief Consultant Highrose Consultants, LLC. Updated Ken’s Calendar details upcoming training, webinars, and major industry events; more 2016 ControlTrends Awards video highlights; new DLP pressure sensor from ACI; EasyIO’s Mike Marston and Lim Hoon Chiat discuss new product release and the upcoming EasyIO Global Conference.
2016 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: The PID Award. Join all the excitement, and I do mean EXCITEMENT, as the most exciting man in the smart buildings controls industry Roger Rebennack and Mike Marston from EasyIO (both former recipients of the PID Award) light up the crowd and announce this year’s PID Award winners.
ControlTrends Keeps an Eye on 2017 Events with Ken’s Calendar. While it has been an amazingly busy and productive year so far, many more events are on the horizon. ControlTrends will continue to post the event information as we receive notice or become aware of the event. Please note that the information is gathered from various sources, and the times, dates, and locations may have changed. Be sure to visit the appropriate website or contact the event coordinator to ensure the most up-to-date information.
Our interview this week is with Leroy Walden, LEED AP, President and Chief Consultant Highrose Consultants, who has worked in the Building Controls and Automation industry since 1978, beginning with Robertshaw Controls as an Applications Engineer. Leroy recently retired from a leading systems integration firm to pursue his passion for tracking the growing uses of technology in sustainable building operations. Listen in, as Leroy brings specific insights to smart devices and equipment and how open-source integration platforms will transform building maintenance in the coming decades. Contact Leroy ASAP (lcwalden256@gmail.com) — to take advantage of Leroy’s $100.00 discount for the 2017 Realcomm|IBcon Conference June 13th-15th in San Diego, CA.
ACI’s Differential Low Pressure Sensor has Arrived — The DLP is Available Now! ACI is combining all the best features from multiple products to create an all-encompassing differential pressure option that should make a huge impact! Every aspect of this product was analyzed and designed to maximize the value it will present to you!
Connexx Energy to Participate in US Department of Commerce International Trade Administration Smart Technologies Mission to Hong Kong and Taiwan. Lee’s Summit, Missouri, April 5, 2017: Connexx Energy (www.connexxenergy.com), a recognized developer and implementer of smart building, energy and IoT data management and visualization solutions, announced today that it will be participating in the Smart Technologies Business Development Mission to Hong Kong and Taiwan being organized by the United States Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration.
2016 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: The Light Commercial Control System of the Year. Light Commercial Solution of the Year Winners: KMC Commander and Proton, Optergy. KMC’s mission is to “provide innovative, intuitive building automation and Smart Buildings Controls solutions from responsive and supportive people,” and the KMC Commander delivers as an open building automation and Smart Buildings control system that is “open, secure, and scaleable.” “Proton by Optergy became the first true open supervisor and controller that can interoperate with any BACnet unitary controller and is 100% web based. It has all the needed tools to setup, operate and maintain the system, and has all of this at economical price points.”
EasyIO’s Mike Marston and Lim Hoon Chiat Discuss the FW Wireless Controller “That Will Change the World!” This is the first video of a series from EasyIO’s Mike Marston and Lim Hoon Chiat, who share their visions of the FW Series wireless controllers — that they believe will change the world of Building Automation. Lim cites how WiFi, the defacto protocol for wireless networking, has been around for over 20 years, and because it’s so pervasive and each generation is inherently compatible, it’s ideally suited for the HVAC and Building Automation industry.
EasyIO’s Mike and Lim Preview Next-Gen Smart Sensors and Introduce the Early Guns Education & Learning Program. EasyIO’s Mike Marston and Lim Hoon Chiat continue their discussion on the differences and nuances between M2M and IOT, smart sensors and edge devices, and the impact that wireless will have on the future of HVAC and Building Automation. Also, Lim’s amazing insight into programming starter kits and educational programs to kick start our next generation of system integrators and HVAC technicians.
Let’s Go to England: Last Chance for Discount to EASY IO. Manchester (UK) May 21–23, 2017. This EasyIO Global Partner Event will unveil and officially release awesome new EasyIO products and features to further enhance building and energy solutions for all types of buildings. We’re gonna reveal all the secrets of our five(!) new controllers that are coming up: the WiFi controllers FW-14 and FW-8, the WiFi VAV controller FW-8V, the powerful FS-32 and the FR-02. Register Here!
Haystack Connect 2017 Update! Keynote Speakers & Technical Program & The IBB is Getting Back Together! Make your reservations for Haystack Connect 2017! There are, technically, a lot of reasons to attend Haystack Connect 2017. Now, we added some fun ones! See below. Register Today! 3-Day Technical Conference at the Saddlebrook Resort Tampa: See the very latest software and hardware solutions for the Building Industry exhibited in the Vendor Showcase. Meet and network with leading experts in our industry that are implementing real solutions that combine diverse devices, systems, data and protocols.
LIGHTFAIR 2017 PHILADELPHIA — PRE-CONFERENCE MAY 7-8, TRADE SHOW & CONFERENCE MAY 9-11. Trade Show + Conference + Networking = See It All. LIGHTFAIR 2017. The world’s leading manufacturers will be showcasing their latest products in IoT (Internet of Things), intelligent lighting, LEDs, decorative lighting, daylighting, exterior lighting and more. Experts from around the world will be leading courses on the forward thinking topics in lighting design and technology.
DDC Training with the BAScontrol22: For Colleges and Training Centers Interested in Providing Direct Digital Control (DDC) System Training. April 2017 – For colleges and training centers interested in providing Direct Digital Control (DDC) system training, Contemporary Controls recommends using the BAScontrol22 unitary controller and the free Sedona Application Editor (SAE). The BAScontrol22 is an ideal controller for training technicians on programming DDCs and use of unitary building automation controllers.
Increasing Efficiency for Better Business — New Siemens Website Launches Next Week! Mark your calendar for next week. That’s when the new Siemens partner’s website will launch! The new site will replace the Vantage, Beacon and Infolink sites which you may have used in the past. By the end of next week, all links will take you directly to the new site. What can you expect? A product-centric site that is organized around the products you sell and the information you need to succeed; Updated content and a systematic approach to managing important assets; and Account registration that has self-service capabilities.
Episode 220: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending Apr 2, 2017 features video coverage of the 2016 ControlTrends Awards Young Gun recipients and Belimo’s Award-winning Energy Valve. News of the Week: Roger Rebennack takes over as CEO at Jackson Controls; Honeywell releases WEBs-N4.2.36.38; 2017 Project Haystack Announces Keynote Speakers; EasyIO World Conference, Manchester United, UK, Early Bird Tickets now available; CABA’s upcoming Intelligent Buildings & Digital Home Forum in Silicon Valley; Stromquist’s Tim Chamblee Valve training; Eric Kreuter explains KMC’s SimplyVAV; Siemens’ Talon Building Controls Systems overview; and Ken Sinclair’s April edition of Automated Building.
Honeywell Announces Release of WEBs-N4.2.36.38. Honeywell is pleased to announce the release of the WEBs-N4.2.36.38 software that is packaged with Spyder, Stryker Venom and BACnet FF Tstat programming tools. Main Features: * This is a packaged release with Honeywell tools within the Niagara N4.2.36.38 software build. * This release Fixes software issues after the release of WEBs-N4.2.36, including the CCN driver issues. * There is no cost to upgrade for existing N4.x users. However for other users of AX (3.8 and below) software, please use SMA part number to upgrade to N4.x software.
Project Haystack Announces Keynote Speakers and Technical Program for Haystack Connect 2017 Conference. This year’s conference will bring together industry leaders, end-users and corporate representatives involved in automation, control and Internet of Things applications to share the latest techniques for managing, presenting and analyzing the vast amount of data generated by today’s smart devices and equipment systems in applications including intelligent buildings, energy, HVAC, lighting, remote monitoring, and other smart-device applications. Rita H. Wouhaybi,Ph.D., and Milan Milenkovic are the Keynote Speakers for the third biennial Haystack Connect Conference 2017 beginning May 8, 2017 at the Saddlebrook Resort Tampa.
Congratulations to Roger Rebennack! The “most exciting man in the controls industry” and our friend Roger Rebennack is moving on from Honeywell to become the CEO of Jackson Controls in Indianapolis. Roger has been at Honeywell for 30 years and spent time in the Alarm Monitoring Security & Fire division, the HBS Branch Division, Environmental Controls Division and at Tridium. Rog will bring his skills and passion to Jackson Controls, who is the Honeywell Indiana Authorized System Distributor (ASD) and has been a HVAC controls distributor for 40 years that handles Honeywell, Vykon, Johnson, Belimo and Tridium.
EasyIO World Conference, Manchester United, UK, May 21, 2017 — Early Bird Tickets for EasyIO Global Conference now available! Our Global EasyIO Partner Event in Manchester (UK) is coming up May 21-23, 2017. The conference will unveil and officially release awesome new products and features — to further enhance building and energy solutions for all types of buildings. Consider this is your official invitation! EasyIO is changing the way building automation is deployed and is also reducing the cost. This Global Partner Event will unveil and officially release awesome new products and features to further enhance building and energy solutions for all types of buildings.
CABA Intelligent Buildings & Digital Home Forum — April 26-28, 2017 in Silicon Valley. Attend the CABA Forum — this April 26-28, 2017 in Silicon Valley, and learn about the latest research in our industry from the many research analysts and research firms attending. Industry thought leaders will be providing their insights during the many technical panel discussions and during the four (4) connected home and intelligent buildings research workshops.
Everything You Wanted to Know about Control Valves… but were afraid to ask. Valves, Valves everywhere. If you work with Building Automation or Smart Building Controls or do HVAC maintenance in buildings you cannot escape control valves. Join Stromquist & Company‘s master trainer Tim Chamblee as he trains control pros on everything they need to know about control valves. If you are interested in attending one of Tim’s classes call Nancy at 800.241.9471 and ask for a schedule.
VVT Retrofit made easy
The Easy Way to Do A VVT Retrofit. Variable air volume projects can represent tremendous opportunities for contractors serving commercial and institutional customers. But even in today’s world of open system communications, digital VAV projects have been unnecessarily complex. Until now. Watch as Eric Kreuter explains SimplyVAV, KMC’s digital product that fits that universal replacement need and does so in a fashion that is nearly as straightforward as that old thermostat. It is, in fact, your ticket to today’s digital VAV project marketplace.
Siemens’ TALON Building Control System – Making the Most of Your Building Investment. Today’s buildings are becoming increasingly complex. Building automation systems don’t just control the basics. They regulate airflow, monitor energy use and are being called upon to integrate with security, lighting, and other systems throughout buildings to deliver comfort, safety and energy efficiency. Choosing a TALON® system can help you get the most out of your building, today and tomorrow.
2016 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: The Young Guns. ControlTrends is extremely proud of the Young Gun Awards and what we believe to be another important industry initiative to draw young talent to our industry. There is no better way to enhance the image of the HVAC Industry than recognizing young professionals — who, early in their careers, have already made an important contribution or significant impact within their organization — that serves well as career role model.
Ken Sinclair’s Automated Buildings April, 2017 Theme: In Search of the “Make Me Happy Button” – Claiming our Piece of the Productivity Puzzle. Most of us see that the forces driving much of our industry are changing faces, morphing from the owners’ countenance to the occupier’s smile or frown. The seriousness of these new metrics, criteria, and occupant feedback cannot be underestimated. In this April edition of Automated Buildings, Ken Sinclair, owner and editor, continues his elucidation on this most worthy topic.
The Belimo Energy Valve Wins Energy Savings Solution of The Year. The Belimo Energy Valve was awarded the 2016 Energy Savings Solution of the Year the 2016 ControlTtends Awards. This is not the Belimo Energy valve’s first win in this category, having won in 2014 and 2015. This unique control valve combines the Belimo pressure independent flow strategy with a supply and return temperature sensor which allows the valve to control off of Delta T. Not only do you have BTU data but you can gain an additional 20-30% energy savings. Well done Belimo.
What is Scrum and Why is it Important? In Ken Sinclair’s April issue of Automated Buildings.com. Brad White from SES Consulting answers this question in a very timely article called Cope with the IOT Revolution by Staying Agile. I encourage you to read this article to understand the importance of this video and why Scrum might be the tool you need to keep up with the Smart Building IOT revolution.
Episode 219: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending Mar 19, 2017 Congratulates Distech Controls, Honeywell Spyder, Blue Ridge Technologies, and EasyIO. We bring you AHR Coverage of Functional Devices and Siemens’ 2017 Automation Partner Summit from San Antonio, TX. Don’t miss the latest updates from Vykon Enterprise Security, EasyIO CPT, and Lynxspring.
Sporting a 10-gallon Stetson cowboy hat, Josh Felperin, Siemens’ Senior Sales Manager, tells us what’s in store for the 350-plus Summit partners attending the 3-day Siemens Partner Summit. Featuring DXR training; golfing at the on-site JW Marriott TPC course; various breakout business sessions and technical sessions, mixed with major league fun and evening entertainment, this is the Siemens event of the year.
The 2016 ControlTrends Awards VAV Controller of The Year — Goes to Distech Controls. Who makes the best VAV Controllers on the planet? According to the global ControlTrends Community that would be Honeywell and Distech. Congratulations to these two fine companies for being selected as co-winners of the 2016 ControlTrends Awards VAV controller of the year.
ControlTrends watches on at the busy Siemens’ Talon Partner Vendor Show as Bob Byron demos the latest features of Siemens’ RDY2000 commercial thermostat. When used with the Siemens QPA CO2 sensor, the RDY2000 can provide a very well-priced, yet very effective solution to meet ASHRAE’s minimum fresh air requirements.
VYKON Enterprise Security Supervisor Updates. Dear VYKON Partner, Tridium has issued a software patch for a recently discovered technical issue affecting VYKON Enterprise Security Supervisors that use an MSSQL database. When updating these VYKON Enterprise Security Supervisors to version 2.3.19.5, the update does not complete, and the MSSQL database is rendered unusable.
Siemens’ Senior Sales Director, Building Automation, Scott Hamilton shares with us that this is the 20th Siemens Partner Summit, celebrating the accomplishments of the best integrators and control contractors in the country and how grateful Siemens is for their partnerships and success. Later, at the Awards Banquet, these high-performers would be recognized for their continued growth and success. Scott must be getting it right — he’s already got a boulevard named after him!
EasyIO March Newsletter — Updates for CPT Tools and FG firmware. CPT Tools and the firmware of our FG series got a major update. In this newsletter we will share the most important things of that update with you. By clicking on the blue buttons below, you will be able to download the latest versions. If you are interested in more details, you can have a look at the change log.
Blue Ridge Technologies Wins Lighting Control Solution of the Year. Congratulations to Bill Dunkleberger and the team from Blue Ridge Technologies for being Awarded the 2016 ControlTrends Awards Lighting Controls Solution of the Year by the global ControlTrends Community. Bill and his team provide a very powerful and easy to use lighting solution. Blue Ridge has developed an approach called Unified Lighting Control. Unified Lighting Control completes the BAS, incorporating lighting and HVAC controls on the same network. This network consolidation eliminates surplus hardware required for stand-alone and gateway lighting control.
30 Minutes with Lynxspring Webinar Series — Niagara 4 Hierarchies. Join Lynxspring for the next “30 Minutes with Lynxspring”, their monthly webinar series hosted by Lynxspring subject matter experts and special guests scheduled. Due to schedules, this month’s session will take place on Wednesday, March 22nd at 12:00 PM CST. Amanda Toomey, IEC Developer and a member of Lynxspring’s Training Team will look at Niagara 4 Hierarchies. Amanda will examine all facets of creating a user-friendly data-model-based navigation tree in Niagara 4, using the new hierarchies feature.
Check out new products from Functional Devices
Functional Devices Rocks the 2017 AHR Show. Ken stopped by the Functional Devices booth at the 2017 AHR Show and spoke with Maggie Talbert, Functional Devices‘ North East Sales Manager, Inc. Maggie reviews several new products including the PSH550-UPS-BC. Functional Devices, Inc. a leading manufacturer of high quality, contractor-friendly products since 1969, was a co-winner of the 2016 ControlTrends Peripheral Product of the Year
Episode 218: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending Mar 12, 2017 features our interview with one of the most knowledgeable experts in the HVAC Industry, Scott Cochrane, CEO of Cochrane Supply & Engineering out of Detroit, MI., who welcomes the ControlTrends Community to join Cochrane Supply in celebrating their 50th anniversary in grand style this June, at the Controls-Con. Register now for the EasyIO Global Partners May Event in Manchester, UK and 2017 Haystack Connect, in Tamp, FL; CGNA and Schneider Electric present Building Insights; Tridium’s Software Maintenance Agreement update; and more 2016 ControlTrends Awards video highlights.
CGNA Web Institute’s Presentation of Schneider Electric’s Building Insights – Control and Management – A Game Changer for Small Buildings. CGNA’s Jim Hayman and Peter Phan host David Moody, Schneider Electric’s North American Sales Support Manager, who rolls out a new Schneider Electric solution — to be made available from a CGNA Member Distributor near you. Introducing Schneider Electric’s Building Insights — a cloud-based Solution for Multi-site Energy Management that is a game-changer for small buildings.
Tridium Announces Important Changes to Niagara 4 Software Maintenance Agreements. Dear VYKON Partner, The best way to reduce risk and stay current is to pair Niagara with a Software Maintenance Agreement (SMA). This is especially true with Niagara 4 because of all that’s new about this next-generation software release. Please note that effective April 1, 2017, Niagara 4 SMAs will change in the following ways: * Restriction from stocking extended maintenance: Due to the nature of the extended maintenance model, Tridium will restrict the stocking of extended maintenance parts. * Removal from WEB Channel: Those with the ability to access and purchase through WEB Channel will not have the option to purchase extended maintenance parts via WEB Channel. * Maximum maintenance period: Maintenance cannot be purchased for any period beyond December 31, 2025 (i.e. 10 years from the release of Niagara 4). Please contact us if you have questions. As always, we appreciate your business.
ControlTrends is the source for HVAC and Smart Building News
IFSEC Global — Nominate Your Pick for the Most Influential People in Security and Fire 2017. Nominate your pick for the most influential people in security and fire 2017! We’re giving away £100 Amazon vouchers for the 5 most well-argued nominations. This year we’re revamping the process: nominations only count if accompanied by explanations and we’re breaking the list down into categories to make it more representative of the industry as a whole. Results will be announced in the IFSEC Security Briefing on 11 April 2017.
AWE USA 2017: Auggie Award Nominations Now Open — Augmented and Virtual World SuperStars. AWE USA 2017 is shaping up to be our biggest event yet. We’ve just added Google Tango, Oculus, Sketchfab and Unity to our line up which already included the likes of ODG, Samsung, Meta, Intel, Microsoft, Huawei, Wayfair, NASA and more. Check out all of the participating organizations on our website. Santa Clara, California May 31-June 2, 2017. Register here.
ControlTalk NOW Interview with one of the most knowledgeable experts in the HVAC Industry, Scott Cochrane, CEO of Cochrane Supply & Engineering out of Detroit, MI., who welcomes the ControlTrends Community to join Cochrane Supply in celebrating their 50th anniversary in grand style this June, at the Controls-Con 2017, proudly hosted by Cochrane Supply & Engineering. CONTROLS-CON will take place June 8th and 9th, 2017 at the MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit, Michigan. This fast-paced, education-packed event will bring together hundreds of integrators and end users from throughout the United States and Canada to explore the latest technologies and possibilities of Building Controls and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
Meet the 2016 ControlTrends Awards Executives of The Year. One of the evening’s most exciting highlights is the Executive of the Year Award. Special Congratulations to the 2016 ControlTrends Executive of the Year — Small Manufacturer: Terry Swope, Lynxspring and Troy Schwenn, ACI and the 2016 ControlTrends Executive of the Year — Large Manufacturer: Jenny Stentz, Johnson Controls and Martin Villeneuve, Distech Controls!
EasyIO Global Partner Event will unveil and officially release awesome new products and features to further enhance building and energy solutions for all types of buildings. ndor/easy-io/03/easyio-world-conference-manchester-united-uk-22-may-2017-early-bird-tickets-for-easyio-global-conference-now-available/”>EasyIO World Conference, Manchester United, UK – 22 May 2017 — Early Bird Tickets for EasyIO Global Conference now available!
The 2016 ControlTrends Awards Building Automation Controls System of The Year. Watch all the excitement as Johnson Controls wins one of the most prestigious awards of the evening, the 2016 ControlTrends Awards Building Automation Control System of the Year Award. Special thanks to our guest presenters — Realcomm|IBcon’s Howard Berger and Lisa Woods.
Haystack Connect 2017 Promo Video — May 8th-10th at Saddlebrook Resort, Tampa, FL. A Unique Conference: The building automation, energy efficiency, and IoT markets have a variety of events. Some are under the control of a single manufacturer. Some are large conferences where the needs of systems integrators, technology vendors and their customers are lost in a sea of unrelated products and content that are not relevant. Haystack Connect directly serves the needs of the community that is on the leading edge of applying smart data, smart devices, smart equipment and smart building technologies to create a more efficient and sustainable world. Register here.
Episode 217: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending Mar 5, 2017, features an in-depth interview with Master Systems Integrator, Jason Houck of Hepta Systems and coverage of the Sedona Alliance update from Contemporary Controls; Automated Buildings’ March edition; KMC Controls at 2017 AHR; SK Foo, winner of the 2016 ControlTrends Support Person of the Year, Small Manufacturer; CABA’s “Intelligent Buildings and the Impact of the Internet of Things” research project; Intel® becomes a Founding Member of Project Haystack; 2016 ControlTrends Hall of Fame Inductees; and Mena CMO 2017.
In the News: The Sedona Alliance. Downers Grove, Illinois (January, 2017) – The Sedona Alliance, which represents the interests of developers and users of an open control language technology called Sedona Framework, has launched a website at www.sedona-alliance.org. Developed by Tridium Inc., Sedona Framework is a software environment designed to make it easy to build smart, networked, embedded devices which are well suited for implementing control applications.
2016 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: The Hall of Fame Inductions. Watch the 2016 ControlTrends Awards highlight of the evening as Jack McGowan, Steven Bushby, and Ken Sinclair are inducted into the ControlTrends Awards Hall of Fame. In recognition of his career contributions to the BACnet protocol, Steven Bushby was also inducted into the BACnet International Hall of Fame. Be sure to check out the bonus track at the end of the video.
Mena CMO 2017: Championing Digital Ecosystems. Guy Hughes-Wilson, Vice President of Sales – Western Europe from BBC Worldwide is keynote speaker for ACI’s MENA CMO Conference: Championing Digital Ecosystems, scheduled for the 15th to 16th May 2017 in Dubai, UAE. Guy is the true definition of a modern marketer who is responsible for commercial revenues across all BBC platforms; (TV, online, app and mobile) for clients in Western Europe, and for leading the sales teams based in London and Paris. In the 2014/2015 year, Guy delivered 55% of the annual revenue growth.
ControlTalk NOW Interview with Jason Houck, CTO at Hepta Sysytems. Jason discusses Hepta Systems‘ early adoption of IT expertise and Hepta’s continued recognition as one of North America’s top Master Systems Integrators — and some of the award-winning projects that serve as Hepta Systems’ bonafide credentials, Additionally, Jason tells the ControlTrends Community about the The Panel Shoppe.
CABA completes “Intelligent Buildings and the Impact of the Internet of Things” Research Project. The Continental Automated Buildings Association is pleased to announce that it has completed its “Intelligent Buildings and the Impact of the Internet of Things” research project. This landmark research study was a major initiative of the CABA Research Program, which offers a range of opt-in technical and advisory research services designed to provide industry stakeholders with collaborative research and R&D opportunities. The CABA Intelligent Buildings Council, a core working council of CABA, commissioned the landmark research project to examine the impact of IoT related to intelligent buildings.
Ken Sinclair’s Automated Buildings March, 2017 Theme: “Engaging Satisfaction & Wellness.” Ken Sinclair, owner and editor of Automated Buildings continues his thought process on how our industry is very well-suited to utilize the evolving social media connections available to us, in terms of feedback — to participate in the wellness and productivity campaigns emerging from every aspect and dimension of the building space. As Ken’s March, 2017 Automated Buildings theme suggests: “Engaging Satisfaction & Wellness,” we need get more active in understanding and processing these new user-metrics, because we are in a prime position to take advantage of the benefits.
KMC Controls at 2017 AHR. With a record attendance, it was no wonder AHR 2017 was so impactful for so many. For us at KMC, the people we had the pleasure to meet and the conversations we had were fantastic. Plus, the feedback we received when sharing our innovative solutions solidified our optimism for the rest of the year (and beyond!) In our booth, we shared product enhancements and features for our latest IoT and automation solution. KMC Commander, KMC Conquest, KMC Connect, KMC Connect Lite, and KMC Converge.
Project Haystack Organization Announces Intel® Joins as a New Founding Member. This just in… Richmond, Virginia – March 3, 2017 – Project Haystack (www.project-haystack.org), a non-profit, 501(c) organization focused on developing common standards to streamline the interchange of data among today’s smart devices, systems and equipment, today announced that Intel® has joined the Project Haystack Organization as a Founding Member and will hold a seat on the Board of Directors. “Having Intel join the Project Haystack Organization is very exciting for us,” said John Petze, Executive Director of Project Haystack.“
2016 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: Best Tech Support Person and Small Manufacturer of The Year. Watch the excitment as Pete Walsh from Columbus Temperature Control Co. and Jim Hayman from CGNA present the Best Technical Support Person of the Year Award — Small Manufacturer, to SK Foo from Easy IO, and Vendor of Year — Small Manufacturer, to Contemporary Controls. Congratulations and Great Job!
Episode 215: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending Feb 19, 2017 features interviews with EasyIO’s VP Worldwide Sales, Mike Marston, and Automated Buildings owner and editor, Ken Sinclair. Don’t miss Therese Sullivan’s coverage of the ControlTrends Awards, Optergy’s Proton video, BACnet International’s Awards, and the new records set at the 2017 AHR Expo.
Therese Sullivan, Mike Marston, Ken Sinclair, 2017 AHR Expo Records,
Therese Sullivan’s “How 2016 CTA-Goers Made It Their Night.” By Therese Sullivan, editor of BuildingContext.me. To watch Ken Smyers and Eric Stromquist manage every detail of the ControlTrends Awards is a lesson in how to be the ultimate hosts. They made it happen on January 29, 2017, at the Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas, NV. But, as if by magic – and there was a lot of that — the party moved out of their hands and seemed to be owned by everyone else in the room at large. The way the community is embracing this event is a sure sign that the CTAs will live on for many years to come. The CTAs have become an important night to many, and serve a variety of community-building functions.
ControlTrends covers the Optergy smart building control system
A Sneak Peak at Proton Optergy. ust got this video from our friend Steve Guzelimian. Steve is bringing the Proton Optergy smart buildings solution to North America. Proton won the global ControlTtrends Awards for Light Commercial Solution of the Year, and is a viable competitor in the “Race to the Small Space“. After seeing this cool video, look for Optergy to be a competitor in the Most Impactful Video Award at the 2017 ControlTrends Awards. You can hear what Steve had to say about Optery’s North American Strategy on the November 20th Episode of ControlTalk Now The Smart Buildings Video and Podcast.
ControlTalk NOW’s first interview is a ControlTrends Awards wrap-up with EasyIO’s Mike Marston, on his way to Australia, after finishing a 2-day training session in Pittsburgh, PA. EasyIO is people, products, and applied technology on the move. Congratulations to EasyIO for winning four ControlTrends Awards. The EasyIO FW-14 wireless controller is only getting better! Register now for the EasyIO World Conference, Manchester United UK – 22 May 2017.
ControlTalk NOW’s second interview is with Ken Sinclair, who reviews the Connection Community Collaboratory session at the 2017 AHR Expo, the ControlTrends Awards, and previews the theme of his 2017 March edition of Automated Buildings “Engaging Satisfaction & Wellness.” Ever insightful, here’s a piece from Ken’s editorial: “I am in awe of the power bestowed upon us and our potential as an industry to have a significant impact on the wellness and overall satisfaction of the occupants of our automated, connected, smart, living, buildings. Increasing satisfaction and wellness by engagement means creating a dialog path that flows both ways and is a giant first step for our industry’s entry into the productivity puzzle and its lucrative paybacks.”
BACnet International Awards at the 2017 ControlTrends Awards
The 2017 BACnet International Awards Presentation. As we begin our video highlights from the 2016 ControlTrends Awards, we want to give special thanks to our Presenting Sponsor BACnet International. The BACnet protocol is at the heart of so many of the building automation and smart building control systems, that we thought it only appropriate to begin with a tribute to the dedicated, hard working men and women that make BACnet so great.
using People and Smart Buildings Technology
Ken Sinclair’s Connection Community Collaboratory at AHR Expo 2017. “Power to the People, Power to the People, Ride on…”These lyrics are in a song written by the great John Lennon. If John had known our friend Ken Sinclair or attended his Connection Community Collaboratory, the lyrics would have been more like this: “Power of the People, Power of the People, Ride on” Everyday we see technology advancements in the Smart Building’s controls market, better controllers, better software and better analytics. Is there a correlation between how good a technology can be and the people that use it? This is just one of the questions that, the ever insightful, Ken Sinclair, poses to a group of Industry Experts at this year’s Connection Community Collaboratory, entitled “The Power of People, an Industry Discussion.”
2017 AHR Expo in Las Vegas Breaks Three All-Time Records For Overall Show Attendance, Size. WESTPORT, Conn., February 17, 2017 – The International Exposition Company announced today that the 2017 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo), held January 30 through February 1 in Las Vegas, has officially broken three of the Show’s all-time records. With 68,615 attending the 2017 Show, AHR Expo superseded its former all-time attendance record of 61,674 (set at the 2015 Show in Chicago) by 11.2 percent. This number was also 28.7 percent greater than the overall attendance (totaling 53,324) at the last AHR Expo held in Las Vegas in 2011.
Episode 214: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending Feb 12, 2017 features highlights from the 2016 ControlTrends Awards including the Women of the Year Award co-winners Johnson Controls’ Renee Joseph and Tridium’s Jenny Graves. Congratulations to 2016 PID Award Winner, Sarah Monteleone from Connect-Air International and the 2016 Young Gun Recipients. Get the latest on Sierra Monitor’s and Lencore’s Sound Masking Technology; registration for Lynxspring’s next 30 Minute webinar; Early Bird registration for the 2017 Haystack Connect has been extended till February 28th, and keep current with industry events with Ken’s Calendar.
2016 ControlTrends Awards Woman of the Year Co-winners: Renee Joseph, Johnson Controls and Jenny Graves, Tridium. One of the truly great highlights of the 2016 ControlTrends Awards, was Jenny Stentz and Gina Elliott presenting the newest ControlTrends Awards category, the Woman of the Year. Twelve of the most distinguished and successful women in the HVAC and Building Automation industries were recognized for their outstanding career achievements: Sarah Monteleone, Connect Air; Renee Joseph, Johnson Controls; Lisa Hickey, Belimo; Angie Jarvis, ProLon; Jenny Graves, Tridium; Amy Doran, Alerton; Annette Clayton, Schneider Electric; Laura Kevitt, Vykon; Monica Ferraro, Distech; Ruth Hershey, Siemens; Lindsay Baker , Comfy; and Therese Sullivan, buildingcontext.me. From this amazing group of women, special congratulations to the 2016 ControlTrends Awards Woman of the Year Co-winners: Renee Joseph, Johnson Controls and Jenny Graves, Tridium!
Once Again, — See You Next Year in Chicago! 2017 ControlTrends Awards will be in Chicago, January 21, 2018. Once again, a very special thanks to our 2016 ControlTrends sponsors; Co-Master of Ceremonies, Marc Petock, Kim Brown; and the incredible Production, Audio, Video, and Logistic support from Rob Allen, Michael Bonner, and Stacie McCammon. We could have not done it without all of your help. See you in Chicago!
Congratulations to the 2016 Petock Award Winner — Sarah Monteleone, Vice President of Sales Connect-Air International. Congratulations to Sarah Monteleone, Vice President of Sales Connect-Air International, winner of the 2016 Petock Award. In the words of the award’s namesake, Marc Petock, “This award is given to the person who exemplifies the willingness to help our industry succeed, shares knowledge, and gives something special back to the industry. It recognizes the person who is unselfish and makes someone else’s journey a little easier, and through practice and example, makes the industry a better place. The recipient is a fierce competitor and has the desire to expand and enhance our industry without expectation.”
Haystack Connect 2017 Early Bird Registration Discount — Extended to February 28, 2017. Haystack Connect 2017, MAY 8TH – 10TH, 2017, Saddlebrook Resort Tampa & Conference Center. Early Bird Registration Discount: $795! The Early Bird Registration Discount expires at midnight on February 28th. The standard Registration fee is $895. The Haystack Connect 2017 Conference will once again, bring together systems integrators, technology providers, A&E firms, OEMs and end users who are leading the way to advance smart-device applications and the power of data that is helping to create more efficient, sustainable built environment and streamline the interoperation of the systems and devices that permeate our modern world.
Ken’s Calendar: New 30 Minutes with Lynxspring. This just in from Lynxspring: The next “30 Minutes with Lynxspring”, our monthly webinar series featuring Lynxspring subject-matter experts and special guests, continues Wednesday, February 15th at 12:00 PM CST. There is a lot going on within our industry and at Lynxspring. In this monthly edition, I will look at What’s Ahead – what’s ahead in the industry and what’s ahead at Lynxspring. When: Wednesday, February 15, 2017. Time: 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM CST. Register: Click here to register online for this “30 Minutes with Lynxspring” Webinar on February 15, 2017, 12:00 PM CST. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar session. Please contact Lynxspring if you have any questions. Call Toll Free: 877-649-5969 or send an email to: marketing@lynxspring.com.
ControlTrends is the source for HVAC and Smart Building News
In The News: Sound Masking Technology improves employee productivity by creating personal audio spaces and stopping noise pollution. Looks like our friends at Sierra Monitor and Lencore are finding another innovative way to help reduce the spend on the $300 side of the 3-30-300 dollar rule. Having two small children, I am hoping the home version of this comes out soon. This just in: Sierra Monitor Corporation (http://www.sierramonitor.com ) and Lencore (http://www.lencore.com) are creating unique “private audio clouds” for open office environments and medical facilities. Lencore’s sound masking solutions for modern workplaces, along with emergency notification solutions, make workplace environments safer and more productive. In addition, Lencore’s sound masking solutions are used in medical offices and other facilities where privacy and confidentiality is important.
Congratulations to the 2016 ControlTrends Awards Young Gun Recipients. ControlTrends is extremely proud of the Young Gun Awards and what we believe to be another important industry initiative to draw young talent to our industry. There is no better way to enhance the image of the HVAC Industry than recognizing young professionals — who, early in their careers, have already made an important contribution or significant impact within their organization — that serves well as career role model. We need to collectively seek parity and positive recognition for our HVAC industry and attract more of the young minds and talent needed to sustain our industry in the years to come. We look forward to the continuing support of the ControlTrends Community to help us identify next year’s Young Guns.
ControlTrends Keeps an Eye on 2017 Events with Ken’s Calendar. While it has been an amazingly busy and productive year so far, many more events are on the horizon. ControlTrends will continue to post the event information as we receive notice or become aware of the event. Please note that the information is gathered from various sources, and the times, dates, and locations may have changed. Be sure to visit the appropriate website or contact the event coordinator to ensure the most up-to-date information.
Episode 213: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending Jan 22, 2017, sets the final stage for the 2016 ControlTrends Awards to be held in Las Vegas next Sunday evening, with a special show preview with Marc Petock, Master of Ceremonies. We thank our sponsors and the ControlTrends global community at large, for making this year’s show the biggest and best ever. Also this week, updates from Schneider Electric, KMC Controls, Optigo, Contemporary Controls, Optergy, EasyIO, and the Niagara Forum London.
ControlTalk NOW Interview with Lynxspring’s Chief Communications Officer and VP Marketing, Marc Petock. Marc gives us venerated industry insight into trends impacting and disrupting our markets and the growth of the ControlTrends Awards. As the Master of Ceremonies, Marc shares his excitement as the fifth ControlTrends Awards draws near. Marc also previews Lynxspring‘s new edge-to-enterprise and IoT solutions and service offerings for building automation, energy management and device-to-enterprise integration to be displayed in Booth # C1680 in the Building Automation and Control Showcase the AHR Expo 2017.
2016 ControlTrends Awards Details for Attendees. The 2016 ControlTrends Awards will be held on January 29, 2017 from 6:30 – 9:30 at the Hard Rock Café on the Las Vegas Strip. Please note that the Hard Rock Café is not part of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The address of the venue is: 3771 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109. Please plan to arrive on time as we have a packed show this year that will kick off with a special treat, and you will want to be in your seat when it starts.
2016 ControlTrends Awards Finalist for Building Automation Control System of the Year: KMC Controls. We’re the Experts! For nearly 50 years, KMC Controls has provided state-of-the-art building automation and control solutions to a global network of system integrators and distributors. Our products are controlling buildings of all sizes and types all around the world, including the most sustainable office building in North America. Increasing control, monitoring, and efficiency demands drive the need for flexible building automation systems. Intelligent building control systems reduce energy consumption, lower operating costs, and improve occupant health, comfort, and productivity.
BACnet MS/TP Trouble-Shooting Simplified with Innovative Product Integration from Contemporary Controls and Optigo Networks. BACnet MS/TP Trouble-Shooting Simplified with Innovative Product Integration from Contemporary Controls and Optigo Networks. Vancouver, BC, January 17, 2017 – BACnet MS/TP trouble-shooting can now be done remotely on demand or via scheduled analysis thanks to a one-of-a kind product integration from Chicago-based Contemporary Controls and Vancouver-based Optigo Networks. Using Contemporary Controls’ popular BASrouterLX to capture MS/TP traffic and Optigo Networks’ Visual BACnet for analysis, technicians will no longer need to be on-site to diagnose MS/TP issues.
OPTERGY Introduces New Product — Proton for Small Buildings! Small Buildings often have BIG Problems. Proton by Optergy aims to transform the market and bring building and energy management to all. If you are coming to the AHR EXPO 2017, in Las Vegas, please feel free to come by our booth for a conversation about what Optergy and its featured product is all about. You can find Optergy at booth C1075 in the Building Automation area.
EASYIO’s New Produal Peripherals. We are Proud to Announce that Produal is our New Partner for Building Automation Measurement! EasyIO is proud to announce that Produal is our new partner for building automation measurement. We are working jointly with these experts in measurement to offer you efficient, excellent peripheral products with a five year warranty. With this competent peripheral product program, we now aim to be a wide one-stop-shop for our EasyIO Partners.
Registration now open for Niagara Forum London! Sunday, 26 March 2017 – Tuesday, 28 March 2017 Park Plaza Westminster. Be sure to register for Niagara Forum London while space lasts! You won’t want to miss the premier conference about Internet of Things (IoT) technology and the chance to learn more about Buildings IoT, Industrial IoT and other important technology trends. This bi-annual event provides developers, building owners, engineers and executives the opportunity to engage with one another on a variety of issues related to device-to-enterprise applications and automation infrastructure.
Episode 212: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for Week Ending Jan 15, 2017 introduces Tridium’s new President and General Manager, Jim Bland. The 2016 ControlTrends Awards are less than two weeks away and there is still time to vote! And, we want to remind all of our sponsors and attendees to be at the Hard Rock Cafe, on the Red Carpet, before 6:30! Be sure to visit our featured Platinum Sponsors for this week: Lynxspring, Honeywell, Blue Ridge Technologies, and Distech, and by all means, VOTE today!
2016 ControlTrends Awards Details for Attendees. The 2016 ControlTrends Awards will be held on January 29, 2017 from 6:30 – 9:30 at the Hard Rock Café on the Las Vegas Strip. Please note that the Hard Rock Café is not part of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The address of the venue is: 3771 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109. Please plan to arrive on time as we have a packed show this year that will kick off with a special treat, and you will want to be in your seat when it starts. If you have not voted yet, you have until January 17 to cast your votes.
ControlTrends Introduces Tridium’s New president
Meet Tridium’s New President. ohn Sublett, Tridium CTO, introduces new Tridium President and General Manager, Jim Bland to the Niagara and ControlTrends community. Jim joins Tridium from Snapdata.io, a start-up company that designs and develops sensors, data communications hardware and analytics software. He also has managed several national and global businesses ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 enterprises.
Lynxspring to Demonstrate New Edge-to-Enterprise and IoT Solutions in the Building Automation and Control Showcase at AHR Expo 2017. LEE’S SUMMIT, MISSOURI (PRWEB) JANUARY 10, 2017. Lynxspring, Inc. (http://www.lynxspring.com), a premier developer and provider of open, IP-control solutions for building automation, energy management, cyber protection, and device-to-enterprise integration today announced they will be demonstrating their new edge-to-enterprise and IoT solutions and service offerings for building automation.
Best way to do lighting controls to make buildings smarter
Catch Up with Bill Dunkleberger and See Cool New Products from Blue Ridge Technologies. On this episode of ControlTalk Rewind we revisit Bill Dunkleberger from Blue Ridge Technologies. Bill shows us some cool new products, introduces us to ControlTrends Awards Best Technical support person nominee Christy O’Neil, and shares his thoughts on the most effective ways to do lighting in Smart Buildings. Bill is nominated for the ControlTends Executive of the Year.
2016 ControlTrends Awards Finalist for Building Automation Control System of the Year: Honeywell WEBs. Honeywell is Building Automation Systems: With both Honeywell WEBs-N4 and WEBs-AX, Honeywell has the Niagara Framework-based building management solution (BMS) that takes all aspects of your building and occupant needs into consideration to maximize energy efficiency and make management of your facility simpler and more user-friendly. Add the power of Spyder® or Stryker controllers, and you’ll have the versatility to choose from a collection of best-in-class control products.
2016 ControlTrends Awards Finalist for Building Automation Control System of the Year: Distech Controls. Distech Controls‘ EC-Net building management system (BMS) is a comprehensive Web-based platform powered by the Niagara Framework®. The open structure of EC-Net building management system (BMS) creates a common development and management environment for the integration of BACnet®, LONWORKS®, Modbus, and other standards. More than a building management system, EC-Net system provides all the tools you need to gain intelligence into your buildings’ performance and arm you with the ability to rapidly react to any situation that may adversely affect energy costs, business performance, and ultimately, your bottom line.
Episode 211: ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for Week Ending Jan 8, 2017 features our interview with Ken Sinclair, owner and editor of Automated Buildings, who in his January, 2017 edition, continues his prescient insight into the future of our industry and talks about AB’s new Mission Statement to create a change in thinking and attitudes — and bringing satisfaction and comfort to the forefront as the new Measured Variables. Additionally, we review five more nominees for the 2016 Most Impactful Video category. Make sure to Vote for the 2016 ControlTrends Awards, which will be held at the Hard Rock Cafe, January 29, 2017!
2016 ControlTrends Most Impactful Video of the Year: Introducing FIN 4.0. A lot has been going on here at J2 Innovations! We recently announced our game-changing technology FIN 4.0 along with exciting new FIN Certified Hosts platforms. Check out the video below to experience first hand how FIN 4.0 uses tagging, data modeling, and HTML 5 to fundamentally change our industry.
Energy Department Launches New Manufacturing USA Institute Focused on Recycling and Reusing Materials. As part of the Manufacturing USA initiative, today the Energy Department announced its new Reducing Embodied-energy and Decreasing Emissions (REMADE) Institute, which will be headquartered in Rochester, New York and led by the Sustainable Manufacturing Innovation Alliance. REMADE will leverage up to $70 million in federal funding, subject to appropriations, and will be matched by $70 million in private cost-share commitments from over 100 partners.
Ken Sinclair’s Automated Buildings January, 2017 Theme: “Our Assets are People, not Technology.” Don’t miss this prescient interview with Ken Sinclair. We might suppose that it was the relentless rays of disruptive IoT light recently shone on our industry, that inspired Ken Sinclair, owner and editor of Automated Buildings, to rewrite his Automated Buildings’ mission statement, entitled: “Be the Catalysis/Harbinger of the IoT Future of Building Automation.” Yet, the real focus of the AB’s January, 2017 edition is the concept that people are still our greatest asset, not technology. As Ken reminds us, “We need to focus instead on our only assets, our people who have all been through several technology shifts in their life. They have seen hardware evaporate into software and become data in the IoT cloud or processes acted on at the edge.”
2016 ControlTrends Awards Details for Attendees. The 2016 ControlTrends Awards will be held on January 29, 2017 from 6:30 – 9:30 at the Hard Rock Café on the Las Vegas Strip. Please note that the Hard Rock Café is not part of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The address of the venue is: 3771 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109. Please plan to arrive on time as we have a packed show this year that will kick off with a special treat, and you will want to be in your seat when it starts. If you have not voted yet, VOTE NOW! You have until January 19th, to cast your vote.
2016 ControlTrends Most Impactful Video of the Year: Contemporary Controls’ Understanding BACnet Part 1. Thanks to George Thomas and the team at Contemporary Controls for putting together this eight-part video series “Understanding BACnet.” Contemporary Controls is a leading global manufacturer of system building blocks for networking, integrating and controlling automation processes where performance and reliability are important.
2016 ControlTrends Most Impactful Video of the Year: Johnson Controls Smart Connected Chillers. Monitor Johnson Controls Smart Connected Chillers performance from anywhere. With buildings consuming 47 percent of global energy and about half of that coming from chillers, keeping on top of chiller performance is critical, not just for efficiency, but for occupant comfort and productivity. New technologies that form the Internet of Things (IoT) are making it easier than ever to stay on top of chiller maintenance – with data available anywhere, remote monitoring and diagnostics allow service technicians to proactively tackle potential issues, making preventative care and maintenance scheduling easier than ever.
MG350 SmartX Actuator offers great havoc control
2016 ControlTrends Most Impactful Video of the Year: Schneider Electric’s SmartX Actuator MG350. The Schneider Electric SmartX MG 350 is the first NEW SmartX Actuator released globally. It is designed to control two and three-way globe valves in a wide range of applications. The MG350 SmartX Actuator is the platform for the future, acting as the foundation of both a SmartStruxure solution and SmartStruxure Lite solution. The critical information delivered by the actuator helps the BMS operate at optimal efficiency.
2016 ControlTrends Most Impactful Video of the Year: Johnson Controls, A New Evolution. In 1885, long before anyone talks about carbon footprints or climate change, Warren Johnson launches a company to explore new ways to harness and conserve precious energy resources. In doing so, he also launches a tradition of customer-focused innovation — a tradition that has inspired thousands of employees for more than 130 years and that continues to drive the success of Johnson Controls.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for Week Ending Jan 1, 2017 recaps the year’s major event coverage, highlights many of the 2016 Most Impactful Videos, and gives a preview of the upcoming 2016 ControlTrends Awards in Las Vegas. As always, we thank you, the global ControlTrends Community, for your continued patronage and support. 2016 was an amazing year for our industry — full of disruption, acquisitions, and growth, and from the early news and activity, and the events on the near horizon, 2017 portends to be even better. Please help us recognize the best products, solutions, and people in our industry. Cast your VOTE for 2016 ControlTrends Awards today!
2016 ControlTrends Most Impactful Video of the Year: Welcome to Alerton — An introduction to Alerton and an Alerton Building. Alerton is totally committed to helping you get the best performance from your buildings. We are a pioneer and an industry leader in providing building management solutions for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment for all types and sizes of buildings. We also help simplify building management by integrating fire, life safety, lighting, access management and other building systems.
2016 Energy Savings Solution Product of the Year Finalist: JCI VSD Active Energy. The patented active energy control Generation 2 Variable Speed Drives from Johnson Controls provides energy savings, quick easier connections, and a fast payback. These globally compliant, innovative and intuitive VSD’s allow seamless integration and can be used with Facility Explorer and other Building Automation Systems.
2016 ControlTrends Most Impactful Video of the Year: DG LOGIK’s Project Assist 2.0 for Facilities. DGLogik introduces Project Assist 2.0 for facilities, a step by step wizard that allows users to create an HTML5 interface to manage and monitor facility data. It delivers a faster, simpler and more intuitive user experience, offering full flexibility and customization without diving into the full design and development environment of DGLux5.
2016 Best Technical Support Company — Small Manufacturer Finalist: Contemporary Controls. Talk about customer support, take a look at this exciting offer from Contemporary Controls: December 2016 release – We keep reading about “easy” Modbus to BACnet gateways, but our competitors still require the user to make their own device profiles on a point-by-point basis, which can take hours of development time when you are trying to integrate a Modbus device into a BACnet inter-network. We have a much better solution for our customers – have Joe do the work!
2016 ControlTrends Highlight: On the Red Carpet at the 2015 ControlTrends Awards. 2015 ControlTrends Awards Red Carpet Interviews (Caution: Superstars and Super Heroes Entering Stage Right). Great ControlTrends Awards interviews with Ken Sinclair, Automated Buildings and Brad White, SES Engineering, discuss the Young Guns Awards (Climate Superheroes), the AHR EXPO Industry Service Award, the global growth of ControlTrends Community and Hans Kranz’s Hall of Fame induction; along with interviews with Johan Schakenraad, CEO, EasyIO Europe; Allison and Scott Cochrane, Cochrane Supply; Alerton’s Amy Doran and Kevin Callahan; and BASSG’s Alper Uzmezler.
How to protect your building automation controls systems from hackers
ControlTalk Now Rewind: Fearless Phil Zito. Check out what our friend and Smart Buildings Controls Expert, “Fearless Phil Zito”, had to say about his new book and the current state of Building Automation Controls and how hackers are getting into your building automation controls system and what you can do to stop them. Check out Phil’s list of his 10 top 2016 articles and podcasts on his Building Automation Monthly website. Phil’s mission is to provide the best online Building Automation training to prepare 20,000 people to enter the building automation space by 2025.
Building Automation and Smart Buildings best of
2016 ControlTrends Highlights: A Final Look at the 2016 ControlTrends Awards. The 2015 ControlTrends Awards were held yesterday evening at Orlando’s Hard Rock Live, located at the door step to the amazing Universal Studios. Hard Rock Live was a most befitting venue to celebrate the heroes and superstars of our HVAC and the Building Automation industries. Marc Petock and Kimberly Brown co-hosted the awards ceremony that recognized the 2015 ControlTrends heroes and superstars of the HVAC and Building Automation industry. The 2015 seven Top Gun Awards recipients were recognized (separate post to follow) as was Ed Merwin, who received the coveted Petock Award.
Smart Buildings and Building Automation Controls
2016 ControlTrends Highlights: Opening Day The Niagara Summit. ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending May 15, 2016 is all about DAY 1 @ 2016 Niagara Summit in New Orleans — and another apex moment in the Building Renaissance movement, where over 1300 of the world’s top developers, programmers, building owners, engineers and executives have joined Nino DiCosmo and the Tridium staff to participate in forums, presentations and breakout sessions that will set the precedence and pace in the realm of smart, intelligent, and connected buildings. Over 300 developer partners participated in the future of Niagara 4 at the Boot Camp session. The evening Welcome Reception was kicked off in true Mardi Gras fashion with a police-escort led parade ending at the fabulous Champions Square.
ControlTrends Talks to Honeywell’s Larry Weber about smart building control
2016 ControlTrends Highlights: Larry Weber at CGNA. Honeywell’s Larry Weber on Light Commercial Smart Controls — Sustain and Maintain Small to Medium Size Buildings. At the 2016 CGNA Synergy Conference, ControlTrends caught up with Honeywell’s Larry Weber, General Manager Building Control Systems (BCS) Honeywell Environmental Control and Combustion. It is quite apparent that Larry and Honeywell have their hands directly on the pulse of the Smart Buildings controls renaissance.
2016 ControlTrends HighLights: The Roger Rebennack Experience. The Roger Rebennack Experience — was held over the Memorial Holiday weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway — where over 80 Honeywell customers from all parts of North America joined Roger, Honeywell, and 350,000 racing fans for the spectacular 100th Anniversary Run of the Indy 500. This 3-day extravaganza is unrivaled, mixing the thrill of the greatest race of the year with two concerts, the Indy 500 museum, celebrities, and life-long memories. Contact your Honeywell distributor or representative today and get your engines started for next year’s Roger Rebennack Experience.
2016 ControlTrends Most Impactful Video of the Year: EasyIO Europe – The Rules Have Changed. The goal of EasyIO Europe is to deliver Energy Management Systems that improve the well-being of people, by optimizing the interaction between humans, buildings, and work. We are committed to provide strategy to energy savings driven by strategic partnerships with technology leader EasyIO and complementary solutions. Our unique Energy Analyzing Dashboard Solution and FG Controllers make us an ideal value-added partner for System Integrators, OEM’s. and National Accounts.
ControlTrends covers Smart Buildings and Building Automation Controls Solutions
2016 ControlTrends Highlights: Day One Recap Realcomm|IBcon. Ken Sinclair, Automated Buildings and Therese Sullivan, Building Context joined Rob Allen and ControlTrends at the end of DAY 1 outside the San Jose Convention Center, where the Jim Young, Howard Berger, and Lisa Woods and the Realcomm team successfully launched the start of IBcon 2016. Pre-conference events that brought together some of the top visionary experts from around the globe to discuss the latest trends and technologies — and present the world’s most advanced, next-gen smart building case studies. IBcon break-out sessions included the Information Systems & Smart Buildings CYBERSECURITY Forum; Intelligent Buildings Boot Camp; and Smart Building Integrator Summit.
ControlTrends covers the 2016 Real Comm Ibcon Smart Buildings conference
2016 ControlTrends Highlights: IBcon Recap. This ControlTrends Highlight takes a deeper dive into Realcomm/IBcon 2016 with Marc Petock joining us as co-host. Our first special guest was Intelligent Buildings’ Co-founder, Intelligent Buildings, Tom Shircliff, who shares his insight into some of the new technologies displayed at the show — soon to impact the industry, and the increased emphasis on water. Cyber security must be elevated to an organization’s highest priority, and physical measures, often overlooked, are of extreme importance to an effective cyber security program.
ControlTalk Now is the Weekly news source for smart building and building automation controls
2016 ControlTrends HighLights: Episode 200 of ControlTalk Now at JBC 2016. ControlTrends was delighted to bring you our 200th episode of ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending October 9th, 2016, while covering DAY 2 of the Johnson Controls’ CBC16! Providence would have us at Nashville’s Gaylord Opryland, which was an ideal venue — full of special people to help us celebrate our momentous occasion. Special thanks to Roger Rebennack, Jenny Stentz, Chris Eichmann, Rick Van Buren, Russ Carfagna, John Donahue, Dave Gottfried, Jeff Hurwitz, Joe Chandler, Jim Hayman, Pete Walsh, Paul Burke, and the too numerous to name well-wishers and supporters of ControlTrends, that helped make this milestone happen!
Control Trends cover smart buildings controls company KMC
2016 ControlTrends Highlights: KMC Genius Conference. From Nashville to Chicago, and from JCI to KMC, this has been the week of Smart Buildings Controls meetings. KMC’s Genius Conference theme was “Command Your future”. KMC rolled out all the stops with a great location, great speakers, innovative ideas, and training on KMC’s new light commercial system,the Commander. KMC Commander is the most advanced Internet of Things (IoT) platform for enterprise-level building automation and control. Commander offers cutting-edge integration, analytics, and visualization technology in real-time delivered on your mobile device.
Ken Sinclair’s Automated Buildings January, 2017 Theme: “Our Assets are People, not Technology.” We might suppose that it was the relentless rays of disruptive IoT light recently shone on our industry, that inspired Ken Sinclair, owner and editor of Automated Buildings, to rewrite his Automated Buildings’ mission statement, entitled: “Be the Catalysis/Harbinger of the IoT Future of Building Automation.” Yet, the real focus of the AB’s January, 2017 edition is the concept that people are still our greatest asset, not technology. As Ken reminds us, “We need to focus instead on our only assets, our people who have all been through several technology shifts in their life. They have seen hardware evaporate into software and become data in the IoT cloud or processes acted on at the edge.”
2016 ControlTrends Highlights: Coverage of theSiemens CPS October Business National Sales Meeting in Chicago. ControlTrends coverage of the Siemens CPS Business National Sales Meeting in Chicago features interviews with John Katzmarszyk, VP Americas, Commercial Products and Solutions, who explains Siemens’ effort to be more open, honest, and engaging to their partners, make more products and solutions available, and be more effective business partners. ControlTrends’ next interview is with Siemens Territory Manager and ControlTrends Woman of the Year nominee, Ruth Hershey.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending Dec 18, 2016 begins with special thanks to two of our Platinum Sponsors: Optergy and Panel Shoppe. We have amazing interviews with Blue Ridge Technology’s President Bill Dunkelberger, Distech’s Vice President, Sales & Energy Services, Dan Flaherty, and ControlTrends People Episode 6 with EasyIO’s Lim Hoon Chiat. Updated coverage of 2017 AHR EXPO; 2017 Lynxspring Exchange Conference date set; Johnson Controls Showcase at the 2017 AHR EXPO; Acuity Brands Lighting Technology Center; KMC, Lynxspring, and Belimo Impact Videos; and DOE’s Solar in Your Community Challenge.
Don’t Miss AHR EXPO 2017 — New Technology & Industry Best-Practices Highlight the Largest AHR Educational Program Ever. AHR 2017’s New Technology & Industry Best-Practices Highlight the Largest AHR Educational Program Ever! With over 75 seminars, technical sessions and certifications offered at the Convention Center, there’s something new to learn at the Show. Many are free with no advance registration necessary. Use the Online Interactive Floor Plan to Map Out Your Time More Effectively!
Lynxspring Announces Dates for 2017 Lynxspring Exchange Conference — October 1–3, 2017 at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa. LEE’S SUMMIT, MISSOURI (PRWEB) DECEMBER 07, 2016 Lynxspring, Inc. (http://www.lynxspring.com), a premier developer and provider of open, IP-control solutions for building automation, energy management, cyber protection, and device-to-enterprise integration today announced they will hold their second biennial Lynxspring Exchange Conference on October 1 – 3, 2017 at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Johnson Controls Leads the HVAC Industry with Innovation and New Technology at the 2017 AHR Expo. Johnson Controls will showcase several innovative new technologies at the 2017 AHR Expo, January 30 to February 1 in Las Vegas (booth numbers C2929, C3124 and C3329). The technologies include Verasys, YORK® YVFA chiller, YORK EcoAdvance, BlueStream Hybrid Cooling System and VRF Smart Gateway. These technologies are designed to advance energy efficiency and increase building intelligence.
Touring Acuity Brands Lighting Center. Dan Flaherty, Distech’s Vice President, Sales & Energy Services, takes the ControlTrends Community on a tour of Acuity Brands’ Disney-like technology center, a new mecca for young engineering talent. Join in as Dan shows us some of the really cool ways lighting technology has significantly enhanced the user experience within the Hospital, K-12, and Retail spaces. With the acquisition of Distech and DGLogik, Acuity has re-engineered the way lighting and sensors are deployed and how lighting sensor data and the Distech Eclypse Building Automation Systems are driving the next-gen smarter buildings. Gone are the days of the 72 degree thermostat… for sure.
Our next ControlTrends Interview is with Bill Dunkleberger, President of Blue Ridge Technologies, a manufacture of proven energy management solutions with a focus on Unified Lighting Control. Blue Ridge Technologies (BTR) solutions complete the Building Automation System. Bill Dunkelberger is an industry expert on occupant-centric building and lighting control. Join in as Bill explains the origins of lighting integration issues and how Open Systems, Open Devices, Open Standards, and Open Distribution are the future. We also get to meet Christy O’Neil, BRT’s Support Manager and finalist for the 2016 ControlTrends Support Person of the Year.
2016 ControlTrends Most Impactful Video of the Year — Take One: KMC+DELL Customer Beginnings. Award winning KMC Controls is proud to be a partner with Dell as the building automation industry leaps into the 21st century. The introduction of IoT to building automation systems is changing the way that occupants interact with their environment, their level of comfort, and the efficiency of buildings. Go ahead, we don’t mind if you call us building geniuses.
ControlTrends People Episode 6: EasyIO’s Lim Hoon Chiat. In this episode of ControlTrends People, we explore the life of Lim Hoon Chiat. Lim is now recognized as one of the most successful and prolific minds in our industry. In Episode 6, we follow Lim’s rise from the humblest of origins in Singapore, where as a child, he tinkered with discarded parts to make a television set work for three months, through his days at the University and winning an International Robotic Competition, to his present position at EasyIO. Lim shares the influence and effect that his earliest mentor had on his life and how the philosophic fundamentals of simplicity, constantly challenging one’s self, and the desire to maintain a worldly perspective developed into a life-long passion for innovation.
2016 ControlTrends Most Impactful Video of the Year — Take Two: Introduction to the Lynxspring Onyxx BH311 BACnet to Haystack Data Pump. Overview: The Onyxx BH311 Data Pump provides BACnet to Haystack network communication and data exchange. The Onyxx BH311 Data Pump is part of Lynxspring E2E, an edge-to-enterprise ecosystem for the Internet of Things, that enables collaboration between smart systems, smart devices, intelligent equipment and Cloud services. The Helixx Framework embedded in the Onyxx BH311 handles the BACnet to Haystack protocol translation, translating BACnet points to manageable Haystack points.
Belimo’s New Advanced Butterfly Valve Technology for High Flow Applications. The newly designed butterfly valve and actuator assembly is the most intelligent, energy efficient, and reliable high flow solution in the HVAC market. With a focus on the ease of installation, application flexibility and longevity, this series sets new performance standards in HVAC applications. Innovative – User Friendly – Reliable, Belimo’s New Advanced Butterfly Valve Technology for High Flow Applications is the Most Intelligent Butterfly Valve on the Market!
DOE: Solar in Your Community Challenge — Application Deadline is January 6, 2017. Dear SunShot Supporter: Have you heard about the Solar in Your Community Challenge yet? It’s a $5 million prize competition funded by the SunShot Initiative that aims to expand solar electricity access. Specifically, it focuses on low-and moderate-income (LMI) households and nonprofits that haven’t been able to take advantage of the booming solar market. Challenge participants are eligible to win cash prizes and technical assistance over the course of 18 months.
In this episode of ControlTrends People, we explore the life of Lim Hoon Chiat. Lim is now recognized as one of the most successful and prolific minds in our industry. In Episode 6, we follow Lim’s rise from the humblest of origins in Singapore, where as a child, he tinkered with discarded parts to make a television set work for three months, through his days at the University and winning an International Robotic Competition, to his present position at EasyIO. Lim shares the influence and effect that his earliest mentor had on his life and how the philosophic fundamentals of simplicity, constantly challenging one’s self, and the desire to maintain a worldly perspective developed into a life-long passion for innovation, and how those philosophic fundamentals and passion are the driving force behind the industry-leading products developed by EasyIO. Truly, a genuinely personal and wonderfully detailed story, we invite you to listen in — as Lim navigates through the meteoric shower of technology that changed our industry and the impact that technology has made on his own amazing career. It is no wonder that Lim and EasyIO have played a leading role in the Smart Buildings Controls Renaissance, and as you will soon hear, the best is yet to come.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending December 12, 2016 congratulates the 2016 ControlTrends Awards finalists! ControlTrends would like to thank the ControlTrends Community members who participated in the nomination process, and now that we’ve entered the final voting phase, please make sure to check your email for your official voting ballot, or go to the ControlTrends website and click on the voting link in the upper right-hand corner. It’s going to be a magical evening with all the Hollywood Red Carpet and Banquet trimmings. If you are going to be in Las Vegas for the AHR EXPO 2017, reach out to one of our participating sponsors to see if they might have a ticket for you!
Congratulations to the 2016 CONTROLTRENDS AWARDS CATEGORY FINALISTS who will competing for awards in 24 Categories. The winners will be announced live from the stage of the Hard Rock Cafe, January 29, 2016. Special Award presentations will include: BACnet International, Project Haystack, ControlTrends Hall of Fame Inductee, Petock Award, and 2016 ControlTrends Young Guns.
Building Automation VAV Controller of the Year Manufacturer or Product Johnson Controls Distech Controls KMC SimplyVAV ProLon Neptronic Honeywell Spyder Schneider Electric MNB-V2 Alerton
Building Automation Plant/Equipment Controller of the Year EasyIO FG-32+ Johnson Controls FX-PCG Alerton Ascent Control Module ACM Distech ECB-600 Series Lynxspring JENEsysONE Contemporary Controls BAScontrol20
Energy Savings Solution Product of the Year Belimo Energy Valve JCI VSD Active Energy SkyFoundry Schneider Electric, Building Insights Optergy Blue Ridge Technologies Lighting Control
Peripheral Product of the Year ACI Dwyer Instruments Functional Devices VERIS Contemporary Controls BAPI Dent Instruments Sierra Monitor Corporation
Wireless Product/Solution of the Year EasyIO FW- Series Johnson Controls WT 4000 Schneider Electric SmartStruxure Lite Honeywell RedLINK ACI MeshNet 900 Alerton WTS
Lighting Integration Provider/Solution of the Year Blue Ridge Technologies Acuity Lighting WattStopper DLM Cisco, Digital Ceiling Control Network Solution, elitedali Daintree
3rd Party Visualization Software of the Year J2 Innovations FIN Builder DGLogik DGLux5 BAS Services Graphics Proton, Optergy Activelogix Periscope QA Graphics Clock Works, KGS Buildings Forest Rock, Energy Vision
Building Analytics Solution of the Year Niagara Analytics SkyFoundry SkySpark Aurora, Optergy Schneider Electric Clock Works, KGS Buildings CopperTree Kaizen
Light Commercial Solution of the Year EASYIO FG-32+ Johnson Controls Verasys Schneider Electric Viconics Proton, Optergy Prolon KMC Commander Honeywell RedLINK Siemens EcoView
Innovative Product of the Year EasyIO FW-14 Tridium Niagara 4 Johnson Controls Verasys Belimo New Butterfly Valve Optergy Proton Lynxspring Onyx Edge Controllers Candi BAS Controls EAC-916 Siemon, Smart Building Cabling Solution
Building Automation Control System of the Year Distech Controls Johnson Controls FX Schneider Electric Struxureware Honeywell WEBs Lynxspring JENEsys Siemens Talon KMC Controls
VFD Manufacturer/Product of the Year ABB Johnson Controls VSD Series Danfoss Honeywell Smart VFD Schneider Electric Altivar Siemens BT300
Best Technical Support Person — Large Manufacturer Dimitri Papadopoulos, Johnson Controls Kevin Callahan, Alerton Sylvia Price, Tridium Chris Hinton, Schneider Electric Gerald Williams, Distech Michael Hines, Honeywell Brian Parks, Belimo Greg Halloway, Delta Dave Rodela, Siemens
Best Technical Support Person — Small Manufacturer SK Foo, EasyIO Barry Gordon, ACI Marc Bergeron, ProLon Aaron Sanchez, J2 Innovations Christy O’Neil, Blue Ridge Technologies Scott Gregson, Innotech Controls Chris Ryan, Lynxspring Diego Mateo, Contemporary Controls
Best Technical Support Company — Large Manufacturer Belimo Johnson Controls Tridium Vykon Distech Controls Honeywell KMC Controls Siemens
Best Technical Support Company — Small Manufacturer EasyIO ACI Contemporary Controls ProLon Functional Devices Blue Ridge Technologies Lynxspring Neptronic
The PID Award Lim Hoon Chiat, EasyIO Chris Eichmann, Johnson Controls Sarah Monteleone, Connect Air Dan Flaherty, Distech Controls Gina Elliot, Schneider Electric Bill Dunkleberger, Blue Ridge Technologies Richard Bogle, Honeywell Gary Weber, Belimo Pranay Prakash, Tridium Luis Megares, Neptronic Josh Felperin, Siemens Controls
ControlTrends Executive of the Year — Small Manufacturer Sarah Monteleone, Connect-Air Eugene Mazo, DGLogik Marc Bergeron, Prolon Steve Guzelimian, Optergy Bill Dunkleberger, Blue Ridge Technologies Troy Schwenn, ACI Jim Hewetson, Functional Devices Terry Swope, Lynxspring Biagio Di Lorenzo, Neptronic
ControlTrends Executive of the Year — Large Manufacturer Jenny Stentz, Johnson Controls John Sublett, Tridium Martin Vileneuve, Distech Controls Chad Blackmer, Belimo Annette Clayton, Schneider Electric Larry Weber, Honeywell John Karczmarczyk, Siemens
ControlTrends Vendor of the Year — Large Manufacturer Belimo Johnson Controls Distech Controls Honeywell Schneider Electric Siemens
ControlTrends Vendor of Year — Small Manufacturer EasyIO ACI ProLon Lynxspring Blue Ridge Technologies Functional Devices Contemporary Controls
ControlTrends Systems Integrator of the Year ATS, Seattle CBRE|ESI, Brookfield, WI Alpha Controls & Services, IL Automated Air, Australia Control Systems Consultants, Terrell, TX Harris Controls, Minneapolis, MN. Pacific Controls, Asia McKenney’s , Atlanta Beveco, Netherlands Krueger Electric, Kelowna, BC (CANADA) HVAC Concepts LLC, Frederick, MD Navitas System Integration, Plymouth, MA Renick Brothers, Slippery Rock. PA MRSoluciones, Mexico City
ControlTrends Woman of the Year Sarah Monteleone, Connect Air Renee Joseph, Johnson Controls Lisa Hickey, Belimo Angie Jarvis, ProLon Jenny Graves, Tridium Amy Doran, Alerton Annette Clayton, Schneider Electric Laura Kevitt, Vykon Monica Ferraro, Distech Ruth Hershey, Siemens Lindsay Baker , Comfy Therese Sullivan, buildingcontext.me
Welcome to ControlTalk Now the Smart Buildings Video Cast and Podcast. Due to travel and the holidays, this episode will be a bit different. We had to put it together on a much shorter time frame, so you will not see the usual show notes and intros and outros. No worries, next week we will get back to the full format. So sit back and enjoy the show!
Click here, if you want to see Eric’s photo project.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending Nov 20, 2016 is highlighted by guest appearances from Schneider Electric’s Channel Brand Development Leader, Stacy Kimbell and Steven Guzelimian, President of Optergy. Also featured, Local 449 Steamfitters’ new Training Facility Grand Opening and PA Governor Tom Wolf’s pipe cutting ceremony; Ask a Controls Expert with David Cates; AHR Expo 2017 Innovation Awards update; Siemens’ EcoView End-to-end Energy Management Solution; Sierra Monitor Corporation’s IIot-ready BACnet gateways, routers, and network explorers; and ControlTalk Rewind with Josh Bradshaw.
ControlTalk NOW’s first guest, Schneider Electric’s Channel Development Leader, Stacey Kimbell tells us about My Energy University, one of the best kept secrets in the industry. Energy University is a 24/7 website with over 200 courses that attendees can receive Continuing Educational Credits and course certificates to further their careers. An amazing wealth of content, these agnostic courses are usually 45 minutes long with a course test at the end. Anything and everything relating the HVAC and Building Automation industry. Truly, an invaluable asset available to every member of the industry.
Honeywell’s Roger Rebennack and Renick Brothers at Local 449 Steamfitters’ Training Facility Pipe Cutting Ceremony with PA Governor Tom Wolf. the ultra-modern $20.2 million facility will be well-suited to train tomorrow’s Steamfitters and features four Honeywell WEBs-N4 building automation training stations that are connected to the facility’s boilers, chiller, and other building equipment.
Ask a Controls Expert with Stromquist’s own David Cates who answers an inquiry on a combination gas valve. A combination gas valve is used to control gas pressure and provide safety features. Controlling the pressure is required to avoid fires and explosions caused by too much pressure. If the pressure is not high enough, though, the appliance will not get the amount of ignited gas required for it to function properly.
AHR Expo 2017 Announces Innovation Awards Ceremony. WESTPORT, Conn., November 16, 2016 – As a highlight of the 2017 Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo), to be held next January 30 to February 1 in Las Vegas, the 2017 AHR Expo Innovation Awards ceremony has been scheduled for Tuesday, January 31. From 1:00 to 2:00 pm in Las Vegas Convention Center room N253 (on the second floor of the North Hall), the 2017 AHR Expo Innovation Awards will honor the most inventive and original products, systems and technologies showcased at this year’s Show in the categories of: building automation; cooling; green building; heating; indoor air quality; plumbing; refrigeration; software; tools & instruments; and ventilation.
Siemens’ EcoView EMS is an End-to-end Energy Management Solution designed specifically to meet the energy management needs of restaurants, medical offices, retail shops and other small commercial businesses. Already at work in many facilities across the United States, EcoView is a proven solution for lowering energy consumption and bills. Wireless technology, drop-in thermostats, and cloud-based applications make it affordable and simple to install and use. It also provides great visibility and control of HVAC and lighting from one central point, which helps increase productivity.
Sierra Monitor Corporation Bridges BACnet to the Cloud. Milpitas, California – November 17, 2016 – Sierra Monitor Corporation, a provider of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions that connect and protect high-value infrastructure assets, today announced that its industry-leading BACnet gateways, routers, and network explorers are now “IIoT-Empowered out-of-the-box” and are shipping with new software that allows customers to securely register, access, and manage their field-installed products from Sierra Monitor’s FieldPoP device cloud.
Josh Bradshaw on ControlTalk Now The Smart Buildings Podcast
ControlTalk Rewind: Josh Bradshaw. If you missed the October 30th ControlTalk Now Smart Buildings Video Cast, you missed what Silcon Valley Tech Guru Josh Bradshaw had to say about how Silcon Valley is influencing Smart Buildings. No worries you can hear what Josh had to say right here right now! Josh tracks the newest technology coming out of Silicon Valley. Josh’s blog WorkTechWork is the go to place for people interested in the latest IoT technology trends and everything from sustainable energy, wearable technologies, smart homes, and smart buildings. Josh Bradshaw’s mantra is “Don’t work for technology… make technology work for you.”
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending Nov 13, 2016 features an interview with Therese Sullivan of BuildingContext.Me, our eyes and ears covering Silicon Valley and the possibility of buying back your data from your cloud services provider. Much more to follow: EasyIO Europe training dates; Yardi Matrix 2016 Review and 2017 Forecast Webinar; CoRE Tech 2016 Review; Flame Safeguard Parable from CGNA Distributors; Honeywell N4 Certification Discount; Sophos’ James Lyne How to Hack CCTV Cameras; and ControlTalk Rewind with Ken Sinclair, “The Times They are A Changin’.”
ControlTalk NOW interview with Therese Sullivan of BuildingContext.Me, our eyes and ears from Silicon Valley. In this interview Therese tells us about her latest Silicon Valley coverage and delivers another round of advanced sapience, issuing a not so far-fetched warning about the next lock-in battlefield — waged in the cloud, where your data is being sold, and like it or not, you may have to buy it back from your service provider.
EasyIO Europe CPT & EasyStack Training Sessions Coming Up. We are very pleased to inform you about the upcoming CPT and EasyStack trainings. The CPT training is scheduled for the 28th and the 29th of November. The EasyStack training is scheduled for the 30th of November and the 1st and the 2nd of December. The trainings are the best way to get to know how to work with the CPT tools and the EasyIO FG series and EasyStack.
Yardi Matrix – 2016 Review and 2017 Forecast – Webinar Thursday, Nov 10, 2016 10:00AM PDT – 11:00AM PDT. Professional investors are worried. 2016 has done little to allay the fear that the investment cycle has hit a slowdown, and questions have emerged. Is this the end of a successful long run and will those still in the market be left holding assets with diminishing values?
CoRE Tech 2016 – Realcomm Nov 16-17, 2016 Program Details: The CoRE Tech education program is designed to give CORPORATE REAL ESTATE DIRECTORS, CIOs, FACILITY MANAGERS, BUILDING ENGINEERS, ENERGY and SUSTAINABILITY EXECUTIVES, PORTFOLIO MANAGERS and ASSET MANAGERS the technology tools they need to positively impact the bottom line of their companies – from automating business processes, to general technology solutions specifically for corporate real estate organizations, to smarter intelligent building technologies.
A Flame Safeguard Parable from the Distributors at Controls Group North America.There is a saying we have all heard, “penny wise, pound foolish.” which I’ve taken to mean, “making decisions to save small amounts of money (pennies), that end up making bad sense for affecting larger amounts of money and potential liability.” In this video, created by the elite Flame Safeguard Distributors that are members of Controls Group North America, you get to experience a realistic simulation of what could happen when you take financial shortcuts at the sake of safety. Contact your nearest CGNA Distributor for assistance.
Honeywell Discount on Niagara 4 Certification Training. 50% Discount on Niagara 4 Certification Training! Honeywell is offering a 50% discount to Authorized System Distributors towards Niagara 4 (WEBs-N4) Certification training (unlike the WEBs-N4 Crossover training) when an order of $60K or greater of WEBs integration products that are purchased between now and November 21, 2016. In addition, Authorized WEBs Contractors earn double CPRO points on any order amount of WEBs integration products purchased between November 11, 2016 through December 2, 2016.
How to Hack a CCTV Camera with Primitive Methods from James Lyne of Sophos. Sophos researcher James Lyne demonstrates how to hack an Internet-connected CCTV camera and an Android-powered phone using staggeringly simple methods. James Lyne is global head of security research at the security firm Sophos. James, a self-professed ‘massive geek’ has technical expertise spanning a variety of the security domains from forensics to offensive security. He has worked with many organizations on security strategy, handled a number of severe incidents and is a frequent industry advisor.
ControlTalk Rewind: Ken Sinclair “The Times They Are A Changin’.” “The Times They Are A Changin’” Bob Dylan said this in a song in 1964, and our very own Ken Sinclair echoes this sentiment in 2016. If you missed the October 30th Episode of ControlTalk Now The Smart Buildings Video Cast, you missed our awesome interview with Ken in which he lays out the changes that are afoot in the Building Automation and Smart Buildings controls world. Make no mistake, these changes will have a dramatic effect on all of us. So if you missed the show, no worries, you can see the interview with Ken right here right now.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending Nov 6, 2016 begins with a review of Ken Sinclair’s November edition of Automated Buildings followed by: Functional Devices Tech Tuesday with Henry Smith; Next Generation Innovation Episode 2 features Comfy’s Lindsay Baker; Gas Pressure Regulator’s 101 with Matt Koenig; Honeywell’s Release of WEBs-N4.2 with Spyder and Stryker Tools; Siemens OpenAir Damper Actuators; Sierra Monitor’s ProtoAir Wireless Gateway; Call for speakers and sponsors for the Haystack Connect 2017; Optergy, one CIO’s most promising energy management solution providers; EasyIO’s Mike Marston’s TCOM Video; and the 2 latest BAM podcasts from Phil Zito.
Ken Sinclair’s Automated Buildings November Theme — Open Edge Software Fuels Self-learning Operability. Ken Sinclair, owner and editor of automatedbuildings.com continues his quest of pulling the lid off of the next future of our industry — before it’s bottled. Granting IoT no sanctuary, Ken Sinclair’s November pursuit is clear: “Our revolutionary themes for the last few months have led us to the importance of the open software movement as part of our journey.”
Functional Devices’ Energy Saving Applications — TECH TUESDAY with Functional Device‘s customer support engineer, Henry Smith. “Whether it is for environmental or monetary reasons, many people constantly look for ways to save energy. I am one of those people, and I have implemented many energy saving technologies in my own home. I have automated lighting, a smart thermostat which controls a high efficiency heat pump, and many energy saving appliances. These additions have cut my average monthly electric bill by about 10%.”
Episode 2 Next Generation Innovation features Lindsay Baker from Comfy. In episode 2 of Next Generation Innovation, young guns Rob Allen and Brad White catch up with Lindsay Baker from Comfy. Topics include: How Comfy is redefining how Smart Buildings use social media and a unique version of crowd sourcing to make buildings more energy efficient, how women are able to make smart buildings even smarter, and what it’s like to be a venture capitalist funded company. Great interview and very insightful tale always.
Boilers and combustion burners need gas pressure regulators installed correctly
The Right Way to Install a Gas Pressure Regulator. It’s getting cold outside…..well maybe not yet, but it will start getting cold soon. When it get’s cold we turn the heat on, and when we turn the heat on, we find out what broke during the warm days of spring and summer. In the spirit of making sure replacement heating stuff get’s installed properly, we are re releasing one of our most popular technical videos on how to install a gas pressure regulator the right way.
Honeywell’s New Packaged Release of WEBs-N4.2 with Spyder and Stryker Tools. Honeywell is pleased to announce the release of the WEBs-N4.2.36.34 Software packaged that includes Spyder, Stryker, Venom and BACnet FF Tstat programming tools. This release includes user interface enhancements, bundled Web Start application, as well as the Niagara Analytics 2.0 modules.
Siemens OpenAir Damper Actuators — Speak Your Language. Siemens’ OpenAir speaks your language: Long-life, sturdy damper actuators for HVAC applications, air volume control as well as fire and smoke protection dampers. OpenAir is a comprehensive portfolio of damper actuators tailored to suit your requirements. You’ll benefit from a wide selection of positioning forces, control signals, communications standards and add-on options.
Let’s go Wireless: Cool New Product from Sierra Monitor. The ProtoAir wireless gateway is an external, high-performance, low-cost building automation and industrial control protocol gateway for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that provides manufacturers instant multi-protocol deployment of field protocols, enabling new or legacy devices to easily interface with other protocols.
Call for Speakers and Additional Sponsors of Haystack Connect 2017. Project Haystack (www.project-haystack.org), a non-profit, 501(c) organization focused on developing common standards to streamline the interchange of data among today’s smart devices, systems and equipment, today announced the Call For Speakers for Haystack Connect 2017 and the latest additions to the list of Sponsors.
CIO’S 20 MOST PROMISING ENERGY MANAGEMENT SOLUTION PROVIDERS. ControlTrends Awards Platinum sponsor and nominee, Optergy, is poised to make an impact on the Smart Buildings Controls market in North America. Check out this press release and video to get the 411 on Optergy. This might be the first time you have heard of Optergy, but it will not be the last! Optergy, a business division of the Oberix Group, a a software provider of building automation and energy management tools, has announced it has received notable recognition as one of the “20 Most Promising Energy Management Solution providers” of 2016 by CIOInsights.
EasyIO’s Mike Marston Video — Use TCOM for Tight Integration to N4 and AX. EasyIO’s Mike Marston’s Video on how to use TCOM for tight Integration to N4 and AX demonstrates how very cool and efficient the process is. All the Points, Schedules and Histories are instantly accessible. EasyIO is able accommodate general and specific applications featuring the SOX, TCOM, FGP2P and BACnet MSTP communication protocols.
Don’t Miss Phil Zito’s PodCasts: What is a BAS? and What is a Network? Part 1. BAM 036: What is a BAS? In Episode 36 of the Building Automation Monthly Podcast I discuss the age old question. What is a BAS? In today’s episode I will cover: What is a BAS; BAS vs Control Systems; Control System types; Common functions of BAS; Control Processes; and Control Devices. BAM Episode 36: What is a BAS?
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending Oct 30, 2016 features interviews with three industry experts: Ken Sinclair, owner and editor of Automated Buildings; Josh Bradshaw, Silicon Valley’s tech-tracking guru; and Fearless Phil Zito, author and editor of Building Automation Monthly. Take a look at OPTERGY’s Aurora and Proton solutions — Building Management has become a whole lot easier; Belimo’s up-coming webinar on their smart butterfly valve technology; John Sublett, Tridium’s CTO, interviews ControlTrends; and Mike Marston reviews EasyIO’s Sedona based FG-32+ architecture. Please note, the nomination period for the 2016 ControlTrends Awards is well underway! This is your opportunity to nominate your favorite products, solutions, vendors, technical support people and executives.
ControlTrends’ first guest is Ken Sinclair, owner and editor AutomatedBuildings.com. Ken continues his inquiry concerning the impacts of IoT and self-machine learning in the BAS world, as well as the rapidity of change that is circling the building automation industry. Is our HVAC industry preparing itself for the explosive and disruptive evolution or will it get hit broadside? If you still need convincing that major changes are afoot, be sure to review the attention-getters and direct links to Ken’s references and articles.
Optergy — Dedicated to the Business of Managing Buildings, Facilities and Enterprises. Optergy is a technology company dedicated to improving the business of managing facilities with tools to improve efficiency, performance and processes, whilst providing key stakeholders with the information and reporting to make informed strategic decisions. Combining these systems improves the way our clients go about their business. This can be as simple as having a single interface to view their sub systems, or monitoring progress against budget.
The New Belimo Butterfly Valve—Advanced Technology for High Flow Applications. The New Belimo Butterfly Valve: Join us to learn about the newly designed butterfly valve and actuator assembly that is the most intelligent, energy efficient, and reliable high flow solution in the HVAC market. Highlights include patent pending self-adjusting end stop algorithm to ensure zero leakage, Near Field Communication (NFC) for easy troubleshooting, commissioning, and programming, and brushless DC motor technology that reduces energy consumption by up to 80%.
ControlTrends’ second guest is Josh Bradshaw, who tracks the newest technology coming out of Silicon Valley. Josh’s blog WorkTechWork is the go to place for people interested in the latest IoT technology trends and everything from sustainable energy, wearable technologies, smart homes, and smart buildings. Josh Bradshaw’s mantra is “Don’t work for technology… make technology work for you.”
Tridium’s John Sublett Interviews ControlTrends’ Ken and Eric. Tridium’s Chief Technology Officer, John Sublett turns the tables on ControlTrends with his interview with Ken and Eric. Beginning with how ControlTrends got started, John deftly steers the conversation along the open systems and integration highway, traversing the trends and the new drivers in the industry; the speed and formidability of technology and the blurry lines it creates; and perhaps most importantly, there is a lot of open road and smart building integration opportunity still ahead.
ControlTrends’ third guest is Fearless Phil Zito. One of the sharpest knives in the building automation drawer, Phil is owner and editor of Building Automation Monthly and as Phil promises, “You’ll leave educated!” And, “When it comes to working in the building automation space, no skill stands out more than HVAC. Having a solid understanding of HVAC fundamentals will get you far in the building automation space.”
FG-32+ Architecture — All EasyIO Products Run Sedona Framework. EasyIO’s Mike Marston provided ControlTrends with this update: “All EasyIO products run Sedona Framework and Sedona is very much alive. We have 300,000 plus Sedona controllers installed across 40 countries and our new FW14 Wi-Fi mesh controllers also run Sedona. Here is the Sedona Framework deployed in an FG32+:”
Here is Your Official 2016 ControlTrends Awards Nomination Ballot! The nomination period for the 2016 ControlTrends Awards is well underway! This is your opportunity to nominate your favorite products, solutions, vendors, technical support people and executives. Help us recognize the heroes and superstars of our HVAC and Building Automation industry. Nominate those people, products, and solutions that help sustain our industry and make it so important and successful. The top five or six nominees in each category will then be placed on the final voting ballot in December. Please pass this nomination ballot to your co-workers and colleagues! Click here to start the nomination process. Please share this link with your network.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending Oct 23, 2016 starts with the release of the 2016 ControlTrends Awards Nomination Ballot! This is your opportunity to ensure your organization’s champions and the great people, products, and solutions in our industry are recognized. Two new categories have been added to the awards: ControlTrends Women of the Year and ControlTrends Most Impactful Video of the Year. Also this week: Video from the Geek Group; AHR EXPO Innovation Award Announcement; CANDI announces its PowerTools software has been integrated with the Intel® Building Management Platform (Intel® BMP); $6.5 Million DOE Funding Opportunity; Next Generation Innovation Episode 001 released; Contemporary Controls at Plugfest 2016; EasyIO’s Mike Marston Demos FW-14; and CBERD: U.S. and India PACE Update.
Electronics How-To: Relays the Basics a Contractor Needs to Know. Cool video from the Geek Group on relays! Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, The Geek Group provides access to science, technology, engineering and math by developing programming and facilities for individuals and institutions to learn, explore, innovate and play at an independent pace according to their needs. The Geek Group has many thousands of members scattered across the globe, in every state in the US and one hundred and forty-two countries. Come help us build Awesome! Thanks Chris, well done.
ControlTrends Breaking News
AHR Expo Innovation Awards Donates $22,500 to Opportunity Village. WESTPORT, Conn., October 18, 2016 – Each year as part of its submission process, the AHR Expo Innovation Awards Competition collects entry fees that are then donated in full to a charitable organization within regional proximity to the corresponding year’s show. For 2017, the AHR Expo announces Opportunity Village as the recipient of $22,500 in AHR Expo Innovation Awards proceeds, to be directly applied toward HVACR upgrades and new equipment purchases at three existing and one new campus location.
CANDI Integrates with Intel Building Management Platform to Provide Edge-to-Cloud IoT Data Access. October 20, 2016 – CANDI today announced that its PowerTools software has been integrated with the Intel® Building Management Platform (Intel® BMP), which is now available. Intel® BMP is a manageable IoT platform with built-in security that enables cloud-based smart building applications and services with easy access to the data and things in small to mid- sized buildings. CANDI-enabled gateways simplify smart building deployments by making it quick and easy—and often automatic—to integrate smart products such as meters, switches, thermostats, lights, sensors, cameras, and building controls.
Make Your 2016 ControlTrends Awards Nominations Today!ControlTrends is excited to announce that the 2016 ControlTrends Awards nomination period has begun. This is your opportunity to ensure your organization’s champions and the great people, products, and solutions in our industry are recognized. Two new categories have been added to the awards: ControlTrends Women of the Year and ControlTrends Most Impactful Video of the Year. Click here for the Nomination Ballot!
ENERGY DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES $6.5 MILLION TO SCALE UP THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF US COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS. Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number: DE-FOA-0001518: The Building Technologies Office (BTO) has announced the availability of $6.5 million for DE-FOA-0001518, “Scaling Up the Next Generation of Building Efficiency Packages.” BTO seeks proposals driving innovation in real building technology demonstrations while also fostering the collaboration of dynamic demonstration teams. The General Services Administration (GSA) Green Proving Ground program is a key collaborator, will participate in the review committee, and offer demonstration host sites.
Next Generation Innovation Episode 001. Next Generation Innovation is all about Smart Buildings and Smart People from The Young Guns Perspective. Rob Allen from Stromquist and Company along with his rotating co-hosts Josh Felperin, Jason Houck and Brad White invite guests to discuss HVAC, Lighting, Security and Smart Building Controls and their perspective of how it all fits and works together. Whether you’re a manufacturer, contractor, distributor or end user there will definitely be something you’ll enjoy on the Next Generation Innovation podcast.
Contemporary Controls Plugging in from New Hampshire, at the 2016 BACnet International Plugfest. October 2016 – The BACnet International Plugfest 2016 at the InterOperability Lab at the University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire gave attendees the opportunity to live test new products and features. The conference, for manufacturers of BACnet products, allows attendees to test their BACnet products with BACnet devices from other attendees in a neutral and friendly environment. “One of the benefits of attending PlugFest is the chance to test new products,” said Mingshu Wang, an engineer at Contemporary Controls. “We attend PlugFest every year because it gives us a unique chance to see how our products interact with those from another company.”
EasyIO’s Mike Marston Demos the FW-14 Live at Pittsburgh’s Carpenter’s KML Apprentice Training Facility. ControlTrends had the opportunity to join Mike Marston, VP Worldwide Sales at EasyIO Holdings, when visited with Pat Butler, Facility Manager at KML Carpenters, and Dave Simmers, a Systems Integrator with Renick Brothers Mechanical Contractors. Mike demos the awesome new FW-14 wireless controller technology that uses BACnet over IP and Mesh to Mesh integration between controllers using live wire sheets (no uploading/down loading). Great demo video!
CBERD: The Eagle and the Tiger: U.S.-India Partnership Advancing Building Energy Efficiency Innovations. The United States and India have a long and successful strategic partnership in the energy sector. In November 2009, the United States and India launched the Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE), which is working to accelerate inclusive, low carbon growth by supporting research and deployment of clean energy technologies. Under PACE-R (research), the U.S. and India support research in solar energy, building energy efficiency, advanced biofuels, smart grid, and energy storage.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending Oct 16, 2016 features highlights and interviews from three major industry events: Johnson Controls’ CBC16 in Nashville; KMC’s Genius Summit in Chicago; and Siemens’ National CPS Business Sales Meeting, also in Chicago. The Race to the Small Space continues as these three Vendors renew their focus on the Small to Midsize Building Markets with a host of feature-rich products. Haystack Connect 2017 update; Upcoming ACI Interface Device Webinar; Sierra Monitoring Corporation’s BACnet Survival Kit, Special Limited Offer; and don’t miss Phil Zito’s review of ControlTalk NOW’s 200 episode.
200th Episode of ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast and DAY 2 of Johnson Controls’ CBC16. ControlTrends is delighted to bring you our 200th episode of ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending October 9th, 2016, while covering DAY 2 of the Johnson Controls’ CBC16! Providence would have us at Nashville’s Gaylord Opryland, which was an ideal venue — full of special people to help us celebrate our momentous occasion. Special thanks to Roger Rebennack, Jenny Stentz, Chris Eichmann, Rick Van Buren, Al Anderson, Russ Carfagna, John Donahue, Dave Gottfried, Jeff Hurwitz, Joe Chandler, Jim Hayman, Pete Walsh, Paul Burke, and the too numerous to name well-wishers and supporters of ControlTrends, that helped make this milestone happen!
Day Two Night Lights from the Johnson Controls CBC16. This video captures just a few of the great products and people at the Johnson Controls CBC 2016 Vendor Showcase. Listen as Sabrina Eder, Channel Account Manager, tells Rob Allen why she has been recognized as a ControlTrends Young Gun Award and for her continued success with customers. Troy and Tom tell ControlTrends about JCI’s sales operations and channel sales for APW, as well as a introduction to one of the most exciting entries into “the race to the small space,” the Johnson Controls’ Verasys.
Highlights From The KMC Genius Conference. From Nashville to Chicago, and from JCI to KMC, this has been the week of Smart Buildings Controls meetings. KMC’s Genius Conference theme was “Command Your future”. KMC rolled out all the stops with a great location, great speakers, innovative ideas, and training on KMC’s new light commercial system, the Commander.
Project Project Haystack Organization Announces New Members and Haystack Connect 2017 Conference Sponsors. Richmond, Virginia – October 12, 2016 – Project Haystack (www.project-haystack.org), a non-profit, 501(c) organization focused on developing common standards to streamline the interchange of data among today’s smart devices, systems and equipment, today announced the latest additions to the growing list of associate member companies and confirmed sponsors of next year’s Haystack Connect 2017 Conference scheduled for May 8 – 10, 2017 at the Saddlebrook Resort near Tampa, Florida.
ACI’s Brant Kasbohm’s INTERFACE DEVICE Webinar, 10/26/16 10:00 A.M. CST. Brant Kasbohm, ACI’s Interface Webinar Presenter will conduct a brief, educational overview of ACI’s Pressure Sensors including “How To” videos and product demonstrations. A “Q & A” session will conclude Brant’s 15 minute presentation. Questions? Send Brant an email: bkasbohm@workaci.com.
Sierra Monitoring Corporation’s BACnet Survival Kit — Special Limited Offer. Sierra Monitor Corporation addresses the industrial and commercial facilities management market with Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions that connect and protect high-value infrastructure assets. BACnet Survival Kit Product Information and Description: Do you have a BACnet integration project and require various products to commission the site? No need to look elsewhere – we’ve got you covered. Introducing the BACnet Survival Kit: your all-inclusive BACnet integration toolkit.
ControlTrends coverage of the Siemens CPS Business National Sales Meeting in Chicago features interviews with John Katzmarszyk, VP Americas, Commercial Products and Solutions, who explains Siemens’ effort to be more open, honest, and engaging to their partners, make more products and solutions available, and be more effective business partners. ControlTrends’ next interview is with Siemens Territory Manager and ControlTrends Woman of the Year nominee, Ruth Hershey. Ruth reviews her eighteen year career that began in the electronics industry with Omron and the great experiences she has enjoyed with Siemens and the HVAC industry.
Phil Zito Breaks Down Episode 200 of ControlTalk NOW The Smart Buildings Video Cast. Smart Buildings Controls Expert Phil Zito, from Building Automation Monthly, shares his thoughts on Episode 200 of ControlTalk Now The Smart Buildings Video Cast. Click here to check out Episode 30 of Phil’s Building Automation Monthly Podcast on the ControlTrends Podcasting Network. Phil does a great job of laying out his seven steps to creating successful sequence of operations for our building automation controls system. Great job Phil!
ControlTrends is delighted to bring you our 200th episode of ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending October 9th, 2016, while covering DAY 2 of the Johnson Controls’ CBC16! Providence would have us at Nashville’s Gaylord Opryland, which was an ideal venue — full of special people to help us celebrate our momentous occasion. Special thanks to Roger Rebennack, Jenny Stentz, Chris Eichmann, Rick Van Buren, Russ Carfagna, John Donahue, Dave Gottfried, Jeff Hurwitz, Joe Chandler, Jim Hayman, Pete Walsh, Paul Burke, and the too numerous to name well-wishers and supporters of ControlTrends, that helped make this milestone happen!
CBC16, DAY 2: Full of immense energy and insight, Johnson’s CBC16, DAY 2, kicked into high gear with Chris Eichmann’s hearty welcome, followed by Jenny Stentz, who told the 700 plus audience the revitalized and compelling Johnson Controls’ story, a story that creates value with partnership; is proactive, and predictable; and one with assigned account managers that will be the new key to success, because they are incentivized as a team — to share insights and best practices for results. Johnson Controls has intentionally organized this approach to deliver new solutions. Read more about DAY 2 and the rest of ControlTalk NOW below!
Keynote Address by Clay Nesler. Smart, Green and Resilient – Market Trends in Sustainable Buildings: The 2016 Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Indicator survey of 1,248 energy and facility management executives provides insight into current and planned investments, key drivers and organizational barriers for improving energy efficiency across their facilities. The presentation continues with a near-future vision for a day in the life of a smart, green building and closes with a discussion of potential implications for the HVAC distribution and contracting community. Clay ended with reference to famed fiction writer, William Ginson’s view of the future: “The future is already here. It’s just not evenly distributed.”
Second Keynote Address was by Dr. Alan Beaulieu, President of ITR Economics. A prodigious economics expert and author, Alan engaged the audience with economic analysis punctuated with humor as he discussed the serious economic forecast for North America and discussed ways to recognize trends and economic indicators well enough to understand how they are likely to impact your business.
The amazing DAY 2 was rounded out with afternoon Product Breakout Sessions, Cocktails and Dinner, followed by Live Entertainment. Stay tuned for ControlTrends’ Night Lights coverage of the CBC16 evening activities!
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month! Marc Petock Warns Cyber Incidents are Disruptive and Potentially Catastrophic! Lynxspring’s Cyber Security expert, Marc Petock reminds us that October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, which is an annual campaign to raise awareness about cyber security. From Marc Petock: “We live in a world that is more connected than ever before. The Internet touches all aspects of our business and personal life. From a business perspective, the negative consequences that cyber incidents can cause are disruptive and potentially catastrophic. The value of taking additional measures and procedures to increase the cyber security posture of your systems, far outweigh the risk of not making them secure.”
Belimo Innovation Contest — Internal Leakage in Zone Valves Causes Loss of Energy and Money. Let’s Fix This! Internal leakage in zone valves causes loss of energy and money! Zone valves are used for room temperature control for heating or cooling. Leaky zone valves lead to significant energy losses. Help Belimo find a simple method for detecting and measuring internal leakage in zone valves. Fixing the leakage problem will improve energy efficiency and reduce operating costs. The sought-after solution shall be user-friendly, non-invasive, portable and applicable to an operating heating or cooling system in a building.
DOE’s Better Buildings — September’s Top-10 Solutions. Better Buildings is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) designed to improve the lives of the American people by driving leadership in energy innovation. Through Better Buildings, DOE partners with leaders in the public and private sectors to make the nation’s homes, commercial buildings and industrial plants more energy efficient by accelerating investment and sharing of successful best practices.
HVAC Control Valve Training with Tim Chamblee. Sit in on this valve trying class taught by Tim Chamblee at Stromquist & Company. Tim is a master trainer and in this class he breaks down different HVAC control valve and actuator types and gives you information that will help you select.install and troubleshoot HVAC valves and actuators.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for Week Ending Sep 25, 2016 features Intelligent Buildings’ Director of Cyber Security, Fred Gordy, who details the exposure and vulnerability of Operational Technology, which run our buildings. Watch as Fred reviews, step by step — the hacker’s modus operandi. Sameer Pradhan, Director of ControlTrends India, updates the ControlTrends Community on India’s colossal Smart City imitative; Schneider Electric releases their new MG350 Smart Actuators with alarming features; Contemporary Controls’ newest network solution offers greater speed and diagnostics; Larry Andriunas takes the helm at Kodaro, LLC; and this week’s ControlTalk Rewind takes us back to the future with Ecorithm’s Dr. Igor Mezic and artificial intelligence.
Schneider Electric Has a Hit with The New MG350 SmartX Actuators. Awesome video and cool new actuator series from Schneider Electric. The SmartX MG 350 is the first NEW SmartX Actuator released globally. It is designed to control two and three-way globe valves in a wide range of applications. The MG350 SmartX Actuator is the platform for the future, acting as the foundation of both a SmartStruxure solution and SmartStruxure Lite solution. The critical information delivered by the actuator helps the BMS operate at optimal efficiency.
ControlTalk NOW’s first interview is with Fred Gordy, Intelligent Building’s Director of Cyber Security. As our industry’s leading cyber security expert, Fred focuses on the specific vulnerabilities concerning Operational Technology, controllers on building networks that control the HVAC equipment and building systems and equipment versus Information Technology. Operational Technologies were designed for availability and comfort, which was suitable at the time, but when the need to share information across subnets made Broadcast BACnet Management Devices necessary, as well as using a public IP address, the security imperative was not factored into the equation. Watch this video! and, visit the NIST Cyber Security Framework website for basic recommendations to protect your Operational Technology.
Larry Andriunas Larry Andriunas announces the launch of Kodaro, LLC, a software development company which he will lead from California’s Bay Area. Operating in the building automation industry, Kodaro is hard at work creating ways to connect building controls through software drivers, software applications, and enterprise solutions. “I’m very excited about launching Kodaro,” said Andriunas, a 28-year building controls expert. “The building automation industry is at an interesting time where new technologies are finally converging. Kodaro will lead the way for innovation in support of contractors and integrators.”
ControlTalk NOW’s second interview is with Director, ControlTrends India, Sameer Pradhan. Sameer Pradhan is also the Managing Director of CICC Automation Technologies, a leading international building automation systems provider. Sameer recently chaired a panel discussion on Smart Connected Intelligent Buildings — The Foundation for Smart Cities,” that discussed in great detail, the critical aspects of the smart city standard and its core component, the intelligent building. India has presently identified 60 cities that will be included in this massive initiative. Great update!
Contemporary Controls: The Need for Speed and Diagnostics. Contemporary Controls is introducing the unmanaged EISK8-GT/H 8 port gigabit Ethernet switch with hub functionality. Yes, we purposely “broke” the address learning functionality of the switch so that all messages – directed, multicast, broadcast – are flooded to all ports on the switch allowing a protocol analyzer tool such as Wireshark® the ability to observe all traffic on the network.
How Using Artificial Intelligence in Smart Buildings will make them smarter
ControlTalk Rewind: Using Artificial Intelligence to Make Smart Buildings Smarter. Last Spring Ken and I had the opportunity to interview a couple of very interesting characters, who put a new spin on how to make smart buildings smarter through the use of artificial intelligence. This is next-gen analytics! Dr. Igor Mezic, Ecorithm’s Chief Scientific and Technology Advisor & Co-Founder, and John Morris, VP Marketing and Sales. Ecorithm is able to provide faster and more accurate results that other analytics companies, and why Ecorithm’s SaaS is necessary for the entire lifetime of the system.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending Sep 18, 2016 highlights the trends impacting our industry: CGNA’s Fall Meeting; New ControlTrends Awards category will recognize the top women in the HVAC Industry; Josh Bradshaw’s Smart Clock interview; Honeywell Release of WEBs-N4.1 Software; Johnson Controls Upcoming ABCS Meeting in Nashville; KMC’s Upcoming Genius Summit 2016 in Chicago; JCI’s VP of Products & Distribution Jenny Stentz’s Rewind; Tridium’s Pranay Prakash’s IoT Presentation; Belimo’s Energy Savings Tool; KMC’s Block Programming Series; DOE’s Development of Offshore Wind Energy; and ControlTrends People CTP 004, with Automation Integrated’s Chris Farve.
Josh Bradshaw Interview: Fans of tech meet fans of Harry Potter. This clock is the closest thing to the Weasley clock technology can provide. I just signed up as a backer on Indegogo and so should you! In this video Anton Zriashchev, CEO at Glance Clock gives a demo and I even ask him about the Weasley clock so you can hear what he has to say. Best of luck with your crowdfunding launch today Anton & team!! #smarthome #smartclock #iot #harrypotter #indegogo.
Stromquist’s Young Gun Rob Allen gives us a tour of Eric’s office and his fashionable standing desk. ControlTrends update: Rob Allen and Chris White are about to launch the Next Generation Innovation series, which is all about our industries’ bright young superstars and their careers — and their insights into the evolution of our industry and what we need to do — to enhance the image of the HVAC and BAS as an important and meaningful career.
NATIONAL OFFSHORE WIND STRATEGY: FACILITATING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE OFFSHORE WIND INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED STATES. Offshore wind energy holds the promise of significant environmental and economic benefits for the United States. It is an abundant, low-carbon, domestic energy resource. It is located close to major coastal load centers, providing an alternative to long-distance transmission or development of electricity generation in these land-constrained regions.
Honeywell Releases WEBs-N4.1.27.20 (N4.1.1) Software Packaged Release with Tools. Honeywell is pleased to announce the release of the WEBs-N4.1.27.20 (N4.1.1) software packaged with Spyder, Stryker and Venom programming tools. Main Features: Packaged release with Honeywell tools within Niagara N4.1.27.20 software build; Supports both the newer WEB-8000 and legacy WEB-300E/600E/700 controllers; and Supports Windows 10 operating system on Supervisors & Workbench.
BELIMO Releases New Damper Actuator Energy Savings Estimator Tool. Just Released: Damper Actuator Energy Savings Estimator Tool! Belimo Damper Actuator Energy Savings Estimator is now available online. The Damper Actuator Energy Savings Estimator Tool was developed to help quantify the cost savings verses other brands. Belimo damper actuators provide significant energy savings from their low power consumption.
Tridium’s Pranay Prakash on how the Internet of Things, Big Data, and the Cloud will Help Smart Buildings. If you missed the 2016 Niagara Summit, you missed Pranay Prakash and his take on how the Internet of Things, Big Data and the Cloud. Learn how these will affect the way we do smart building controls. For more than 15 years, Tridium’s Niagara Framework® has fundamentally changed the way devices and systems connect. In 77 countries, from leading corporations to the latest startups, a large and active community has formed around Niagara.
KMC Announce Block Programming. As of September 2016, KMC Controls has released block programming via the Control Basic Block editor, supported in Connect, Total Control and Niagara. The KMC Control Basic Block editor provides a simple drag-and-drop interface to program BACnet Controllers, specifically KMC Conquest® products: BAC-5901, BAC-9001, BAC-9021, BAC-9301 & BAC-9311. By giving customers the freedom and choice to program controllers the way they want, block programming is a natural extension of KMC’s commitment to provide open, secure and scalable solutions from single-building to enterprise-level installations.
Control Talk Rewind: Johnson Controls Jenny Stentz: Could Johnson Controls Enable the First Battery Powered Building? If you missed the August 7th episode of ControlTalk Now The Smart Buildings Video Cast and Podcast you missed our interview with Jenny Stentz, VP of Products & Distribution North America, at Johnson Controls, the world’s largest building controls provider and battery maker. Jenny gives ControlTrends fresh insight into Johnson Controls’ realigned sales and the leadership role Johnson Controls has taken in the building and energy storage space. Johnson Controls offers the latest innovations in renewable technology, efficiency technology, controls technology, and battery storage technology and is focused on the ease of doing business with its channel partners.
CTP 004 ControlTrends People Takes a Deep Dive into the Life of Automation Integrated’s Chris Favre. On this episode of ControlTrends People, the life stories of the great people in the building automation controls industry,that make smart buildings smart, we learn about Automation Integrated’s Chris Favre. Chris is the Executive Vice President at Automation Integrated. Automated Integrated is based in Oklahoma City, but as a true master systems integrator and co-winner of the 2015 ControlTrends System Integrator of the Year Award, work on Smart Buildings projects all over the world.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending Sep 11, 2016 comes from Chicago, IL, where ControlTrends attended the 2016 Controls Group North America Fall Members Meeting, as 46 of North America’s top Distributors and Systems Distributors met and welcomed Johnson Controls into the Industry’s Elite as a preferred vendor. See Dubai’s Floating Seahorse — incomparable underwater luxury; Thermokon Sensortechnik partners with Belimo Americas; Don’t miss OPTIGO Networks Webinar: I Can Hack into Your Building. Try’n Stop Me; Tridium Releases Niagara 4.2 and Niagara Analytics 2.0; Mike Marston is interviewed in CTP 3 ControlTrends People, Life Stories of the People that Make Smart Buildings Smart; and Lynxspring”s Onyxx® BACnet® to Haystack Data Pump helps to overcome the data organization challenge.
Room with an Underwater View: The Floating Seahorse — A New Smart Beach Home. Our friend Marc Petock, from Lynxspring, showed us the new definition of a beach home. ABOUT THE PROJECT: Having successfully sold out phase one and two of The Floating Seahorse in just eight months, The Heart of Europe is proud to launch the third phase! The Tzar Edition of The Floating Seahorse is the third phase of Seahorses available at The Heart of Europe. The Tzar Edition will be located on St Petersburg Island which is designed in the shape of a heart and takes inspiration from The Maldives.
Thermokon Sensortechnik GmbH Germany Announces Belimo Americas as New Distribution and Support Partner. Thermokon Sensortechnik GmbH Germany is pleased to announce that Belimo Americas will take over the distribution and support of our EasySens® EnOcean product range and high-tech Room Operating Units in the Americas as of 1st of October 2016 for existing Thermokon Americas customers. EasySens®, the leading, self-powered, intelligent wireless system, has been a great success in the American markets and is currently enjoying a steady growth.
OPTIGO Networks Webinar: I Can Hack into Your Building. Stop Me. Thursday, Sep 15th, 11AM PDT| 2PM EDT. 6 million commercial buildings in the US are believed to be secure. Every single one has exposed building controllers, security cameras and access control systems that an entry level hacker can hack into. Join Fred Gordy, Director of Cyber Security at Intelligent Buildings, and Ping Yao, CEO of Optigo Networks as they discuss the incredible vulnerabilities in our buildings’ systems, and what to do about it.
Tridium Releases Niagara 4.2 and Niagara Analytics 2.0 — Real-time Business Intelligence, Enabling Users to Make Smarter, Swifter Decisions. Integrated release allows for real-time business intelligence, enabling users to make smarter, swifter decisions leading to less waste and expense! Richmond, Va., Sept. 7, 2016 – Tridium Inc., a global Internet of Things (IoT) software technology leader, today announced the release of Niagara 4.2 which includes integration of Niagara Analytics 2.0. Together, these new releases bring the benefits and efficiencies of data-driven performance to users.
CTP 3 ControlTrends People, Life Stories of the People that Make Smart Buildings Smart Meet EasyIO’s Mike Marston. ControlTrends People is a new PodCast series that focuses on the life stories of the people in our industry that make it great. As we strive as an industry to reach full recognition and parity, we deeply believe that if we capture and share the persona of the great leaders and visionaries of our industry, we will continue to build a compelling image that will draw more young talent needed to sustain our industry. Our third episode features Mike Marston, VP Worldwide Sales at EasyIO Holdings.
Lynxspring Announces Release 1.0 for the Onyxx® BACnet® to Haystack Data Pump. Release 1.0 adds additional features, performance improvements, and UI enhancements for greater ease-of-use. Lynxspring is pleased to announce the immediate availability of Release 1.0 of the Onyxx® BACnet® to Haystack Data Pump. With this new release, we have improved the performance and incorporated new features and functions as requested by our fast-growing customer base.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending September 4, 2016 was a newsworthy week indeed. Tridium’s highly effective and successful President and General Manager, Nino DiCosmo, has been recruited away to a leadership position in another industry. Honeywell’s Jeff Tolnar will step in as the interim president. More information to follow. ControlTrends People PodCast was launched this week featuring, Nino DiCosmo and Marc Petock, and our in-depth interview with industry oracle, Ken Sinclair, delivers real deep-dive insights into what direction our industry is moving, at an accelerated IoT pace. Therese Sullivan’s ReWind reviews emerging technologies; Honeywell WEBs-AX 3.8.111 (3.8.u1) software package is released; and we get a macro view of energy savings from BTO’s David Nemtzow.
Smart Building Controls Rewind: Therese Sullivan. Revisit Building Context’s Therese Sullivan interview on ControlTalk Now:The Smart Buildings Video Cast and Podcast. Therese gives us an update on Haystack Connect, the 2016 RealComm|IBcon show, the right way to use twitter, and much more! Therese is a writer/technologist and marketing professional that provides news and analysis for commercial building system integrators, facilities managers and real estate professionals about innovations in building automation with emphasis on data analytics, mobile apps, cloud services and wireless networking.
Honeywell WEBs-AX 3.8.111 (3.8.u1) Packaged Software Release with Spyder, Stryker, Venom, and BACnet FF Programming Tools. Honeywell is pleased to announce the release of the WEBs-AX 3.8.111 (3.8.u1) software package with Spyder Tool (version: 6.4.5), Stryker Tool (version: 4.0.18, supporting Stryker BACnet VAV, Venom and BACnet FF programming tools. This release supports the new WEB-8000 based controllers, Java Web Start Applications, Windows 10 operating system, and Auto-download of Java security policy files.
CTP 1 ControlTrends People, Life Stories of the People that Make Smart Buildings Smart. ControlTrends People is a new PodCast series that focuses on the life stories of the people in our industry that make it great. As we strive as an industry to reach full recognition and parity, we deeply believe that if we capture and share the persona of the great leaders and visionaries of our industry, we will continue to build a compelling image that will draw more young talent needed to sustain our industry. We chose Nino DiCosmo, as our first Podcast because of his genuine passion and leadership — and for the enormous success he has brought to Tridium, the leading industry framework in Smart Buildings. Here’s Nino DiCosmo up-close and personal.
Ken Sinclair’s Automated Buildings September Theme — “The Self Learning Edge Revolution.” ControlTrends Community, hold onto your hats and meters! Because in this September edition of Automated Buildings, owner, editor — and oracle, Ken Sinclair, proposes that there is a edge controller revolution underway (right now, under our noses) that will completely disrupt the industry as we know it. Not only are these gadgets more open and more powerful, but they will be created and run by tinker kids in millennium maker culture.
Building Technologies Office — A Word from BTO’S Acting Director: 140 Million Places to Save Energy. David Nemtzow: “There are currently some 130 million residential units in the United States – which most of you think as homes. We at the Building Technologies Office (BTO) are prone to think of them as energy consumption structures. The 5+ million commercial buildings that make up our offices, schools, hospitals, and grocery stores? They also represent a huge opportunity for energy savings. Together, all of these buildings represent 40% of the energy consumed within the U.S., 76% of all electricity, and are responsible for 34% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. That makes for a lot of space for improvement.”
CTP 2 ControlTrends People, Life Stories of the People that Make Smart Buildings Smart. ControlTrends People presents inspiring and motivational stories that open our eyes to the many paths taken to the prominent positions in our industry. Many accounts offer endearing insights and self-told anecdotes about the triumphs and setbacks that molded their careers and shaped ControlTrends People throughout their professional journeys. Our second ControlTrends People PodCast features Marc Petock, VP of Marketing for Lynxspring and Connexx Energy. Marc is a highly accomplished Global Technology Marketing Executive known for positively impacting the growth and performance of the organizations he has managed during his 30+year career.
Nino DiCosmo — Makes His Mark at Tridium, and is Moving on. Nino DiCosmo, the highly successful President and General Manager at Tridium, is moving on. ControlTrends learned of Nino’s decision to take another position last week. Nino’s visionary leadership was punctuated by the successful development and launch of next generation software Niagara 4, a complete brand refresh and re-positioning of Tridium’s Niagara software from a buildings controls focus to IoT innovative software company, while achieving over 37% revenue growth over past 3 years. During the transition period, Honeywell’s Jeff Tolnar, will serve as interim president of Tridium
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending August 28, 2016 — Is aptly referred to this week as “The Show that Almost Was,” because of travel constraints and preparations for the 2016 CTA Awards. Still, we are able to present an abbreviated time-lapse preview of the ControlTrends People, a new PodCast series that focuses on the life stories of the people in our industry that make it great. Special thanks to Tridium’s Jenny Graves, Nino DiCosmo, Pranay Prakash, John Sublett and Ed Merwin for their hospitality and support. Also, this week, Contemporary Controls’ introduced their new EIA-485 Terminator; an Updated Ken’s Calendar; and a Heads-up on two important Webinars: Belimo’s Webview and OPTIGO Networks’ Visual BACnet.
Contemporary Controls’ New EIA-485 Terminator Provides Fail-Safe Biasing for BACnet MS/TP and Modbus RTU Networks. New EIA-485 Terminator Provides Fail-Safe Biasing for BACnet MS/TP and Modbus RTU Networks. Contemporary Controls‘ 485-TER is a standalone active terminator that is used on popular EIA-485 networks such as Modbus RTU and BACnet MS/TP providing sufficient termination and biasing for stable operation. Fail-safe bias ensures that an un-driven line assumes a defined state.
ControlTrends Keeps an Eye on 2016 Events with Ken’s Calendar. While it has been an amazingly busy and productive year so far, many more events are on the horizon. ControlTrends will continue to post the event information as we receive notice or become aware of the event. Please note that the information is gathered from various sources, and the times, dates, and locations may have changed. Be sure to visit the appropriate website or contact the event coordinator to ensure the most up-to-date information.
Belimo — Communicating with the Energy Valve through WebView, the New Data Analysis Tool, and BACnet Webinar. Join us for a 30 minute webinar on the communication features of the Belimo Energy Valve. We will review connecting to the Energy Valve’s web server TCP/IP from a laptop or PC and discuss how to download data files using the New Belimo Data Analysis Tool. You will also learn how to use the Belimo ZTH US tool to easily adapt the flow settings of the Energy Valve as well as information on the BACnet features of the Energy Valve will be discussed.
OPTIGO Webinar: Troubleshooting BACnet in Wireshark — Featuring Steve Karg, Sep 8th, 2016, 11AM PST. Not sure what is happening in your building network? Dealing with poor network performance? Use Wireshark, a free network packet analyzer, to dig into the network traffic to uncover the root cause of the issue. Wireshark is a free network packet analyzer that helps troubleshooting by capturing network packets and allowing you to browse the network traffic to isolate the issues in a network. OPTIGO Networks provides advanced visualization tools to help you gain insight into the health of your BAS deployments.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for Week Ending August 21, 2016 introduces the ControlTrends Community to the executive forces now driving Distech’s redoubled efforts to deliver maximum synergy and value within the building space. Gain some invaluable insight into the innovation at work inside Acuity Brands Inc. Scott Muench and J2 Innovations at Realcomm| IBcon; Updated Honeywell software and contractor releases; Lynxspring reveals their JENEsys® Edge 100 Controller; Intel’s influence on the Smart Building; NexDefense SANS Institute Fictional Cyber Attack; and BASSG — Getting Better all the Time!
J2 Innovations on using data to make buildings smarter.
The Easy Way to Move and Use Data in a Smart Building. Data, data everywhere! Big data is in vogue in the building automation and smart buildings controls industry, but like everything else that is new and exciting, there are lot’s of things that have to be dealt with once the initial buzz of excitement is replaced with “how the heck do we implement this?” For one thing, the cost… data might be free, but moving it around and using it can get expensive quickly.
You Missed the VFD Training Live Stream… We will post a copy of class soon! Tim Chamblee conducted Variable Frequency Drive training and provided an in-depth explanation of the application benefits, the potential energy savings, and the importance of proper grounding and wiring methods — and then demonstrates of the standard VFD applications, and highlighted the tremendous energy savings opportunities — available using a VFDs. Look for many more live training events from the Stromquist & Company in the near future.
Honeywell | Home 3rd Quarter 2016 Residential Partner Update. Please join us as we introduce Honeywell’s latest residential products designed to better serve your business. FROM THE HONEYWELL NEWSROOM: A recent study from Honeywell found that 9 in 10 Americans long for a connected device to automate and control features in their home when they’re out of town. In fact, more Americans (39%) worry about locking their doors than about packing essentials like toothbrushes, underwear or mobile phone chargers (36%), and one-third of Americans with a security system can’t even remember if they turned on the alarm before leaving.
Honeywell Releases MAXPRO Driver for WEBs-AX Software. Availability of MAXPRO driver for WEBs-AX Software. Honeywell is pleased to announce the release of the MAXPRO driver for WEBs-AX Controllers and WEBs-AX Supervisors which is based on the Niagara AX framework. The MAXPRO driver has been tested and qualified on WEBs-AX 3.6.407.2, WEBs-AX 3.7.108.2, WEBs-AX 3.8.41.2, WEBs-AX 3.8.111 and on the latest MAXPRO NVR software version (v.3.5.0 build 81).
Lynxspring Announces Immediate Availability of the JENEsys® Edge 100 Controller. New Controller Delivers the Niagara Framework® to the Edge! Dear Lynxspring Business Partner: We are pleased to announce the release and availability of our new JENEsys® Edge 100 Controller (JENE-EG100). Purpose-built, this Niagara-based controller is the first of its kind. Delivering the Reliability of Niagara to the Edge! JENEsys® Edge products are a new generation of controllers combining the Niagara Framework® with Lynxspring’s Onyxx® platform.
Distech Announces New VP of Global Sales. Controls people never die they just change companies… This just in from Martin Villeneuve, President, Distech Controls: Acuity Brands continues to position itself as the global market leader to deliver high-performance and innovative solutions to our customers. Acuity Brands is committed to building an infrastructure designed to extend our leadership positon; intensifying our efforts around our tiered solutions strategy is an essential component to accomplish our breakthrough objectives. To successfully execute our strategy, I am pleased to announce Dan Flaherty as the new VP of Sales for Distech Controls reporting to me. Dan has over 20 years of experience leading sales and marketing organizations that go to market through distribution, contractor, and agent channels in the HVAC, Security, and Fire Suppression industries.
ControlTalk NOW interview with Martin Villeneuve, President at Distech Controls, Dan Flaherty, Distech’s VP Global Sales, and Eugene Mazo, Eugene Mazo, VP — IoT, Customer Experience. While Acuity is deciphering and translating all the possible value synergies it now has available, these three top industry experts will help to set new standards in the HVAC, BAS, and a host of other emerging markets. Each of these executives is a formidable expert in their fields and with their combined talents, they are confident that they will deliver the next generation of innovation and technology — because they have the talent, engineering, and the resources needed — to get it done. Don’t miss this great video interview!
How Intel is Influencing the way we do Smart Buildings. If you want to see how you might be doing smart buildings in the future, look at what Intel is doing using IOT strategies now…. once Pandora’s box is open… As human beings we like consistency …..”if it’s not broke ” …. and other adages that pass as wisdom, influence us whether we like it or not. This kind of thinking will get you killed in today’s smart buildings controls market. We have been doing building automation controls since the death of pneumatic controls. We know what works — and we don’t mess around with what works… because it works!
NexDefense SANS Institute – Fictional Cyber Attack. CAUTION: Regardless of your position in the world, this video should almost ruin your day, and linger long enough to bother you… for at least a week… but, will it motivate you to allocate the resources and processes your organization’s needs to deal with this kind of cyber incident? Therein lies the cyber security rub. This NexDefense SANS Institute module provides a demonstration of a fictional cyber attack against a control system reliant infrastructure. It is a learning tool for educational purposes and designed to help organizations better understand and develop exercise scenarios. While the module was played during a large industry exercise, it was utilized to provide cybersecurity training awareness for the participants.
BASSG — Getting Better all the Time! We saw the original “Young Gun”, Alper Üzmezler, managing partner and chief innovator at BASSG Graphics, showed us his new Edge controller at the 2016 Niagara Summit Product showcase. Alper, never one to sit still, has made some improvements since New Orleans. His Edge controller packs a powerful punch. Among other things it includes: Visualytik (HTML5 drag and drop visualization engine with block programming), EAC Engine (Optimization engine in which it will consume live, historical and analytics data and write to real-time controls), Analytics Engine, and a Sedona Realtime control engine.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending August 14, 2016 features interviews with two well-recognized industry leaders: Scott Cochrane, president of Cochrane Supply, a multi-award-winning distributor, and Acuity Brands, Inc’s. new VP — IoT, Customer Experience, Eugene Mazo, who updates the ControlTrends community on the exciting future of DGLogik. Learn about the upcoming SmartGrid.GOV meeting in Washington, DC; Webinars by Belimo, ACI, and Lynxspring; and EasyIO’s EasyStack, a software platform that leverages tagging and data modeling.
ControlTalk NOW first interview with Scott Cochrane, president of Cochrane Supply, an multi-award-winning company and a leading source of building controls products, technology,and information. Scott summarizes the evolving role of distribution and what the future might bring. Distributors need to remember that they deliver hardware, software, and knowledge in a people-to-people business, and serve as enablers in the market. Scott suggests, perhaps we are over-serving the building markets with technology as an industry, because the solutions are determined in the conversations that identify what the problems are and expectations are and “We’re still missing the right conversations with the right people.”
Please Help DOE Set Smart Grid Communications R&D Priorities August 30-31 in Washington, DC. The DOE Office of Electricity Smart Grid Communications R&D Roadmap meeting in Washington, D.C., on August 30-31, 2016, provides an opportunity for you and your organization to participate in the development of a roadmap intended to address gaps in research and development and current options that utilities have to solve their communications needs today.
Webinar on Belimo Energy Valve Data Analysis Tool, Wednesday, August 17 at 1:00 PM EDT. In this 30 minute webinar you will learn how the Energy Valve Data Analysis Tool is used in conjunction with the Belimo Energy Valve to provide analysis of stored data to deliver efficiency, and cost savings for your system. This tool can seamlessly import up to 13 months of trended data, along with performance metrics of a system—which all can be viewed graphically.
LIVEACI Gas Sensor WEBINAR August 24th, 10:00 AM, CST, with Brant Kasbohm. GAS SENSOR WEBINAR, 8/24/16 10:00 A.M. CST. Brant Kasbohm, ACI’s Webinar Presenter will conduct a brief, educational overview of ACI’s Gas Sensors including “How To” videos and product demonstrations. A “Q & A” session will conclude Brant’s 30 minute presentation. Questions? Send Brant an email: bkasbohm@workaci.com. Want more information?
What is EasyStack?EasyIO’s Software Platform that Leverages Tagging and Data Modeling. EasyStack is a complete BMS/EMS software platform that leverages tagging and data modeling based on the Project Haystack open source initiative. (If you’re not familiar with Haystack check it out here. The EasyStack Framework is agnostic in the sense that it incorporates built in drivers allowing for connection to BACnet, Modbus, sql, etc. You can pull in data from just about anywhere.
Change Ahead: Forget about Wire! The Pen that Draws Electric Circuits! Another example of the new technologies and trends that will change the way we design, build and run smart buildings. I am blown away by this technology from the Japanese from Kandenko. Kandenko has grown to become one of Japan’s leading general infrastructure firms, and earned high acclaim and a solid reputation for its contributions to the creation of comfortable living environments, pleasant yet cutting-edge workplaces, and safe and functional local communities.
.30 Minutes withLynxspring Webinar Series — A Look at Variable Frequency Drives The next “30 Minutes with Lynxspring”, our monthly webinar series featuring Lynxspring subject-matter experts and special guests, continues Wednesday, August 17th at 11:00 AM CDT. August’s Webinar looks at Variable Frequency Drives. Variable Frequency Drives play a critical role in the efficiency and performance of a building. They help increase system reliability, maximize equipment lifetime value, contribute to saving energy, lower maintenance costs and add to overall smoother operations.
An Excited Eugene Mazo, VP — IoT, Customer Experience at Acuity Brands,Inc., Explains DGLogik’s Future. During our second ControlTalk NOW interview with Eugene Mazo, VP — IoT, Customer Experience Acuity Brands,Inc. (Formerly CEO, DG Logik), the ControlTrends Community gets a firsthand update on the major developments and the future of DGLogik and its technology. In summary, it’s a win for Acuity Brands, Inc.; a win for DGLogik: and a win for DGLogik’s OEM partners, Distributors, Resellers, and Systems Integrators — as DGLogik moves forward with a lot more scale and resources.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast|PodCast for week ending August 7, 2016 features interviews with Jenny Stentz, VP of Products & Distribution North America, at Johnson Controls, the world’s largest building controls provider and battery maker; Ken Sinclair, owner and editor of Automated Buildings, his August theme: Low Cost Powerful Hybrid Edge Controllers that move control and data analytics to the edge; and CityZenith’s Michael Jansen with amazing insight to big city solutions. Also this week: NexDefense’s call for action presentation at the Greater Atlanta Cyber Security for Control Systems Meetup; Lee Company deploys wearable technology for remote support; Vykon announces EOL for legacy JACEs, Honeywell’s Home Connectivity promo, and NREL’s Dylan Cutler uses Haystack tagging to reduce energy consumption.
Ken Sinclair’s Automated Buildings August Theme — Low Cost Powerful Hybrid Edge Controllers. In this August edition of Automated Buildings, owner and editor, Ken Sinclair, comments on how data will be alternating some its direction from the cloud to edge devices — where the data might be better served and for faster and greater effect. In Ken’s own words, “My five decades in the building automation industry have made it crystal clear that we are always moving towards or away from centralization and I love this month’s theme that sees us moving in both direction at the same time. This is important because the success of our industry and all other industries is embedded in the balance of cloud, edge and self learning devices.”
Control trends called the use of smart glasses in the smart buildings controls industry over 3 years ago
Tennessee’s Lee Company Technicians use Smart Glasses to Receive Remote Support. ControlTrends has been anticipating the adoption of smart glasses in our HVAC industry and learned that the Lee Company, a contracting firm servicing Middle Tennessee, has already fully adopted the innovative use of wearable technology, which is revolutionizing the Facilities Services Industry. As Lee Company’s marketing states, “Telepresence is not a thing of the future, it’s the way of today. Information is power. Move forward with Insight.”
Controltrends.com helps promote bringing young talent into HVAC and smart buildings industry
An HVACR Open Letter to Graduates: NEWS editor-in-chief Kyle Gargaro explains the benefits of an HVACR career to recent high school graduates. This is a great video that delivers a straightforward message to high school graduates. As we read in the Johnson Controls’ white paper written by Renee Joseph entitled “Elevating the HVACR industry: Promoting exciting careers to diverse prospects can help address staffing shortages,” we are facing a double whammy: While our HVACR Industry is experiencing a 21% increase in HVACR mechanic and installer jobs through 2022, a survey by The Friday Group, an international firm providing facilities management consulting services to commercial business and government, projected that up to 60 percent of facility management staff – electricians, plumbers, HVAC mechanics, operations and maintenance workers and others – will retire in the next five to seven years.
ControlTrends Interviews Johnson Controls on Solar Smart Buildings
ControlTalk NOW interview with Jenny Stentz, VP of Products & Distribution North America, at Johnson Controls, the world’s largest building controls provider and battery maker. Jenny gives ControlTrends fresh insight into Johnson Controls’ realigned sales and the leadership role Johnson Controls has taken in the building and energy storage space. Johnson Controls offers the latest innovations in renewable technology, efficiency technology, controls technology, and battery storage technology and is focused on the ease of doing business with its channel partners.
VYKON Announces End Of Line of Legacy JACE Platforms 700, 300E, and 600E. The performance, flexibility and range of accessory options offered by the JACE® 8000 surpasses that of the legacy JACE platforms, and components of the legacy platforms are becoming obsolete. With the introduction of Niagara AX version 3.8u1 featuring JACE 8000 support, VYKON‘s next-generation hardware platform that’s optimized for Niagara 4 now optimizes the features of Niagara AX.
SAVE NOW: Honeywell’s Make the Connection Fall Promotion. Grow Your Connected Home Sales! Take advantage of the industry’s hottest trend — home connectivity — with Honeywell’s Make The Connection promotion. You can save on Honeywell connected home products, and you’ll gain store traffic as contractors connect with you for their chances to win. Get all the details in the attached promo brochure.
Controltrends.com hosts cyber security event to educate smart building control professionals
Atlanta Cyber Security Meet Up: Breaking Down Two Major Control System Cyber Attacks. Thanks to our friend, Fred Gordy, we got to participate in an eye opening event.Stromquist & Company had the privilege of hosting the Atlanta Cyber Security meet up. The speaker, Doug Wylie, CISSP VP Product Marketing & Strategy at NexDefense was amazing. Doug explains several different types of cyber attacks and breaks down blow by blow two major cyber attacks on control systems that caused major disruptions. If you are interested in joining a cyber security meet up group on your area please let us know in comments and we will connect you.
“Bright Lights, Big City” Data Analytics for Big Cities, by CityZenith. “Bright Lights, Big City done gone to my baby’s head,” is a blues song by Jimmy Reed. If you are like me, somewhere along the line you had a break up that left you dazed and confused, hearing Jimmy’s song lets you know that there was someone who understood, could relate, and help you make sense of it all. When it comes to big cities, big data, and big time analytics, Michael Jansen and his team at CityZenith, understand, relate and can help city managers and planners make sense of the massive amounts of information and data that go into making a city run smoothly and efficiently.
NREL’s Dylan Cutler Works to Help the Navy Reduce Energy Consumption! NREL’s Dylan Cutler describes his work on NREL’s Energy Intelligent Campus project and ways that can translate to industry. Through an energy management and information system, Cutler looks at ways to bring together a variety of buildings data into a software platform where users can make intelligent decisions on how to manage their buildings and generation assets.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast/PodCast for week ending July 31, 2016 offers a modified show, because of the excellent, but lengthy audio content. Our Podcast listeners get an extended bonus with the full interviews with industry expert and Lynxspring’s VP pf Marketing, Marc Petock, and Josh Bradshaw, the global-minded technologist and technical product strategist from Silicon Valley. Both, were too important and insightful to cut, hence, the extended Podcast. Additionally, more great product information, updates, and webinars from Alerton, Schneider Electric, EnTouch, Belimo, J2 Innovations, Loytec, Douglas Lighting Control, Siemon, and NEST PRO.
ACHR News FREE Webinar — Selling the Connected Home: How to Grow Your Business July 26, 2016 2pm EST. More than simply building connected products, Nest’s mission is to create a home that’s thoughtful – one that takes care of itself and the people inside it. Gene LaNois, general manager of Nest’s professional channel, will share his thoughts on the future of the connected home, what it means for the HVAC industry, and the important steps to becoming a smart home provider. During this webinar, attendees will: Gain an in-depth understanding of Nest products; Discover how the new “Connected Trade” removes seasonality; and Recognize how HVAC is best positioned to be the leader in this new “Connected Trade.”
ControlTalk NOW first interview is with industry expert and Lynxspring’s VP Marketing, Marc Petock — who takes the lid of IoT; reviews why edge devices will play an expanding role in the journey to a smart building and Lynxspring’s Edge 2 Enterprise products performing edge applications; remote connection using the secured wireless cellular option is on the rise as IT departments seek to reduce network vulnerabilities amidst the increasing number of cyber security threats; Project Haystack and Haystack Connect updates; and a preview of the 2016 ControlTrends Awards in Las Vegas.
Our second guest on ControlTalk NOW is Josh Bradshaw, a global-minded technologist and technical product strategist from Silicon Valley. Josh’s website worktechwork.com is a profusion of relevant technologies disrupting the world as we presently know it. Our one-of-a-kind discussion included an explanation of Blockchain; Building Robotic’s rebranded COMFY. coverage of SRI International researcher Roy Kornbluh, Interviews with Bertrand Piccard, who completed the first non-stop balloon flight around the world (1999), setting world records for aviation’s longest flight in both distance and duration. Interview with André Borschberg, Entrepreneur, Engineer and Explorer.
Siemon: A Unified Intellige(nt Smart Building Cabling Solution. Thanks to our friend Ted Houck, from Hepta Systems, for this video. As we look for ways to make buildings smarter and installations more affordable, Siemon provides a powerful new way to look at how we connect the devices in our Smart Buildings. Siemon ConvergeIT is a unified intelligent building (IB) cabling solution that combines Siemon’s proven quality with advanced copper and fiber cabling technology to create a structured cabling system that converges critical data, voice, video and low-voltage building systems onto a single unified physical infrastructure, providing significant cost savings and sustainability over the life of the facility.
EnTouch Shines at Stromquist Contractor Day. EnTouch is a very progressive company that produces very cool thermostats and light commercial building solutions. Check out what they had to say to the Atlanta HVAC contractors at Stromquist & Company. EnTouch, Founded in 2008, is a team of energy, services and telecomm industry veterans with a history of using technology to solve real-world problems. The EnTouch 360° offers the ultimate in facilities and energy management intelligence. Our turnkey installation, energy analysis and prompt resolution can simplify the lives of your facility management team while it delivers savings to your enterprise’s bottom line.
Mark Your Calendar: Easy Retrofit Solutions for Valves and Damper Actuators. Our man, Joe Carcare, Belimo retrofit master extraordinaire, will be sharing his knowledge on Wednesday, August 1 at 1 PM EST. Valves and actuators are responsible for ensuring reliable functioning hydronic and air control HVAC systems all over the world. Belimo Retrofit provides airside and waterside retrofit application solutions, with direct coupled or remote access linkages, and efficient actuators Here is the official notice, but I can tell you from experience, Joe is not to be missed. He has worked in the field, and his hands-on experience, makes him a great teacher. So, click here and register now! This might be the only class you ever need to take on retrofitting valves and dampers.
If You Like Lon… We have a Product for You. BACnet and Lon have been competing for years to win the hearts and networks of Smart Buildings and smart buildings systems integrators. Although BACnet seems to be in vogue in today’s smart buildings marketplace, many swear by the Lon protocol. We caught up with a company that makes outstanding smart building controls and specializes in optimizing the Lon protocol. Loytec, might be one of the best kept secrets in the United States, but globally they are a dominate force in building automation controls. Loytec’s Daryl Clasen walks us through the Loytech product portfolio that includes beautiful touch screen displays and wall sensors, and shows us how their mobile app works.
How to Reduce Your BACnet Troubleshooting Time by 100x. As I am fond of telling my three year old daughter, when she refuses to go to brush her teeth, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” The easy way is you brush your teeth, the hard way is you brush your teeth after a time out. The hard way takes way more time and way more effort. Until Opitgo introduced their really cool new product, there was only one way to troubleshoot a BACnet problem, the hard way.
Mark Your Calendar: Lighting Control Presented by Douglas Lighting. Our Friends at Lynxspring have a very special training session on lighting control planned. Douglas Lighting Control has been around for decades, but the latest lighting control advancements have only just recently gained traction. Now, lighting is becoming a platform for other applications. It’s creating an opportunity to provide services to the people in buildings that we couldn’t even dream of years ago. These new services are going to make building space more valuable, and ideally, make the building space more effective.
Can Your Smart Thermostat Start Your Toaster and Monitor Energy Consumption? Can a thermostat really turn on a toaster and monitor energy consumption? Not that you would want to use your thermostat to start a toaster, but you could. The bigger feature is having a smart thermostat that has the on board capacity to monitor electrical consumption and loads. We have had great success doing just this with a smart thermostat we sell by EnTouch.
Smart Buildings’ New Vocab Word: Muench’s Corollary. J2 Innovations‘ very own Scott Muench was recently featured on AutomatedBuildings.com with an article about the benefits and payoffs of tagging and data modeling. With the amount of connected devices increasing every day, potential value is also increasing exponentially. The reality is that it takes a lot of effort or mouse clicks to derive value from the data in the connected world. J2 Innovations has been focusing their efforts on great software and more efficient workflows to unlock this potential.
Intelligent Buildings’ Tom Shircliff: A Smart Buildings Perspective on Realcomm|IBcon. We had a chance to catch up with one of our favorite people at the 2016 Realcomm|IBcon show, Intelligent Buildings Tom Shircliff. Tom, the co-founder of Intelligent Buildings, gives us his thoughts on the show and the new trends he is seeing in Smart Buildings. Tom gives us a must do — regarding Cyber Security to make our smart buildings safer from cyber attack. Tom also shares with us the importance of water analytics as a way to make our buildings more energy efficient and safer (yes, I did say safer).
How is Your Body Like A Smart Building? Alerton Explains. Is your body really like a smart building? I never thought about it this way before, but it makes sense. Very cool video from the folks at Alerton, who are totally committed to helping you get the best performance from your buildings. Alerton is a pioneer and an industry leader in providing building management solutions for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment for all types and sizes of buildings. Alerton can also help simplify building management by integrating fire, life safety, lighting, access management and other building systems. You’ll find Alerton’s proven solutions in thousands of buildings around the world, and their dealers are part a global independent dealer network, providing solid service and support that is second to none.
Schneider Electric Company Story: Our Technology is Everywhere. At Schneider Electric’s Innovation Summit 2016, the Keynote Highlight was CEO Jean-Pascal Tricoire’s explanation why Schneider Electric is the global leader in sustainable energy management and industrial automation. Schneider Electric’s mission is supply the technologies which permit, drive, and catalyze the transition to make the world of energy — more electric, more digitized, more decarbonated, and more decentralized. Schneider Electric’s five guiding principles: Customer Insights; Quality 1st; Simple & Easy; System View (Integratable); and Digital. Click here to find out all the information you need about Schneider Electric.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast for week ending July 24, 2016 begins with Wired Magazine’s Cade Metz and his coming trends interview — citing Block Chain as the next single most disruptive technology. ControlTalk NOW’s special guest is Building Context.me’s Therese Sullivan, followed by coverage of Tridium Niagara Migration Path Webinar dates and information; Vykon’s latest software builds; DOE’s Future of Air Conditioning Report; Spotlight on Siemens’ Dave Rodela; ACI’s Sensor Webinar; Cylance’s uses Artificial Intelligence to keep ahead of hackers; and ProLon’s easy VAV/VVT zoning solution.
Cade Metz – Wired Magazine – Silicon Valley 2016 Trends for Smart Buildings and Homes. Cade Netz, the key note speaker at the 2016 RealComm/ Icon conference talks about the technology trends he is seeing in Silicon Valley and how these trends will effect the landscape of technology used in Smart Buildings. Cade Metz is a WIRED senior staff writer covering Google, Facebook, artificial intelligence, bitcoin, data centers, computer chips, programming languages, and other ways the world is changing.
ControlTalk NOW special guest is Building Context’s Therese Sullivan, Principal, BuildingContext.me, who gives us that unique Silicon Valley insight as she reviews 2016 Realcomm|IBcon, Social Media and Tweets with Meat, Block Chain’s potential impact on the HVAC and BAS industries, and more. Therese Sullivan is a writer/technologist and marketing professional providing news and analysis for commercial building system integrators, facilities managers and real estate professionals about innovations in building automation with emphasis on data analytics, mobile apps, cloud services and wireless networking.
What is a Block Chain and What You need to Know About it. We heard the term “block chain” for the first time at the 2016 RealComm/ IBcon show. Many believe the block chains could be the most disruptive technologies yet, some compare it’s impact to the fall of the Berlin Wall. As systems integrators and smart buildings professionals we need to be aware of it’s existence and how it will effect our industry.
Next TridiumTalk: How your Niagara Migration Path Just got More Straightforward. Join us as we overview recent product releases and various migration path scenarios. With the introduction of Niagara AX version 3.8u1 featuring JACE® 8000 support, our next-generation hardware platform that’s optimized for Niagara 4 now optimizes the features of Niagara AX.
ACI Temperature Sensor Training LIVE Tomorrow! TEMPERATURE WEBINAR, LIVE JULY 20TH You will hear from ACI’s Temperature Sensor Specialist, Brant Kasbohm, and our Sales Engineering Manager, Rob Kapinos. ACIs temperature sensors, housing types, and production types will be taught by our presenter. The presentation as a whole will last 30 minutes and the session is being recorded if you aren’t able to attend. A Live “Question and Answer” session with the presenter and tech support will take place at the end. Just click on this link tomorrow to watch the live event. ACI stands by its motto, “Engineering a Better Sensor Solution.”
ControlTrends Keeps an Eye on 2016 Events with Ken’s (Updated 7/20/2016) Calendar. While it has been an amazingly busy and productive year so far, many more events are on the horizon. ControlTrends will continue to post the event information as we receive notice or become aware of the event. Please note that the information is gathered from various sources, and the times, dates, and locations may have changed.
Siemens’ Dave Rodela, Talon Trainer Extraordinaire. While Dave Rodela’s official position is listed as Operations Manager at Siemens Building Technologies, working out of the Charleston, South Carolina area, the majority of us in the building automation business know Dave as another mild-mannered hero — for the outstanding training services and support he provides to the Siemens TALON Value Added Partner (VAP) channel.
DOE’s Building Technologies Office — The Future of Air Conditioning for Buildings. Another great publication from the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy and Building Technology Office. The Building Technologies Digest provides a weekly roundup of the latest news, funding opportunities, reports, events, and webinars from DOE’s Building Technologies Office. The Future of Air Conditioning for Buildings Report provides invaluable insight into the next generation of Air Conditioning and Air Conditioning Equipment, a $100 billion industry that consumes over 4% of the world’s building site-energy.
VYKON Announcement: Previously Announced Software Builds Now Available. The previously announced VYKON AX Supervisor 3.8.111.2 and VYKON Enterprise Security 2.3.19.5 software builds are now available for download. Learn more by downloading the VYKON Enterprise Security FAQs. Sign into the Niagara Community website for access to release notes and test summary documentation. VYKON AX Supervisor 3.8.111.2 update includes: JACE® 8000 support, Java Web StarT, Windows 10 support, Auto-download of Java security policy files. VYKON Enterprise Security 2.3.19.5 update includes: Support and advantages of latest VYKON AX release, Niagara AX version 3.8u1, Enhanced database encryption, and Advanced threat level management.
Replay of ACI’s Live Temperature Training Event. If you missed the amazing Live training event from ACI on temperature sensing and sensors, no worries, we have a replay for you right here. You will hear from ACI’s Temperature Sensor Specialist, Brant Kasbohm, and our Sales Engineering Manager, Rob Kapinos. ACIs temperature sensors, housing types, and production types will be taught by our presenter. The presentation as a whole will last 30 minutes and the session is being recorded if you aren’t able to attend.
Cylance Offers Advanced Threat Prevention Built on Artificial Intelligence at 2016 Realcomm|IBcon. ControlTrends met up with Todd Radermacher, Regional Sales Director at Cylance, out of the San Francisco Bay Area, who specializes in Information Technology and Services. Todd tells us, “Trying to keep ahead of the bad guys is the business we’re in.” Cylance now offers the next generation antivirus protection — armed with artificial intelligence and mathematics (algorithms) to scientifically predict foul play — and prevent the loss of intellectual property or paying the ransom to get your seized database back.
ProLon: The Easy Way to Install a Zoning System. Stromquist & Company’s Dozier Mills breakdowns the products from ProLon and shows you how to install the Prolon solution for either VAV or VVT applications. As you can see this is a very powerful and easy to install solution. ProLon is a commercial/high-end residential HVAC zoning system designed specifically for retrofit and modern day rooftops and other air handling units along with their VAV zones. ProLon’s controllers are perfect for light to mid-sized commercial buildings, allowing you to group and prioritize zones to achieve the optimal performances and comfort from your equipment.
What is TESLA’s Power Wall and How Will it Affect the Smart Home?Forget about the gloom and doom we hear every day, check out one of the coolest new technologies to hit the street. Elon Musk unveils the Tesla Power Wall. Needless to say this will effect the way we look at Smart Homes. The Powerwall was unveiled on April 30, 2015, with a 7 kWh Powerwall model that would retail for US$3,000 and a 10 kWh model at US$3,500. The Power wall sold out in less than a week. Musk predicted the low price would cause other storage producers to follow and there are rumblings about a version 2.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast for week ending July 10, 2016 gives special thanks to this week’s Platinum Sponsors — EasyIO and Neptronic, as we bring two of the industry’s top experts to front and center, first reviewing Ken Sinclair’s Automated Buildings July theme “Performance Software Evolving with Self Machine Learning,” followed by Fearless Phil Zito, owner and editor of Building Automation Monthly. Acuity acquires DG LOGIK; Automation Integrated introduces its game-changing GLIFF service via live streaming; Updated 2016 Event Calendar previews the road ahead, along with ACI’s Temperature Webinar; Atlanta’s Cyber Security Meet-up; a good look at Forest Rock’s EnergyVision; and Functional Devices’ release of a BACnet compatible UPS Kit.
New Products from Around the Globe: Forest Rock at the 2016 Niagara Summit. 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.
Mark Your Calendar and Get Smart About Water and Waste. Our friends at JJL can give you the 411 on Water and Waste and how to save money and energy with a very informative webinar. Friday, July 15, 2016, 12:30-2:00 p.m. EDT. Click here for more information and to reserve your spot. Water is the fastest growing utility expense. Water is the fastest growing utility expense, with long-term cost increases related to supply constraints and aging infrastructure. We’ll discuss the unique set of challenges and opportunities around water use outdoors, where an estimated 50% is wasted.
Automation Integrated Live Stream Today at 12 EST. Automation Integrated (AI), winner of the 2015 ControlTrends System Integrator of the year, announces the FREE Gliff Niagara backup service. AI is a Master Systems Integrator specializing in web scale solutions. AI provides enterprise wide building automation, access control, video surveillance, API level systems integration and software development. Our markets include multi-site, retail and critical infrastructure facilities.
ControlTalk NOW first guest interview with Ken Sinclair, owner and editor of Automated Buildings, is a great gatherer of information. It takes a lot of energy and perspicacity to rally an epic monthly battle cry for our industry and continuously call forth such an exceptional litany of industry experts. Ken judiciously sorts out for us, the IoT wheat from the IoT chaff, and then translates the fast and esoteric talk of our trade into slower more comprehensive reflections that generously reward the reading time invested. This July edition is no exception. Fresh off the trails of Silicon Valley, Ken captures the spirit of innovation from the 2016 Realcomm/IBcon show and gives us much deeper insight into performance software, machine learning, and portends the coming of our digital savior (perhaps) — Artificial Intelligence.
DG LOGIK Purchased by Acuity Brands (AYI. We trust that the data visualization dashboard lights at DG Logik are all on, and blinking bright GREEN — as it was announced today that Acuity Brands (AYI) (who added Distech Controls to their Building Automation portfolio in September, 2015) acquired IoT Software Solutions Provider DGLogik. Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI) announced it has acquired 100 percent of the equity interests of DGLogik, Inc., a San Francisco Bay Area-based provider of innovative software solutions that enable and visualize the Internet of Things (IoT).
ControlTalk NOW second guest interview is with Fearless Phil Zito, owner and editor of Building Automation Monthly, whose website’s motto is “You’ll Leave Educated.” Phil Zito has been in the smart building space since 2007 and has worked on almost every BAS system on the market. He has held roles as a service technician, operations manager, sales development engineer, and technical integration program manager. Phil runs his weekly blog and podcast around building automation and is deeply focused on exploring topics related to building automation and smart buildings. Phil has a Masters in Cyber Security, holds several IT, LEED, and Energy Manager Certifications and is a self-taught programmer.
Here is a link to the book Phil wrote called A Manager’s Guide to Building Automation
Be sure to follow Phil on twitter @TimGZito
ControlTrends Keeps an Eye on 2016 Events with Ken’s Calendar. While it has been an amazingly busy and productive year so far, many more events are on the horizon. ControlTrends will continue to post the event information as we receive notice or become aware of the event. Please note that the information is gathered from various sources, and the times, dates, and locations may have changed.
ACI PRESENTS TEMPERATURE WEBINAR, LIVE JULY 20TH, 10:00 A.M. CST. Brant Kasbohm, Temperature Sensor Specialist will conduct a brief, educational overview of ACI’s Temperature Sensors including “How To” videos and product demonstrations. A “Q & A” session will conclude Brant’s 30 minute presentation. Questions? Send Brant an email: bkasbohm@workaci.com. Want more information? Click here. Automation Components, Inc. presents a series of Live Video Webinars from our Sales Engineers and Product Line Specialists! Each month, ACI will feature one of it’s many product lines for 30 minutes to discuss some of the fantastic, cost effective, and reliable products ACI has to offer.
Functional Devices Takes BACnet Integration One Step Further: UPS Kit PSH550-UPS-BC – Now BACnet Compatible. Functional Devices, Inc. a leading manufacturer of high quality, contractor-friendly products since 1969,has just released their PSH550-UPS-BC, which is an Enclosed BACnet Network 550 VA UPS Backup Power Control Center that can be integrated into your BACnet network to monitor eight BACnet variables/integer values.
Greater Atlanta Cyber Security for Control Systems Meetup @ Stromquist – Aug 8 @ 6:30 PM. Doug Wylie will be speaking with us about two confirmed examples of attacks on ICS systems, with a wealth of information on each of them. Please join us to learn what took place, what can be done to prevent similar events happening in your ICS environment, and to share what you have seen as well. BOOM BOOM (OUT GO THE LIGHTS): A LOOK AT TWO CONFIRMED ATTACKS ON ICS AND HOW WE CAN PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast for week ending July 3, 2016 brings attention to the people-side of the Buildings Automation industry while manning the vendor shows at two of the industry largest and most significant shows: 2016 Tridium Summit and the 2016 Realcomm/IBcon. Interviews with these Industry superstars: Intellastar’s Terry Casey; Johnson Controls’ Dimitri Papadopoulos; Hepta Systems’ Ted and Jason Houck; Page Southerland’s Tim Howell; Viconics’ Matt Krueger; Interactive Energy, LLC’s James Burtch; along with ACI’s Barry Gordon webinar and a product review of Honeywell’s Lyric thermostat.
Honeywell Lyric: Redefining What a Thermostat Can Do. Honeywell keeps coming up with cool stuff. Yes, thermostats are cool, because there are different shapes, sizes, colors, and apps. But, look at this video to see how Honeywell takes the cool thermostat to the next level and makes it practical. No need to worry about coming home and finding out your pipe burst or a leak turned into a flood. The Honeywell Lyric will let you know before problems get out of hand. I wonder what else they will hang onto their residential thermostat network?
Catching Up with Intellastar’s Terry Casey. Lots of great people and Smart Buildings Controls Experts at the 2016 RealComm/IBcon show. I got a chance to be the “in the field reporter” for Realcomm Conference Live, and one of the people I interviewed was Intellastar’s Terry Casey. With the likes of controls superstars Terry, Steve Lynch, and Jerry, Andy, and Brian Frank, Intellastar has put together the “dream team” of the smart buildings controls industry.
Learn About the Most Current Current Sensors — Right Here, Right Now! Yes, I know it is a bit of a play on words, but Barry Gordon and the team at ACI do not play around — when it comes to making current sensors and other products for the smart buildings controls professional. ACI has started doing live video training! We announced the first one a couple of weeks ago. If you missed it, no worries, you can watch it right here, right now.
Johnson Controls’ Dimitri Papadopoulos at the 2016 Niagara Summit — Facility Explorer is Better than Ever! Dimitri Papadopoulos, Senior Product Manager explains why Facility Explorer® is better than ever! To celebrate Facility Explorer’s tenth anniversary, Johnson Controls released Facility Explorer 14. Featuring a cleaner, faster user experience, enhanced cybersecurity and new ways to improve user productivity. Dimitri was particularly excited about the Mobile Access Portal, which offers an excellent display on your iPad, smart phone, or laptop; serves as a great commissioning tool; and can be used as a main user interface for smaller-sized projects.
Mark Your Calendar for Digital Transformation 2016. Digital transformation is everywhere. We recently covered the 2016 Niagara Summit and Realcomm/IBcon and posted lots of videos showing how technology in the Smart Buildings and Intelligent Buildings space is evolving at a very rapid pace. And speaking of pace, this conference coming up in Portland in September looks interesting. Here is what they have to say about it: “Leaders facilitating the digital transformation within their companies converge to share best practices. This is the leading conference from digital game-changers for digital game-changers.”
Ted and Jason Houck Make Big Connections at Realcomm Conference Live. Ted and Jason Houck, from Hepta Systems, do one of the coolest demo’s I have ever seen, and they do it on a live stream at the 2016 Realcomm/IBcon Conference Live. Hepta Control Systems has won numerous awards, including being voted co-winner of the ControlTrends Awards Systems Integrator of the Year Award. They are a leader in integrated building automation and security controls. Hepta provide single driver seat solutions for energy efficiency, security, and tenant comfort systems. Watch this video to see what makes Hepta so special.
Enlightened Consulting Engineers at the 2016 Niagara Summit — Part 1. The man, the myth, the legend, Ken Smyers and I are constantly talking about the need for a new breed of consulting engineer for the Smart Buildings Controls industry. Cut and paste specifications are no longer acceptable. This new breed of engineer can be found at smart building conferences like the Niagara Summit and Realcomm/IBcon. They know that open is not just something you do to a can of beer on a hot summer’s day.
Matt Krueger and the Viconics VT8000 Series at the 2016 Niagara Summit. Matt Krueger is an integral member of the Viconics technologies sales team with a passion for providing excellent customer support. Matt does an outstanding 411 presentation of the VT8000 series controller, which provides a very cost-effective alternative to direct digital controls to control roof top units, heat pumps, and indoor air quality applications — dramatically reducing project delivery cost at the installation and commissioning phases.
Enlightened Consulting Engineers Part 2 — James M. Burtch at the 2016 Niagara Summit. ControlTrends had the opportunity to interview James M. Burtch, a young, up-and-coming Energy Sustainability Consultant. Actually, it’s James M. Burtch, C.R.M., C.D.S.M., C.B.C.P., C.L.E.P., C.E.M., and Honeywell EEO Certified. As evidenced by the host of certification designations following his name, Jim has dedicated much of his professional career pursuing and obtaining the professional expertise that enables him to write enlightened building automation systems specifications that ensure owners gets what they want and that the contractors meet the specification.
>Honeywell’s Larry Andriunas at the 2016 Niagara Summit. We had a chance to catch up with one of our favorite people at the 2016 Niagara Summit Product Showcase. Honeywell’s Larry Andriunas is the “Controls guy..Controls Guy”. Larry grew up working with his father’s HVAC and integrator business. Larry knows first hand how important quality products and great customer support are to systems integrators. Larry, winner of the 2015 ControlTrends PID Award, helps Honeywell stay on top of their Smart Buildings control game. Larry gives us the 411 on Niagara 4 and how Honeywell is making the most of this new version of Niagara.
ControlTalk NOW for week ending June 26, 2016 takes a deeper dive into Realcomm/IBcon 2016 with Marc Petock joining us as co-host. Our first special guest was Intelligent Buildings’ Co-founder, Intelligent Buildings, Tom Shircliff, who shares his insight into some of the new technologies displayed at the show — soon to impact the industry, and the increased emphasis on water. Cyber security must be elevated to an organization’s highest priority, and physical measures, often overlooked, are of extreme importance to an effective cyber security program.
Our next guest was Jeff Houpt, President and CEO at Automation Integrated, LLC, (AI) one of the premiere Master Systems Integrators in the country. The age of Analytics is upon us, in the very real sense, because analytics are the currency of the future that will provide so much value to the property managers. AI is launching Blue Forge its latest IoT application, which will change the analytic landscape.
Our next guest was Shaun Klann, Executive Vice President, Intelligent Buildings. Shaun clarified that the least expensive tenant to acquire is an existing tenant, and that by extended environmental control to occupants will enhance and improve their user experience.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast for week ending June 19, 2016 continues its coverage of the 2016 Niagara Summit with interviews from Vendors Showcase featuring Blue Ridge Technology’s Bill Dunkleberger, Tridium’s Emily Weisenesale, DGLogik’s Arthur Alter, OME Engineering’s Rick Warner, Contemporary Controlss George Thomas, KMC’s Richard Newberry, Lynxspring’s Chris Ryan, and MRSoluciones’ Alfredo Melnik and Carlos Roman. Don’t miss ACI’s Barry “Flash” Gordon inaugural training event and DOE’s investment of $10 Million towards Efficient Lighting Research and Development.
Free Training from ACI This Wednesday. Our friend Barry ” Flash” Gordon will be sharing his knowledge about ACI current sensors and switches. This is the first in a series of monthly training sessions from the control pros at ACI, so be sure to check it out. Mark your calendar for Wednesday (6/15) morning at 9 a.m. CST. Just click on this link on the 15th.
Energy Department Invests More than $10 Million in Efficient Lighting Research and Development. Building on the new commitments to the Global Lighting Challenge announced last week during the Clean Energy Ministerial, the Energy Department is announcing funding for nine research and development projects that will support solid-state lighting (SSL) core technology research, product development, and manufacturing research and development.
Tridium’s Emily Weisensale Shines the Spotlight on Tridium’s Niagara Marketplace. Emily Weisensale, Product Manager for the Niagara Marketplace, updates the ControlTrends Community on the growth of Tridium’s newest innovation — the Niagara Marketplace — a groundbreaking website that connects businesses looking to harness the power of the Internet of Things (IoT), with the experts who make it happen.
BlueRidge Technologies Lights Up The Niagara Summit Product Showcase with a New Product. We caught up with our friend Bill Dunkleberger from Blue Ridge Technologies at the 2016 Vendor Showcase. Bill and his team provide a very powerful and easy to use lighting solution. Blue Ridge has developed an approach called Unified Lighting Control. Unified Lighting Control completes the BAS, incorporating lighting and HVAC controls on the same network. This network consolidation eliminates surplus hardware required for stand-alone and gateway lighting control.
Arthur Alter Previews DGLogik’s Project Assist 2.0: Making the Invisible Visible — Affordably. So what are you going to do with all that data that you can pump out of Niagara N4? How are you going to get it in a format that is easy to see, easy to understand, easy to normalize, easy to install, and easy to customize, at a cost that is easy on the budget? The “Men in Black” aka the DGLogik team have the products and answers to these questions, and they were out in full force at the 2016 Niagara Product Showcase. Take a look at their updated Project Assist 2.0.
Rick Warner “Insights from the Innovator” at the 2016 Niagara Summit. Always a ControlTrends favorite and provider of industry innovation and insight, Rick Warner, PE, LEED BC&D, CEM, DCEP, CXA, EBCP, President & Owner of OME Engineering, aka, The Innovator, shares a few of his takeaways from the 2016 Niagara Summit.
Contemporary Controls Distributor News, June 2016 — The BASautomation Force is Growing! George Thomas and the team at Contemporary Controls have developed one of the most powerful, open Building Automation Systems available in the BAS world — and with its continued investments in next-gen production, technical support, and marketing collateral, Contemporary Controls will keep growing its North American and global markets.
KMC Converges on the 2016 Niagara Summit. What do Dell and Intel have in common? Among other things they both are partners with KMC and the New Commander Smart Buildings Control System that is designed to win the “Race to the Small Space.” The Race to the Small Space is a term Kenny and I coined to describe the building automation control solutions, that companies, like KMC, are designing to provide affordable energy management and controls solutions for the over 5 million buildings in the United States that do not have energy management control systems.
Niagara Around the World: Alfredo Melnik and Carlos Roman from Mexico City. Smart Building and Building Automation Controls is taking off in Mexico. With the Building Automation and Smart Buildings Controls Market projected to reach upward of 55 Billion dollars by 2020, Mexico is poised to play a prominent role in this growth. In fact, Mexico’s most populous city, has been selected for the Ciudad Creativa Digital (CCD) smart-city development project, and is just one of the many Smart Building/ Smart City/ Smart Home initiatives in
Founder and president George Thomas demonstrates Contemporary Control’s updates product portfolio that he and his team make for the systems integrators across the globe. Contemporary Controls designs and manufactures the system building blocks for networking, integrating, and controlling automation processes where performance and reliability are critical. Contemporary Controls’ products are built upon open technologies such as ARCNET®, BACnet®, Controller Area Network (CAN), Ethernet, Modbus®, Niagara Framework®, Sedona Framework, and are typically found in building and industrial automation industries.
Richard McElhinney Presents Airmasters’ Plant Pro at 2016 Niagara Summit. We caught up with Richard McElhinney from Airmasters. Richard gives an in-depth demo of Plant Pro’s alluring and efficient chiller plant optimization controller. Richard McElhinney is a leading systems integrator from “down under” and our “unofficial official” ControlTrends correspondent. A veteran of many campaigns, Richard is a valuable source of information on the trends impacting building automation and the future of Smart Buildings.
Lynxspring’s Chris Ryan Flexes Integration Knowledge at the 2016 Niagara Summit. While the potential for using data to improve energy and operational efficiencies is significant, the difficulty of organizing and understanding the data can be challenging. One of the challenges of working with data is it can be very hard to organize and use across different applications. It is stored in different formats, has inconsistent naming conventions and lacks information to describe what it means.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast for week ending June 12, 2016 features a rather deep and dark Cyber Security update from Fred Gordy, and an enlightening interview with Automated Buildings’ Ken Sinclair discussing his June edition; next, a look at new technology with Cisco’s Digital Ceiling and Optigo Networks’ solution to eliminate BACnet complexity; Lynxspring and SkyFoundry offer a combo webinar on Data and Analytics; Functional Devices released a pre-enclosed panel; and don’t miss out on Neptronic’s special product sample offering — available through ControlTrends!
Cyber Security Expert Fred Gordy Waives the Cyber Security Caution Flag! Censys Device Search Engine Picking Up Exposed Niagara 4 — Wake Up! Thanks once again to Intelligent Buildings’ Director of Cyber Security, Fred Gordy, who keeps the global ControlTrends Community and systems integrators current with his Cyber Security updates. Fred is calling for the widest dissemination of this information possible, and for responsible parties, at every level to take immediate actions to eliminate their exposure and safeguard their building against eminent attack. Fred Gordy: “I did a cursory search using Censys device search engine of building control systems and the first systems to pop up were Niagara 4 systems.”
Cisco’s Digital Ceiling WILL Change the Way You Do Smart Building Controls. Building Automation Systems Integrators, meet your new BAS partner — Cisco. That’s right, Cisco. Cisco just might be your new front end, and the ceiling in the building you are working in, right now, might be your new junction box to the future. The lighting world is evolving from the analog world to the digital world and soon, those lights connected to the network, not just for a data path, but also for power, will have temperature, occupancy, and daylight harvesting sensors in them — that will finally bridge the gap between building automation and connected lighting control.
ControlTalk NOW Interview with Ken Sinclair, owner and editor of Automated Buildings. Always an informative experience, Ken Sinclair reviews Automated Buildings’ June theme of Measured Variables; Health, Wellbeing, & Productivity. More insight into HVAC by engineers and HVAC by Behavioral Experts that are driving the $3-$30-$300 metrics, and the realization that the most promising potential value lies in building wellness that leads to greater productivity, greater tenant retention, and less absenteeism. Also, understanding the benefit differences between digital ceilings versus the 24 VDC ceiling (Edison wins the current war after all, though Tesla has scheduled a return bout) and much more!
30 Minutes with Lynxspring Webinar Series — Data and Analytics by Lynxspring and SkyFoundry. 30 Minutes with Lynxspring Webinar Series Presents: Data and Analytics. The next “30 Minutes with Lynxspring,” our monthly webinar series featuring Lynxspring subject-matter experts and special guests, is scheduled for Wednesday, June 15th at 12:00 PM CDT. This month’s installment looks at Data and Analytics. Data and analytics are changing the way companies in EVERY industry do business and manage business. And yes, it is changing ours — it’s changing the way buildings and facilities are managed and operated.
Optigo — The New Way to Cut through BACnet Complexity. 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.
A Special Offer From Neptronic at the 2016 Niagara Summit. We had a chance to catch up with Biagio Delorenzio and Luis Melgares from Neptronic at the 2016 Niagara Summit. Great stuff from our innovative friends in Canada. As you can see in the video, the TUCB is a very flexible universal wall mount controller with built-in temperature sensor and scheduler. The unit is designed for simple and accurate control of a heat pump or other heating/cooling equipment. Its field configurable algorithms enable versatile implementation of required control sequences. but what is even more impressive is the new TRLG 24. The TRLG 24 takes al that is good about the TUCB and adds an on board humidity and CO2 sensor.
Functional Devices — Innovation at the Panel Level. Nick Walker at the 2016 Niagara Summit Vendor Show. Functional Devices — Innovation at the Panel Level 2016 Niagara Summit Vendor Show. Nick Walker, Strategic Account Manager for Functional Devices walks the ControlTrends Community through the new MHP pre-enclosed enclosure series that features a 100 VA (or (2) 100 VA) transformers along with with a convenience outlet and a polymetal or perforated back drop. Functional Devices products are a contractors’ best friend — offering savings in installation time and money for all of your building automation projects.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending June 5, 2016 provides a full range of HVAC and Building Automation events and information, beginning with the Roger Rebennack Experience, followed by industry updates, and interviews with SysMik’s Patrick McCurdy, BASSG’s Alper Üzmezler, sensorFact’s Matt Horton, ACI’s Mya Holzemer, Belimo Training, KMC Controls training, J2 Innovation’s FIN 4.0, Ken Sinclair’s Automated Buildings, June edition, EasyIO’s new FW14 and product road map, Brad White’s Trillion Dollar Opportunity, and Eagle Technology’s CMMS solution.
Honeywell’s Roger Rebennack Experience — held over the Memorial Holiday weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway — where over 80 Honeywell customers from all parts of North America joined Roger, Honeywell, and 350,000 racing fans for the spectacular 100th Anniversary Run of the Indy 500. This 3-day extravaganza is unrivaled, mixing the thrill of the greatest race of the year with two concerts, the Indy 500 museum, celebrities, and life-long memories. Contact your Honeywell distributor or representative today and get your engines started for next year’s Roger Rebennack Experience at the incomparable Indy 500. Special thanks to Jackson Controls for their generous assistance in helping to host this fabulous event!
SysMik — Standing at the Forefront of Technology and Innovation — Delivering Control Products for Infrastructure, Buildings, and Energy. ControlTrends had the opportunity to interview one of the most impressive manufacturers at the 2016 Niagara Summit Vendor Showcase, SysMik GmbH. An established leader of control products for over 25 years, SysMik stands at the forefront of technology and innovation. Based in Germany, SysMik products are carefully designed by their experienced engineering team and manufactured under highest quality standards.
Free Belimo Training: Sizing and Selecting Control Valves Made Easy. Learn from the Control Pros at Belimo. Danielle Breece, Product Specialist, Sales Tools: SelectPro – Sizing and Selection Made Easy. In this 30 minute webinar, you will learn about the newly enhanced SelectPro version 3.2. SelectPro allows you to quickly and accurately size and select valves, actuators, and replacement solutions. New features for this tool include: updated valve module interface, new quote generator export option & reference documents tab, the ability to save contact profiles and more! Join Danielle on Wednesday, June 8 at 1:00 EDT.
Breaking News FIN 4.0 is Here! A very cool and powerful version of FIN has hit the streets. Check out FIN 4.0 and see just how the complete BAS/BOS Framework from J2 leverages tagging and data modeling. How it implements responsive web design and a mobile first focus utilizes browser based tools and embracing the HTML5 standard, allowing full application suite functionality across all devices Fin makes it faster, easier, and better than ever before. Click here to find out more.
Get to the Edge with the New Controller from BASSG.he original “Young Gun”, Alper Üzmezler, managing partner and chief innovator at BASSG Graphics, shows us BASSG’s new Edge controller at the 2016 Niagara Summit Product showcase. This powerful little controller packs a big punch. Among other things it includes: Visualytik (HTML5 drag and drop visualization engine with block programming), EAC Engine (Optimization engine in which it will consume live, historical and analytics data and write to real-time controls), Analytics Engine, and a Sedona Realtime control engine.
Ken Sinclair’s Automated Buildings June Theme — Measured Variables: Health, Wellbeing, & Productivity. Automated Buildings’ Ken Sinclair’s June theme delivers well-explained reasons why we need to re-zero our IoT aim towards the bigger target area: “There is a “3-30-300” rule of thumb that organizations typically spend approximately $3 per square foot per year for utilities, $30 for rent, and $300 for payroll. While these figures are just archetypes, they are useful in providing an order of magnitude between the three areas of expenditure.” Seems simple enough. The growing contextualization within the space, allows for greater productivity within the space, and our driven effort to emphasize and realize greater energy savings, while not misguided, is only the tip of the value iceberg.
EasyIO’s New FW 14 Controller and Product Road Map! EasyIO — Coming to a Building Near You! The product hits from EasyIO keep coming! Magic Mike Marston (aka, Mad Mike Marston) released this EasyIO product road map featuring the FW14 Controller, with live Wiresheets, BACnet, and P2P over WiFi, to update the ControlTrends Community on what EasyIO has in store for the remainder of 2016. And see below for what’s coming in 2017! Additionally, EasyIO will be releasing these new software features for 2016: Adapter Widgets, Dashboard, Support for Amazon Echo, and Support for Blynk (Android & IPhone).
KMC Controls Training Class. On June 20-24, 2016 KMC Controls in New Paris, IN will hold a KMC Connect with TotalControl training class. The objective of this 5-day course is to provide instruction on the installation, integration, and operation of KMC Connect and TotalControl software. KMC Connect will provide configuration and operator workstation options for Building Automation Systems using KMC Conquest hardware (and earlier versions) in a BACnet environment. TotalControl provides an enterprise level connectivity and Internet accessible facility management resource for customers.
Brad White, SES Consulting’s “The Trillion Dollar Opportunity in Transforming Existing Buildings.” The $3/$30/$300 sq ft rule was the predominant theme in the June, 2016 edition of Ken Sinclair’s Automated Buildings. Brad White, SES Consulting, offers yet another compelling economic case for directing more of our efforts to the $300 variable in the equation. A 5% improvement in productivity represents a tremendous savings, while making employees more comfortable and our buildings better. Truly, an emerging trend as IoT delivers more relevant contextualization into the Building Renaissance and the Smart, Connected, and Intelligent Building formula.
Take Control of your Manufacturing Maintenance with Proteus MMX CMMS (Comprehensive Maintenance Management Software) Solution. Proteus MMX is a web-hosted maintenance management software solution which integrates asset management, maintenance management, inventory, labor and purchasing functions for improved scheduling, cost reduction, resource planning and more. This powerful solution has mobile capabilities for users who want to access CMMS software anytime, from any location. SIGN-UP FOR LIVE WEBINAR June 8th @ 10am CT.
sensorFact’s Matt Horton at the 2016 Niagara Summit: Data Acquisition Solutions for Your Building Control Sensors. Making its debut appearance at 2016 Niagara Vendor Product Showcase, sensorFact is a cloud based data acquisition and storage service for sensor data. It allows you to send sensor data from your location, through our pointCollex technology or directly to their pointCollex API, to your account in sensorFact. Once there, you can name, organize, tag, monitor, and choose which sensors whose data you want to store long-term. Further, your sensor data is available for you to share or integrate with other systems.
ACI’s Sales Engineer, Mya Holzemer at the 2016 Niagara Summit Vendor Showcase. Mya Holzemer, Sales Engineer at Automation Components, Inc., reviewed some of ACI’s new contractor-friendly products designed to deliver a better sensor solution that shortens the installation time, as well as eases the effort necessary for installation. New products featured the sensor enclosure with a hinged cover that eliminates the need ofr screws, and the WPR2 wet-wet, differential pressure transmitter, that reduces the amount of copper needed and eliminates the manifold valve assembly. Visit ACI’s product and training videos for more information!
Another apex moment in the Smart Buildings Controls Renaissance movement, where over 1300 of the world’s top developers, programmers, building owners, engineers and executives have joined Nino DiCosmo and the Tridium staff to participate in forums, presentations and breakout sessions that will set the precedence and pace in the realm of smart, intelligent, and connected buildings. Over 300 developer partners participated in the future of Niagara 4 at the Boot Camp session. The evening Welcome Reception was kicked off in true Mardi Gras fashion with a police-escort led parade ending at the fabulous Champions Square.
Nino DiCosmo, President and General Manager, opened DAY 2 by delivering a compelling Keynote message on just how deep the technology disruption goes and his vision of the Niagara Communities’ opportunities to fully leverage technology, achieve operational excellence, and develop new revenue streams. John Sublett, Chief Technology Officer, was next up, commenting “We will be integrating the key technologies for you — that’s the power of an open system” and Pranay Prakash, Vice President, Product Marketing, followed with “Edge and cloud technologies will completely change the IoT game and we want to lead this transformation.”
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending May 22, 2016 features video and interview coverage of the 2016 Niagara Summit held May 15th through the 17th, in New Orleans, where over 1300 of the world’s top developers, programmers, building owners, engineers and executives met to take the smart, connected, and intelligent building — and the Building Renaissance to its next level. Many more videos to follow. Congratulations once again to Nino DiCosmo, Jenny Graves, and the team at Tridium, as well as the vendors, breakout speakers, and the Niagara Community at large — for the professional enrichment and networking. We already look forward to the 2018 Niagara Summit.
ControlTalk Now — DAY 1 @ 2016 Niagara Summit Recap. ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending May 15, 2016 is all about DAY 1 @ 2016 Niagara Summit in New Orleans — and another apex moment in the Building Renaissance movement, where over 1300 of the world’s top developers, programmers, building owners, engineers and executives have joined Nino DiCosmo and the Tridium staff to participate in forums, presentations and breakout sessions that will set the precedence and pace in the realm of smart, intelligent, and connected buildings. Over 300 developer partners participated in the future of Niagara 4 at the Boot Camp session. The evening Welcome Reception was kicked off in true Mardi Gras fashion with a police-escort led parade ending at the fabulous Champions Square.
DAY 2 @ 2016 Niagara Summit — See the Niagara Community in Action! Nino DiCosmo, President and General Manager, opened DAY 2 by delivering a compelling Keynote message on just how deep the technology disruption goes and his vision of the Niagara Communities’ opportunities to fully leverage technology, achieve operational excellence, and develop new revenue streams. John Sublett, Chief Technology Officer, was next up, commenting “We will be integrating the key technologies for you — that’s the power of an open system” and Pranay Prakash, Vice President, Product Marketing, followed with “Edge and cloud technologies will completely change the IoT game and we want to lead this transformation.”
Catching Up with Ed Merwin at the Niagara Summit 2016. Ken and I catch up with Ed Merwin, one of our favorite people in the Smart Buildings Controls Industry. Ed gives us his thoughts on the 2016 Niagara Summit, N4, and how the future looks in a world connected by Niagara. Ed is one of the most recognized experts in the Building Automation and Integration industry, having introduced the Niagara Platform and the concept of system integration to many of North America’s earliest integration adopters.
Nino DiCosmo, Leadership Extraordinaire — DAY 3 @ 2016 Niagara Summit. In between all the excitement, networking, and learning at the 2016 Niagara Summit, Ken and I got a chance to catch up with Nino DiCosmo, President and General Manager at Tridium. Nino reviews the growth of the Niagara Community, the milestones already accomplished, and the global road map ahead. Hear what Nino has to say about the first three days of what is arguably the best Niagara Summit yet!
DAY 3 @ 2016 Niagara Summit Highlights — Keynote Speaker David Pogue — Out for a Funrun with Technology. DAY 3 @ 2016 Niagara Summit Highlight — Keynote Speaker David Pogue. David has over 3 million books in print, was founder of Yahoo Tech, and serves as the personal-technology columnist for the New York Times. David enlightened, entertained, challenged, and inspired the Niagara Community with his humorous, but piercing insight into the forces changing our lives and our careers. 80% of the new movies, new books and new technology will not be success stories, but the message wasn’t the math. Run with technology; not against it. Great job Tridium — on another great Niagara Summit.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending May 8, 2016 features interviews with Smart Buildings Controls Renaissance expert Ken Sinclair, owner editor of Automated Buildings, and Cyber Security expert, Fred Gordy, Director of Cyber Security at Intelligent Buildings, LLC. Register now for the June 21st Realcomm/IBcon Smart Building Integrators Summit in San Jose. Additionally, BASSG introduces Analytics at the Edge Device; Functional Devices offers a new Fan Safety Alarm Control; and Peter Greisinger from Intermatic talks about some great products to battle Light Litter.
ControlTalk NOW’s first interview is with Smart Buildings Controls Renaissance expert Ken Sinclair, owner editor of Automated Buildings. Ken Sinclair discusses Automated Buildings May Theme “Our Open IoT Centric Future,” Acquisition Impacts, and Open, Cheap, & Sexy Lighting Report. Ken Sinclair’s editorial in May’s Automated Buildings has a few Paul Revere like messages in the first two paragraphs. The first being that four relatively large control companies were bought recently, and the efficacious assimilation of their technologies will allow for much larger and more successful market penetration in the Building Automation arena from non-traditional directions.
The Smart Buildings Controls Renaissance Begins — Review of Global EasyIO Partner Event in Paris. The Smart Buildings Controls Renaissance began a year ago in Paris as the great minds of smart buildings and building automation controls gathered at the EASY IO Event to discuss and reinvent the way we save energy and make buildings smarter. That week marked the beginning, but not the end of innovation in the Smart Buildings Control space. The vendors and systems integrators that gathered at the Global EasyIO Partner Event — from six continents, all agreed that buildings are the common language and currency — and EasyIO is the common language spoken.
Pre-Con’s Smart Building Integrators Summit: Chart Your Next Moves from a Single Building to a Large Portfolio. Realcomm/IBcon 2016 Pre-Con Smart Building Integrators Summit provides a detailed map where the next-generation Master Systems Integrator is — and how you can get there. Today we are dealing with three different generations of smart building technologies: (1) Past (closed, proprietary, single system), (2) Current (more open and attempting to retrieve data and functionality of the older more closed systems) and (3) Future (IP-enabled, intuitive GUIs, analytics, edge devices pumping data directly to the cloud). But, with all of these new changes comes more and more involvement with IT technologies.
BASSG Joins The Smart Buildings Controls Renaissance Introducing Analytics Processed at the Edge Device! When people say that we are living in the post-PC era they mean that the personal computer is being eclipsed as the center of the IT universe by the smartphone. With the advent of the Smart Buildings Controls Renaissance, operations technology is experiencing a similar reordering. In this new era of the Internet of Things (IoT), compute resources equivalent to a PC or smartphone are being integrated into all sorts of equipment and devices. For commercial buildings, a new category of IoT device is emerging -— the BASSG Energy Analytics Controller (EAC). Smart building applications development may soon revolve around the enormous possibilities of these edge devices.
Functional Devices — A Much Simpler Decision Than Picking a 2016 Presidential Primary Candidate. Functional Devices does it again! The RIBMNLB-1 gives you a simple and effective FAN SAFETY ALARM CIRCUIT control. Functional Devices, Inc. has been designing and manufacturing quality electronic devices in the United States of America since 1969. Alarm Fault Application Explained: When the Latch/Fault Input is Closed (Normal state), the Relay is activated, and Red LED is Off. When Latch/Fault Input Opens (Alarm state), the Relay deactivates, and Red LED turns On. Until the Latch/ Fault Input is Closed AND either power is cycled or the RESET button is pressed, relay will remain in the Alarm state.
Light Litter is Costing 2 Billion Dollars a Year! Light Litter, a term Ken Smyers coined, wastes two billion dollars a year in energy. What is Light Litter? Light Litter is when you have a beautiful sunny day and outside lights are still on. To see examples of light litter you can go to The Green Marines Facebook Page. If you see examples of Light Litter, please go to The Green Marines Facebook Page and upload a picture. Change starts with awareness, and as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Reach out to your local politician and ask them to stop Light Litter. this is a problem the HVAC and Smart Buildings Control Community can easily solve. In this video, Ken reaches out to Peter Greisinger from Intermatic to learn about the easy to use affordable lighting timers and controls that Intermatic has to eliminate light litter.
ControlTalk NOW’s second interview is with Fred Gordy, Director of Cyber Security at Intelligent Buildings, LLC. Fred Gordy is one of the leading evangelists on Cyber Security, particularly as it applies to Operational Technology (OT) versus Information Technology (IT). In this interview, Fred delivers another critical collection of cyber security and cyber terrorism information — as it pertains the building management systems’ world. The threat is real and increasing, and the human variable in the equation is the most important. If you don’t have a policy or internal guidance yet, click here.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending May 1, 2016 highlights two of the most important and career-rejuvenating industry event dates that are coming fast: Niagara Summit 2016, May 15th-17th in New Orleans and 2016 Realcomm/IBcon, June 21st-24th in San Jose, CA., as well as coverage of Women in HVACR scholarship opportunities; 2016 CGNA Synergy Conference interviews with Mike Sackett and Honeywell’s Larry Weber; 3D Printed Heat Exchangers; DOE recognition of corporate leadership; Project Haystack announces three new members; Contemporary Controls and Siemens showcase new products; and Belimo offers May 11th steam valve sizing and selection webinar.
Ken and Eric continue discussing the Smart Buildings Controls Renaissance, the “race to the small space” and how to solve the global light litter epidemic.
Women in HVACR: 2016 WHVACR Scholarships DEADLINE is JUNE 1ST. Current industry estimates project a need for 86,000 employees over the next five years. One of WHVACR goals is to help the industry fill this demand now and going forward with deserving and qualified candidates. In 2016 Women in HVACR is delighted to be able to increase our scholarship award amount to: Two $2000.00 scholarships. Qualifications: Scholarship A) – Technical College or Trade School. Open to females, high school seniors or older preparing to enter into the HVACR industry either through a technical college or trade school with a GPA of 2.0 or greater, and completed application and essay (minimum of 500 words).
CGNA’s Mike Sackett: Together We Are Better. This is the first of several interviews from the 2016 CGNA Controls Conference. We caught up with Mike Sackett, the director of CGNA. Controls Group North America (CGNA) is an elite organization of the top distributors and manufacturers in the controls industry. The marketing, technology and networking opportunities provided through the group contribute to the undeniable pursuit of excellence for every member. Mike offers some valuable insights into what makes CGNA so special.
3D Printing Enables New Generation of Heat Exchangers — Modern Process Improves Performance, Reduces Waste. WASHINGTON — The University of Maryland, through a partnership with 3D Systems and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Building Technologies Office, has used 3D printing to prototype a new heat exchanger. This next-generation heat exchanger weighs 20 percent less, is 20 percent more efficient, and can be manufactured much quicker, compared to current designs.
Energy Department Recognizes Organizations for Leadership in Rooftop Unit Efficiency. As part of the Administration’s strategy to increase energy productivity and cut energy waste in our nation’s buildings, today the U.S. Department of Energy recognized six organizations for their leadership in replacing and upgrading rooftop units as part of the Better Buildings Alliance Rooftop Unit Campaign (ARC). Combined, these organizations in a single year have saved an estimated 1 trillion British thermal units (Btu) or more than $11 million on utility costs with efficient rooftop unit (RTU) replacements, retrofits, and quality management and operations.
Contemporary Controls Enhanced JACE Performance and a Truly Open Controller Showcased at Niagara Summit. We’re looking forward to Tridium’s Niagara Summit, May 15-17 in New Orleans. The Summit provides us with the opportunity to demonstrate how our BASautomation products can enhance Niagara performance by off-loading MS/TP traffic handling from JACE controllers, by providing pre-defined Modbus device profiles to speed up commissioning, and by providing seamless connectivity to Sedona BACnet/IP field controllers using Workbench or our Sedona Application Editor for programming.
Project Haystack Adds New Members Demonstrating Continued Acceptance of the Organization’s Standards. RICHMOND, VIRGINIA (PRWEB) APRIL 28, 2016: Project Haystack Adds New Members Demonstrating Continued Acceptance of the Organization’s Standards for Semantic Modeling and Tagging of Device and Equipment Data. The Project Haystack Organization, a collaborative community addressing the challenge of utilizing semantic modeling and tagging to streamline the interchange of data among different systems, devices, equipment and software applications in order to lower the cost of intelligent building and IoT solutions, today announced three new Associate Member companies – Arup, Connexx Energy and Intellastar Technology.
Join Belimo’s 30 minute Steam Valve Sizing & Selection webinar and learn about steam applications including coil/heat exchangers and the proper technique on how to size a steam valve. In addition, we will demonstrate how easy it is to ensure the correct steam control valve is selected by using the Belimo SelectPro tool. Join Us on Wednesday, May 11 at 1:00 EDT. Click here to register.
Siemens’ New RDY2000BN with BACnet. Siemens Building Technologies has taken the already impressive RDY2000 commercial thermostat and added BACnet capability. This new thermostat is ideal for schools, medical offices, retail space, and restaurants and can now communicate with any BACnet system in the building. You can bring more buildings and zones under control, reduce energy costs and maximize comfort with this easy to install thermostat loaded with built-in features.
Honeywell’s Larry Weber on Light Commercial Smart Controls — Sustain and Maintain Small to Medium Size Buildings. At the 2016 CGNA Synergy Conference, ControlTrends caught up with Honeywell’s Larry Weber, General Manager Building Control Systems (BCS) Honeywell Environmental Control and Combustion. It is quite apparent that Larry and Honeywell have their hands directly on the pulse of the Smart Buildings controls renaissance. Hear how Honeywell has redoubled its efforts in the “race to the small space,” and learn about the new Light Commercial Smart Controls that Honeywell will be introducing later this year — that will reinvent how people will use data and provide service and maintain small to medium size buildings.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending April 24, 2016 features coverage on the 2016 CGNA Synergy Showcase meeting from Newport Beach and our preview interview with Realcomm’s Founder/CEO Jim Young. Jim is the leading visionary in the Smart, Connected, and Intelligent Buildings world, and the up-coming Realcomm/IBcon, June 21-26, 2016 in Silicon Valley, the epicenter of technology and innovation, is the most dynamic event in the industry (Register Now). Special thanks to ACI for the ControlTrends bobble heads!
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending April 17, 2016 takes a good look at the technology driving Honeywell’s second generation Lyric thermostat — featuring geofencing that triggers a mobile device application when the device enters or exits the specified area, and Ecorithm’s use of Artificial Intelligence in Smart Buildings. Functional Devices asks why pay for more? Don’t miss the the latest Pub Talk with Mike Marston and the Easy IO partners from Australia, and of special note: Make your plans NOW to attend the RealComm/IBcon 2016 coming to San Jose June 21-24!
30 Minutes with Lynxspring Webinar Series: Lynxspring’s New E2E Cellular Data Service and Onyxx CE121 Cellular Router. The next “30 Minutes with Lynxspring,” our monthly webinar series featuring Lynxspring subject-matter experts and special guests, is scheduled for Wednesday, April 20th at 12:00 PM CDT. April’s Webinar looks at Lynxspring’s new E2E Cellular Data Service, a high-security, private cellular data network, and the new Onyxx CE121 Cellular Router. Register here!
Watch Out Nest: The Second Generation Lyric is Making Beautiful Music. Many think that Nest owns the “cool factor” when it comes to residential thermostats. Not so fast, the orginators of the round thermostat are coming on strong with their second generation Lyric thermostat. That’s right, Honeywell, the company that, as far as we know, has built more thermostats than any other company on the planet, and advanced thermostat technology since 1885, is showing that in addition to unsurpassed technology and engineering, they know a think to two about style. Don’t settle for another pretty face. With Honeywell you get style and substance.
Check out the Smart, Connected, High Performance Intelligent Buildings Conference. Where else can you learn about the latest trends in Smart Buildings and rub elbows with potential customers? RealComm/IBcon 2016 offers this unique opportunity, and is the place to be June 21-24. Click here to register. Act Now Early bird discount ends April 15th. IBcon has grown to become the world’s most comprehensive and leading edge discussion on the next generation of smart, connected, high-performance, green, sustainable, intelligent buildings. This event is not about the traditional one building, one system, one vendor smart building of yesterday, but rather the open architected, interoperable, integrated, IP, IT centric smart buildings of tomorrow. Register here!
Functional Devices Asks: Why Pay More Than You Need? Functional Devices, Inc. has been designing and manufacturing quality electronic devices in the United States of America since 1969. Our goal is to provide high quality products for the most reliable and economical solutions to the needs of our customers, along with world-class support from our sales and engineering experts. Current product offerings include relays, current sensors, power control, enclosures, power supplies, transformers, and accessories.
Ecorithm’s Dr. Igor Mezic and John Morris Explain True Analytics and Using Artificial Intelligence in Smart Buildings. This is next-gen analytics! Dr. Igor Mezic, Ecorithm’s Chief Scientific and Technology Advisor & Co-Founder, and John Morris, VP Marketing and Sales, tell ControlTrends about what inspired Igor to develop Ecorithm’s technology, why Ecorithm is able to provide faster and more accurate results that other analytics companies, and why Ecorithm’s SaaS is necessary for the entire lifetime of the system.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending April 10, 2016 reviews Ken Sinclair’s April Automated Buildings edition and features the wrap-up 2015 ControlTrends Awards video highlighting many of the HVAC and Building Automation heroes and superstars, as well as coverage of Therese Sullivan’s VizLore commentary, KMC Converge, and the NIST Smart Grid and CPS April Newsletter.
Build Something Incredible with the KMC Converge Niagara® Application. Are you maximizing your Niagara® experience with KMC’s latest innovative utility? The all-new KMC Converge Niagara application and KMC Workbench features mobile-friendly HTML5 graphics (KMC Converge GFX) and can be licensed to any open workbench. Converge compliments the new KMC Conquest line of BACnet direct digital controllers and appliances designed to connect building automation systems to the Internet of Things (IoT). The new suite of products provide system integrators and building owners with open, scalable, secure building automation solutions from a single building to enterprise-level installations.
A Final Look at The 2015 ControlTrends Awards. Once again, thank you to the sponsors of the 2015 ControlTrends Awards, and congratulations to all the winners and participants. We will see you at the 2016 ControlTrends Awards in Las Vegas! Special congratulations to the Young Guns Award winners, AHR EXPO receiving the ControlTrends Industry Service Award, ControlTrends India, Petock Award winner Ed Merwin and Hans Kranz’s Hall of Fame induction.
ControlTalk NOW guest interview with Ken Sinclair’s who discusses his April 2016 Automated Buildings Theme, which was “IoT Disruption Transforms and Opens Industry.” Ken tells how steady march of technical advances that have impacted our industry over the past 40 years might be cyclic in nature because they sometimes look familiar. “Transforming and Opening the Industry is a journey, not a destination, and will require consistent and constant attention.”
Therese Sullivan (VizLore Interview) How Will the IoT Create More Intelligent Buildings? VizLore platform is physically divided into two computational strata: a) Edge Computing is applied and distributed across connected devices and networking elements. It enables tactical data processing and serves to improve service resilience. b) Cloud Computing: Orchestration of distributed computing and service integration across the edge devices happens in the cloud, as well as more strategic oversight and workflow control. VizLore soft sensors and analytics derive insight and value from data sources that range from occupant personal devices, building infrastructure, and public-domain information.
NIST Smart Grid and CPS Newsletter: Global City Teams Challenge (GCTC): “Tech Jam” Features 60+ Presentations. IoT-Enabled Smart City Framework: U.S. Kick-off Held on March 24-25, 2016: The international technical public working group to help develop an IoT-Enabled Smart City Framework (IES-City Framework) was launched March 24-25 at a kick-off event on the NIST campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The U.S. event, held immediately following the GCTC Tech Jam, drew 70 participants. A parallel European kick-off event is planned for April 14-15, 2016, in Rome, Italy.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending March 27, 2016 reviews KMC’s New Conquest BACnet® Router; CABA’s Intelligent Buildings & Digital Home Forum; Contemporary Controls’ new BACnet Discovery Tool; Lynxspring’s Onyx BACnet to Haystack Data Pump; Johnson Controls Becomes Founding Building Automation Partner in Cisco® Digital Ceiling Program; DENT Instruments Announcement to Collaborate with Emerson; and Honeywell’s announces Pressure Independent Control Valve web training.
KMC’s New Conquest BACnet® Router Offers Time and Labor Savings. KMC Controls’ state-of-the-art Conquest BACnet® router features one MS/TP and one Ethernet port, an HTML5 web configuration interface requiring no additional software, a single cable for both power and communications, and an excellent set of network diagnostic tools for quick and easy network verification and troubleshooting. The router is optimized for temporary installation as a technician’s tool and for permanent installation increasing network efficiency. Additionally, the router acts as an enhancement to a supervisory controller or integration engine by offloading MS/TP and routing, freeing up greater internal resources for core functions.
CABA’s Intelligent Buildings & Digital Home Forum – April 26-28, 2016 in San Diego, CA. Will be held April 26 – 28, 2016 in San Diego, CA. The Continental Automated Buildings Association is pleased to announce that its next Intelligent Buildings & Digital Home Forum will be held April 26 – 28, 2016 in San Diego, CA. Program information and registration for attendees is now open online at: http://www.caba.org/forum and highly discounted early-bird pricing and hotel rates will be in effect for a limited time. Kevin Petersen, President of AT&T Digital Life, James Carlini, Author and Paul Campbell, VP Innovation, Head of Silicon Valley Innovation Center, Schneider Electric have been confirmed as keynote speakers.
Contemporary Controls Adds New Features to the BACnet Discovery Tool. March 2016 – Contemporary Controls is pleased to announce the release of the latest iteration of its BACnet Discovery Tool, commonly referred to as BDT. For those unfamiliar, BDT is a free BACnet/IP application for Windows that is easy to install and use. The tool is instrumental as a means of discovering and verifying communication with MS/TP devices that are being accessed through BACnet/IP routers such as the BASrouter or the BASrouterLX. To prove our routers operate with different equipment configurations, we here at Contemporary Controls use BDT with equipment from various BACnet vendors.
New Product Release: Onyx BACnet to Haystack Data Pump. This just in from our Friends at Lynxspring: Lynxspring is pleased to announce the availability of our new Onyxx BACnet to Haystack Data Pump. With the number of and variety of equipment, sensors, devices and building automation systems that are available to connect to, the amount of building data available has increased considerably. With this, comes value in having large amounts of data. But, the challenge lies in how to manage and get useful information out of the data; especially as these data sets often come with various formats, naming conventions, and syntaxes. It is one thing to have access to data. It is another to make it actionable.
Johnson Controls Becomes Founding Building Automation Partner in Cisco® Digital Ceiling. Partnership allows buildings to become smarter, more efficient and connected. MILWAUKEE, March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Johnson Controls announced today that it has joined the Cisco® Digital Ceiling community as a founding building automation partner. The Digital Ceiling framework provides a platform that delivers better user experiences through the convergence of the IT network and building technologies, including lighting, heating, cooling, security, motion detection, and other sensors and actuators.
DENT Instruments Announces Collaboration with Emerson. PRESS RELEASE: DENT Instruments Announces Collaboration with Emerson to Launch An Industry-First Wireless Power Meter. DENT Instruments, Bend, Oregon – DENT Instruments, a global leader in the design and manufacture of power and energy measurement instruments, along with Emerson, a recognized leader in bringing technology and engineering together, have announced a strategic collaboration, making wireless power measurement a reality.
ELearning: Honeywell Pressure Independent Control Valve Training. Honeywell has a broad Control Valve portfolio and will be offering a one-hour training that is open to all Distributors and Contractors on Pressure Independent Control Valves. This training will cover: Common Applications, Basic Technical Information, Key Advantages of Honeywell’s VRN and VRW valves, Savings Potential, Part Number Explanation & Ordering Process, Available Valve Resources, and Q&A. Honeywell will also be announcing a quarterly promotion for Control Valves at the end of training. Please join for more details. Web Meeting Access: https://honeywellintl.globalmeet.com/HoneywellAirAndWater
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending March 20, 2016 includes RedLINK E-Learning from Honeywell; FIN Stack Webinar from J2 Innovation; White Paper and E-Zine release from Project Haystack; BAS Control PUB Talk with EasyIO’s Mike Marston; Josh Bradshaw’s Silicon Valley Smart Buildings coverage; 2015 ControlTrends Awards Red Carpet interviews and Hans Kranz’s Hall of Fame induction; and a guest interview with OpenBMCS General Manager Chris Schneider from Australia.
Honeywell E-Learning: Next RedLINK Tool. Free, Live Product Training! Join us to learn about the solution HVAC installers have been asking for. The Honeywell Equipment Remote Module (ERM) is designed for use whenever it’s too costly or time-consuming to run wires from a condensing unit or boiler to control devices. The ERM eliminates wiring needs and assists in the connection of hard to access pieces of equipment, making it ideal for most installations.
J2 Innovations: Bringing Equipment and Points from Niagara into FIN Stack! This week’s video focuses on just how quick and easy it is to bring data from a Niagara station into your FIN Stack server. The video starts off by demonstrating how to connect Niagara to FINStack, using the nHaystackService (Niagara) and Haystack Connector (FIN Stack). Once the connection is established, bringing the data into FIN Stack is simple. How it works: By utilizing the ‘Add Haystack Equip’ tool within the Haystack Connector, you can select multiple equipment folders from their Niagara Station to become haystack equipment.
New White Paper and E-Zine from Project Haystack. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE! New White Paper and E-Zine from Project Haystack Discuss the Benefits and Value of Tagging and Semantic Modeling for Today’s Smart Buildings and the Internet of Things. RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, March 15, 2016 — The Project Haystack Organization (www.project-haystack.org), a collaborative open-source community addressing the challenges of utilizing tagging and semantic modeling to streamline the interchange of data among smart devices and software applications, today announced two new publications supporting the organization’s work.
2015 ControlTrends Awards Red Carpet Interviews (Caution: Superstars and Super Heroes Entering Stage Right). Great ControlTrends Awards interviews with Ken Sinclair, Automated Buildings and Brad White, SES Engineering, discuss the Young Guns Awards (Climate Superheroes), the AHR EXPO Industry Service Award, the global growth of ControlTrends Community and Hans Kranz’s Hall of Fame induction; along with interviews with Johan Schakenraad, CEO, EasyIO Europe; Allion and Scott Cochrane, Cochrane Supply; Alerton’s Amy Doran and Kevin Callahan; BASSG’s Alper Uzmezler; McKinney’s Leroy Walden; Jason Briggs from J2 Innovation; Siemens’ Josh Felperin; Thermokon’s David Alliband; Chris Lane and Dimitri Papadopoulos from Johnson Controls (Congratulations on Facility Explorer’s 10 Year Anniversary); John and James Donahue from Control Consultants, Inc.; and Blue Ridge Technologies’ Bill Dunkleberger.
Smart Buildings: Silicon Valley Delivers Data-Driven Office Space. A new friend, Josh Bradshaw is worth paying attention to. Josh is a technology enthusiast and visionary. He coined the phrase “Don’t Work for Technology; Make Technology Work for You.” Check out his website WorkTechWork to get an idea just how broad his coverage of technology is, and how it is effecting us now and will in the future. Josh recently co-chaired a Smart Buildings Event with Jim Young, RealComm/Ibcon for the movers and shakers in Silicon Valley. As you can see from the video, some great perspectives and dialogue. Nice job Josh and Jim!
ControlTalk NOW guest Chris Schneider, General Manager, OpenBMCS. From sunny down under, Chris’ tells us about his latest focus, which is about producing a video support package for the OpenBMCS software package — a fully web based building automation head-end to manage everything about your Sedona site: graphical front end, programming, alarming, trending, and controller management. This step by step video guide walks you through installing a system, adding a new controller, and an in-depth review of the alarming package. OpenBCMS has recently launched two new modules, which can be added through their website: Tenant Billing and Maintenance Log. Visit OpenBMCS now to see more!
Episode 3: Mike Marston’s BAS Control Pub Talk with Brian Anderson. What do Jimi Hendricks, Mad Mike Marston, and saving energy have in Common? They all know Brian Anderson from Commtech Asia. On this episode of BAS Control Pub Talk with Mike Marston, Mike introduces us to the fascinating Brian, as they talk controls, rock and roll, and check out chicks in Thailand. Here is a bit of Brian’s history: Brian left school at 16 in 1961 and became a drummer in many several rock bands, playing rock an roll for over 2 decades. To put this in perspective 1961 was the year that Mike was born. Mike, how come Brian looks so young? Speaks well of the after effects of over 20 years of S__, D__-s, and Rock and Roll.
Hans Kranz, Fabled Controls Wizard from Landstule, Germany, Inducted into ControlTrends 2015 Hall of Fame. Perhaps the greatest highlight moment of the 2015 ControlTrends Awards was the special pleasure of watching Automated Buildings’ editor and owner, Ken Sinclair, induct Hans R. Kranz into the ControlTrends Hall of Fame. Hans’ incredible sixty year career in the HVAC industry began at the age of 14, and progressed with one achievement after another, becoming known as the father of Standard BACS Functions. Hans has served on the Presidial Board of DIN (German Standardization Institute), is a member of the DKE (German Electrotechnical Commission) and the VDI (Association of German Engineers with 150,000 members). For more on Hans Kranz’s outstanding life achievements and biography, please see below.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending March 13, 2016 does a hasty review of Week Ending March 6th and features special guest Ken Sinclair, owner and editor of Automated Buildings, who talks about this month’s theme — Project-Haystack Open for Mashing, and Johnson Controls’ Whitepaper: Changing Demographics in the HVACR Industry. Six ControlTrends Award Winner videos; Lynxspring and Belimo webinars; and the March TridiumTalk.
EasyIO FG-32+ BACnet Listing Update and EasyStack Training — March 2016 in Melbourne and Sydney. MC Cheah, Senior Development Engineer at EasyIO was delighted to announce that EasyIO received official confirmation from BTL that the FG-32+ passed the BTL test with 100% results and the FG-32+ and the FG-20+ will be listed on the BTL website in the very near future.
KMC Controls — The Next Generation of Building Automation — Training Opportunities. March 1, 2016: Take Advantage of the Latest Training Availability from KMC Controls! Visit the KMC Controls Partner Portal to sign up for KMC training in New Paris, IN. Current course offerings include: TotalControl with KMC Connect: Course Description: The objective of this 5-day course is to provide instruction on the installation, integration, and operation of KMC Conquest hardware using KMC Connect Lite, KMC Connect, and TotalControl software.
2015 ControlTrends Award Highlight: Patrick Dumas of Viconics Wins Best Technical Support Person Small Manufacturer. Patrick is a Senior Technical Support Representative at Viconics (Schneider Electric) Canada. Viconics Technologies Inc. headquartered in Montreal, Canada was founded 30 years ago in the field of industrial process controls. Viconics quickly became a leader in embedded micro controller-based technology and developed factory programmed, field-configurable stand-alone PI wall mounted temperature controllers. Congratulations once again, Patrick!
2015 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: John Hutchey, Honeywell Wins Best Technical Support Person Large Manufacturer. As a Product Support Specialist at Honeywell John’s role involves supporting channel partners in sales, design, and commissioning of open-system projects, and his primary focus is supporting contractors to insure successful integrations on the Niagara platforms. Congratulations John!
ControlTalk NOW featured guest Ken Sinclair, who discusses his March, 2016 Release: “Project-Haystack Open for Mashing.” March, 2016’s edition gives recognition and congratulates Project-Haystack and the Sedona Community by featuring the E-zine launch of Project-Haystack Connections, a seminal work by Therese Sullivan, and Ken’s Open Sedona Evolution editorial. In Ken’s own words: “We are extremely pleased to deliver to you Project-Haystack’s new e-zine “Connections” as a supplement/insert to our March issue.
Ken Sinclair’sAutomated Buildings March, 2016 Release: “Project-Haystack Open for Mashing.” In his March 2016 edition, Ken Sinclair, owner and editor of Automated Buildings, gives recognition and congratulates Project-Haystack and the Sedona Community in meaningful ways featuring the E-zine launch of Project-Haystack Connections, a seminal work by Therese Sullivan, and Ken’s Open Sedona Evolution editorial. In the words of Ken Sinclair: “We are extremely pleased to deliver to you Project-Haystack’s new e-zine “Connections” as a supplement/insert to our March issue. We have been involved with the project from its inception and are proud and pleased to have the honor of helping present this first issue. This issue provides an amazing overview of the achievement and resource collection in place today.”
ControlTrends India Interview with Pankaj Dharkar at ACREX 2016 Mumbai. Direct from ACREX 2016, Sameer Pradhan, Director ControlTrends India, interviews the venerated Pankaj Dharkar, founder of Pankaj Dharkar & Associates, and ex-President of Indian Society Of Heating, Refrigerating & Air-conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE). Pankaj Dharkar, a legend in HVAC and Building engineering, a smart city visionary and front leader for Fire & Security Association of India (FSAI), in an exclusive interview with Sameer Pradhan, talked about his active role in forming and nurturing several societies aimed towards Safety, Security and Building services.
DG Logik’s DGLux5 Takes Data Center Infrastructure Management to a New Level. DGLogik’s Modern Toolsets: One Workspace. Data-Driven. All Yours. Create a first-class application that will take your Data Center Infrastructure Management solution to a whole new level. With DGLux5, users can quickly identify problems, find out where to investigate and make faster, well-informed decisions to cut costs, save time and manage large amounts of data more efficiently.
2015 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: The PID Award. Watch as the electrifying Roger Rebennack, winner of the first ever ControlTrends PID Award, presents the 2015 ControlTrends PID Award to Mike Marston from EASY IO, and Honeywell’s Larry Andriunas. Larry and Mike were recognized by the Global ControlTrends community for their Passion, Integrity and Dedication. Congratulations, and thanks for making our Smart Buildings and Building Automation Controls Industry better.
2015 ControlTrends Award Highlight: Ed Merwin Receives The Coveted Petock Award. Congratulations to Ed Merwin, from Tridium, who received the 2015 Petock Award. The Petock Award is named for smart buildings industry pioneer and veteran Marc Petock. In addition to his business success, Marc is known for giving to and helping others make themselves and our Industry better. It is in this spirit that the Petock Award was created. Great job Ed! You are very deserving of this honor!
2015 ControlTrends Award Highlight: The System Integrator of the Year. Congratulations to Hepta Control Systems and Automation Integrated, co-winners of the 2015 ControlTrends System Integrator of the Year Award. Hepta Control Systems and Automation Integrated were voted by the global ControlTrends Community for their outstanding work in the HVAC and Smart Building and Building Automation Controls Industry.
March’s TridiumTalk: What Can Intelligent Alarming Do for You? Find out through a live demo in this month’s TridiumTalk. You won’t want to miss our next TridiumTalk, “Intelligent Alarming with the Niagara Analytics Framework.” Join Sales Engineer Ross Schwalm for a live demo to learn how to capture real-time data, and build and manage intelligent alarms. The Niagara Analytics Framework is purposefully designed for the Internet of Things (IoT) — turning data into actionable information and enabling faster, smarter business decisions. Register today!
2015 ControlTrends Award Highlight: ACI Wins Vendor of the Year — Small Manufacturer. Since its founding in 1991, ACI has been dedicated to excellence and has grown from seven employees to over 170 quality individuals, and has facilities that total over 78,000 square feet, with global offices in Hong Kong, and China. ACI’s products include temperature, relative humidity, current, pressure, gas and wireless related sensors. ACI has maintained its deep commitment to its core values: service, integrity, pride, and loyalty — and it has paid off handsomely, well done ACI!
30 Minutes with Lynxspring – The New BACnet to Haystack Data Pump. The next “30 Minutes with Lynxspring”, our monthly webinar series featuring Lynxspring subject-matter experts and special guests, is scheduled for Wednesday, March 16th at 12:00 PM CDT. March’s “30 Minutes with Lynxspring” will look at our new BACnet to Haystack Data Pump. With the number of and variety of equipment, sensors, devices and building automation systems that are available to connect to, the amount of building data available has increased considerably.
2015 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: Belimo Wins Vendor of the Year Large Manufacturer. Belimo is a listed technology company with a staff of close to 1400 worldwide. Belimo has developed, manufactured, and distributed electric actuators for air dampers and valve technology for heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems since 1975. With thier comprehensive range of products, Belimo has become world leaders in this specific market. Congratulations once again to Belimo, winner of the 2015 ControlTrends Vendor of the Year Large Manufacturer! . Belimo Fire & Smoke Product Release and Essential Retrofit Applications Webinar. Fire & Smoke Product Release and Essential Retrofit Applications. In this webinar, you will learn why the new Belimo FSAF A Series of Fire & Smoke actuators are the perfect retrofit solution. The discussion will provide information on key applications and about the optimized functionality that provides maximum safety. Join Us on Wednesday, March 23 at 1:00 EST. Click here to register.
2015 ControlTrends Award Highlight: Jason Briggs Wins Executive of the Year Small Manufacturer. Congratulations to Jason Briggs from J2 Innovations. Jason was awarded the 2015 Executive of the Year Award by the global ControlTrends Community. J2 Innovations is an emerging software and technology company specializing in the human experience as it relates to smart devices. FIN (Fluid Integration) framework is the core enabling technology for creating software solutions ranging from device programming to enterprise visualization.
2015 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: Lars van der Haegen Wins Executive of the Year Large Manufacturer. Congratulations to Lars van der Haegen from Belimo. Lars van der Haegen has been the President of Belimo Americas and Member of the Executive Committee since November, 2010. Prior to that, he was employed by Belimo in various positions since 2000. Lars van der Haegen has a strong HVAC application and industry knowledge paired with master degrees in business from Columbia Business School in New York and the London Business School. Accepting the Award, on Lars’ behalf, is Gary Weber, an Industry great in his own right.
Johnson Controls’ White Paper: Changing Demographics in the HVACR Industry. ControlTrends is delighted to present this Johnson Controls’ white paper written by Renee Joseph entitled “Elevating the HVACR industry: Promoting exciting careers to diverse prospects can help address staffing shortages.” This seminal piece is a profoundly informative and factual accounting that serves us all well — as the current State of the Union Address for our HVAC industry.
The Changing Demographics in the HVACR and Facility Management Workforce. The Changing Demographics in the HVACR and Facility Management Workforce. In this session, hear from seasoned industry experts, their perspectives on how the demographics have changed over the last ten years in the facility management and the HVACR industries. For example, there are now more women in the facility management and HVACR industry than there ever was before. The presentation will be on these stats and will describe the reasons for this demographic shift.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending February 29, 2016 features interviews with Ed Merwin and Therese Sullivan and ControlTrends Awards video coverage of J2 Innovations, Belimo, Blue Ridge Technologies, Siemens, and EasyIO receiving their awards, as well as Red Carpet action and an interview with Scott Muench. Drone update from Eagle Technology; Niagara Summit 2016 registration Early Bird Deadline; and Sameer Pradhan, Director, ControlTrends India coverage of ACREX 2016 from Mumbai.
CoR Advisors February Web Cast: Redefining the Modern Workplace Experience. Friday, February 26, 2016, 12:30-2:00 p.m. EST, The workplace of the future is the Smart Building. One that leverages the latest in mobile and the Internet-of-Things (IoT) technologies to collect and analyze data – providing insight into what and where things are happening in the building, and how people are actually using space. This data allows building owners to offer a suite of personalized services and location-based amenities to the occupants, while improving security, provide better space utilization, and energy optimization.
2015 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: J2 Innovations Wins the Visualization Product of the Year. Congratulations to FIN Builder, the one graphic tool to do it all. You can now train employees in FIN Builder (who don’t need to understand details about Niagara, Sedona, etc.) to build the entire Graphical User Interface (GUI), lowering your total direct costs on the job.
Trend Spotter: Eagle Technology. From Eagle Technology: Trending Topics — The Internet of Drones has Landed and Why Drones Are the Next Internet. Drones are a game changer and hold vast potential for streamlining and reducing the cost of inspection and monitoring tasks associated with reliability and asset performance. Drone technology has been democratized and it’s now fast, cheap and out of control. It’s like the Internet all over again.
On the Red Carpet at the 2015 ControlTrends Awards. Beautiful women, super heroes, style, and grace under pressure. Watch as the Super Heroes of the HVAC and Building Automation Controls walk the Red Carpet and have their big night of celebration at the 2015 ControlTrends Awards. This video captures a little bit of the excitement of this year’s Event. A special Thanks to all our Sponsors, who make the ControlTrends Awards possible.
Register Now For the 2016 Niagara Summit in New Orleans! This year’s Niagara Summit will bring the opportunity to attend information-packed breakout sessions led by Niagara experts, a robust trade show filled with BAS and IoT industry leaders, and networking with others in the Niagara Community. We’ve just announced breakout sessions for the Developer Bootcamp, and the Business and Applications tracks.
ControlTalk NOW’s first interview guest is Director, Vykon Automation Energy Security at Tridium, Ed Merwin. Ed is one of the most venerated Building Automation and Smart Building Solutions experts in the industry (2013 ControlTrends PID Award Co-winner and 2015 Petock Award winner). Ed reviews the Technical, Developer, and Business Tracks planned for the upcoming 2016 Niagara Summit to be held at Champions Square in New Orleans — one of the best venues in the country. Early Bird registration ends the evening of February 29th, 2016. Register NOW!
2015 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: Blue Ridge Technologies and Siemens Gamma Win the Lighting Integration Solution of the Year. Congratulations to Blue Ridge Technologies and Siemens Gamma for winning the 2015 ControlTrends Lighting Integration Solution of the Year Award. Blue Ridge Technologies’ Unified Lighting Control completes the BAS, incorporating lighting and HVAC controls on the same network. Siemens Gamma is a new, integrated control system that can achieve significant energy savings, providing precisely what your building’s occupants need.
2015 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: Belimo Wins Best Technical Support Award. Congratulations to the technical support team at Belimo for being chosen by the global ControlTrends Community for the ControlTrends Best Technical Support Large Manufacturer Award. Belimo continues to be a trusted partner across the globe for its customers, offering them the added value they expect. Research and market-relevant innovation as well as rapid and customized execution are key to success.
ControlTalk NOW’s second interview guest is with BuildingContext editor, Therese Sullivan, the eyes and ears of Silicon Valley, who previews with us Project Haystackers, the first issue of Project Haystack Connections, Spring Edition that will also be featured in Ken Sinclair’s March Automated Buildings edition “Project Haystack” special. BuildingContext is a marketing partner that understands data-driven buildings.
Day One Interviews from the ACREX Show in India. Sameer Pradhan, Director, ControlTrends India at the ACREX 2016 in Mumbai, interviews Sanjay Bhandarkar, Managing Director, N M Rothschild & Sons, a global investment banking company. This in-depth interview gives a very insightful and current perspective of the Indian Economy and the vital role that innovative trends in automation that will play in building India’s amazing infrastructure.
2015 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: Blue Ridge Technologies Wins Best Technical Support — Small Manufacturer. The Global ControlTrends Community has spoken, amidst fierce competition from other fantastic small manufacturers, building automation controls lighting solutions provider, Blue Ridge Technologies, was awarded the 2015 Best Technical Support Company Award. Click here to learn more about Blue Ridge Technologies and why members of the ControlTrends Community across the Globe look to Blue Ridge Technologies for their lighting control needs.
2015 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: EasyIO FG-32+ Wins the Building Automation Plant/Equipment Controller of the Year! Congratulations to four-time ControlTrends Building Automation Plant/Equipment Controller of the Year winner EasyIO and their FG-32+ plant controller. The ControlTrends Global Community expressed its continued recognition EasyIO’s powerful Open Automation and Combined Area Controller capabilities and features, as well as built in I/O and huge data logging capacity — all packaged as the future solution for the Internet of things in Energy and Building Facility Control.
2015 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: On the Red Carpet with J2 Innovation’s Scott Muench discussing their new application server called FIN Stack, combined with the custom graphic tool FIN Builder, and the FIN Mobile app. You can now build your entire customer’s solution using a unified toolset optimized for efficient workflow. The technology leverages powerful tagging and data modeling which means you can use queries to access data and eliminate time consuming linking. FIN was designed to encourage community collaboration and seamlessly supports add-on applications such as automated analytics.
ControlTrends Keeps an Eye on 2016 Events with Ken’s Calendar. Keep an eye on 2016 Events with Ken’s Calendar! First up: Sierra Monitor Corporation Webinar: Taking Advantage of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) Opportunity. The 2016 AHR Expo was a huge success with the introduction of our IIoT On-Ramp Suite! For those who were not able to see us in Orlando, this webinar will explain how you can use the IIoT to improve how you deliver remote service and support, drive product innovation, and develop new business models by take advantaging of the emerging IIoT opportunity.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending February 21, 2016 delivers another 2015 ControlTrends Awards highlight reel with videos of EasyIO, SkyFoundry, and Tridium receiving their trophies in Orlando. Product updates include DG Logik’s Project Assist 2.0, EasyIO’s EasyStack, and Honeywell WEB-8000 Controllers are now available. Fred Gordy uses the Jurassic Park goat attention-getter to illustrate a control system’s vulnerability; Lynxspring announces CICC Automation Technologies PVt. Ltd. as their premiere partner in India; the DOE releases a $25 million funding opportunity; and don’t miss the 2016 Niagara Summit’s early bird (2/29/2016) registration deadline.
EasyIO Europe’s EasyStack Update and Congratulations to EasyIO Europe B.V. on Your 10th Year Anniversary. EasyStack is a software technology that combines the core functionality of a Building Automation System (BAS) for connecting and controlling devices, with the added benefits of a Building Operating System (BOS) to manage and leverage data. The technology uses tagging and data modeling to provide unprecedented capabilities and functionally. The Haystack open standard also provides options and choices for the best combination of solutions from the wider collaborative Haystack community.
DG Logik Adds Data DVR Widget to Project Assist 2.0 for Facilities. Project Assist 2.0 has many features and benefits. One of the many features is the Data DVR Widget. This smart widget allows operators to easily rewind historical data and playback equipment performance exactly as it was at that point in time. By eliminating guesswork from identifying issues, Project Assist enables facility managers to minimize development time, reduce energy consumption, increase facility performance and save money. Click here for more information.
Lynxspring, Inc. Reaches Out to India, Announces Partnership with CICC Automation Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Lee’s Summit, MO and Mumbai, India — February 16, 2016 — Lynxspring, Inc., a premier developer and provider of open, IP-based control solutions for intelligent buildings, energy management, cyber protection and device-to-enterprise integration, today announced the appointment of CICC Automation Technologies Pvt. Ltd, as a Lynxspring Business Partner (LBP). The partnership extends Lynxspring’s enabling technologies in building automation, energy management and IoT to meet new opportunities provided by the infrastructure sector within India and the Middle East markets.
2015 ConttolTrends Awards Highlight: EasyIO Wins Wireless Product Solution of The Year. Congratulations to EASY IO and their EnOcean Product Solution of the Year Award! EasyIO’s EnOcean-based products, room and temperature sensors have been successfully incorporated into EasyIO’s BAS portfolio and perform without batteries and are engineered to operate maintenance-free. The radio signals from these sensors and switches can be transmitted wirelessly over a distance of up to 300 meters in the open and up to 30 meters inside buildings.
Where’s The Goat? If you’ve seen Jurassic Park you probably know what this line. If you haven’t, the scene is this… There is a goat that is tied to a stake on a platform with a cage around it and raised up from the ground inside the T-Rex cage. The goat is tied to the stake and of course the T-Rex eats the goat. So what in the world does this have to do with control systems? I have had the fortune of being able to speak at different events over the past couple of years and in an effort to explain to IT and OT how to protect control systems I used the Jurassic Park goat example in this context…
Honeywell WEB-8000 Controller is Now Available. Honeywell is pleased to introduce the WEB-8000 controller supported by the WEBs-N4.1 software. This next generation controller features a new design and the ability to scale for future needs. The WEB-8000 series controllers are easy to install and expand due to its flexible capacitive licensing. This controller is very secure as all data is encrypted, including the data stored in the microSD cards. Easy to scale and upgrade the capacity via licensing, without giving up more real estate. The controller can be used as WiFi access point or as a Client and all software and security updates are included with the software maintenance agreement.
2015 ControlTrends Award Highlight: SkyFoundry Wins Energy Savings Solution of the Year. Congratulations to SkyFoundry for winning the 2015 ControlTrends Energy Savings Solution of the Year. Paul Bergquist was on hand to receive the award. SkyFoundry’s SkySpark® Analytics Software automatically analyzes building, energy and equipment data to identify issues, faults and opportunities for improved performance and operational savings.
DOE Notice of Intent to Issue a $25,000,000 Funding Opportunity for Next Generation of Electric Machines. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Next Generation of Electric Machines: Enabling Technologies.” The goal of EERE’s AMO is to partner with industry, small business, universities, regional entities, and other stakeholders to identify and invest in emerging clean energy technologies.
Niagara 2016 Summit Breakout Sessions Posted! This year’s Summit will bring the opportunity to attend information-packed breakout sessions led by Niagara experts, a robust trade show filled with BAS and IoT industry leaders, and networking with others in the Niagara Community. We’ve just announced breakout sessions for the Developer Bootcamp, and the Business and Applications tracks. Visit NiagaraSummit.com today for an overview and description of all breakout sessions. And, don’t forget… time is running out to take advantage of Early Bird registration! Register before February 29 to take advantage of discounted pricing.
2015 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: Tridium Niagara 4 Wins Innovative Product of The Year. Congratulations to Nino DiCosmo and the team at Tridium for winning the 2015 ControlTrends Innovative Product of The Year! Niagara 4 builds on the legacy of the Niagara Framework® in new and exciting ways. It’s less reliant on browser plug-ins, faster and easier to use. A truly open framework, Niagara 4 delivers a variety of notable improvements to help businesses take full advantage of the Internet of Things, including advanced visualization and new search, security and navigation tools. Well done, Tridium!
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending February 14, 2016 is a highlight reel of Siemens, ACI, and KMC receiving their 2015 ControlTrends Awards. In-depth interviews with Sierra Monitor Corporation’s President and CEO, Varun Nagaraj, and Director of ControlTrends India, Sameer Pradhan. Take a look at KMC’s time and labor saving Conquest BACnet Router and Ken’s Calendar previews upcoming webinars and industry related events.
2015 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: Siemens’ BT300 Wins VFD of the Year! With its Onboard kWh Meter, Mulitpump/Fan Application. and Fire Mode features, the Siemens BT300 took their VFD portfolio to the next level of efficiency. The BT300 is well-suited for demanding HVAC environments and can deliver 20-50% of energy compared to equipment with little or no control. Built-in features – like a real-time clock, energy savings optimization programming, and a sleep function – help measure energy savings — and the BT300 VFDs are ready to communicate with Building Management Systems via embedded RS485 and Ethernet HVAC protocols.
Varun Nagaraj Introduces Sierra Monitor’s On-Ramp Suite at AHR 2016. Varun Nagaraj, Sierra Monitor Corporation (SMC) President and CEO, tells the ControlTrends Community about SMC’s new IIoT On-Ramp Suite. SMC is an industry leading provider of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions that connect and protect high-value infrastructure assets. At the AHR 2016, SMC announced a comprehensive and secure IIoT On-Ramp Suite for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) of commercial and industrial controls devices and systems.
2015 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: ACI Wins the Peripheral Product of the Year. Congratulations to Automation Components, Inc. (ACI), who prevailed in one the of the most heavily competitive ControlTrends Awards categories: Peripheral Product of the Year. Since its founding in 1991, ACI has been dedicated to excellence and has grown from seven employees to over 170 quality individuals, and has facilities that total over 78,000 square feet, with global offices in Hong Kong, and China. ACI’s products include temperature, relative humidity, current, pressure, gas and wireless related sensors.
2015 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: KMC Controls Wins VAV Controller of the Year. Congratulations to KMC Controls for winning the 2015 ControlTrends VAV of the Year. (Again!) KMC won this category last year as well). SimplyVAV is easy to set up, with no software needed, this controller is powerful and functions equally as well as a stand-alone solution or the VAV controller of choice on a BACnet full-blown control system. The controllers feature simple, menu driven setup choices when used with a SimplyVAV digital sensor. No special programming skills or software tools are required to choose applications, enter setpoints, set network addressing,and balance airflow.
Save Time and Labor with KMC’s New Conquest BACnet® Router. KMC Controls’ state-of-the-art Conquest BACnet® router features one MS/TP and one Ethernet port, an HTML5 web configuration interface requiring no additional software, a single cable for both power and communications, and an industry-leading set of network diagnostic tools for quick and easy network verification and troubleshooting. The device is optimized for temporary installation as a technician’s tool and for permanent installation increasing network efficiency.
ControlTrends Keeps an Eye on 2016 Events with Ken’s Calendar. 30 Minutes with Lynxspring Webinar Series: Cyber Security from a Business Perspective. The next “30 Minutes with Lynxspring”, our monthly webinar series featuring Lynxspring subject-matter experts and special guests, is scheduled for Wednesday, February 17th at 12:00 PM CDT. February’s “30 Minutes with Lynxspring” will look at Cyber Security from a Business Perspective.
ControlTalk NOW Interview with Sameer Pradhan, Director of ControlTrends India. ControlTrends was excited to announce that ControlTrends India has been formed and was absolutely delighted to introduce Sameer Pradhan as Director of ControlTrends India. The announcement took place at the 2015 ControlTrends Awards held the evening before the start of the AHR Expo 2016, in Orlando Florida. The global ControlTrends Community, particularly those located in the India and Southeast Asia regions, will be greatly enriched by Sameer’s visionary leadership and executive capabilities.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending February 7, 2016 features interviews with Dr. Igor Mezic and John Norris of Ecorithm and Ken Sinclair, owner and editor of Automated Buildings, and Neptronic’s VP of Sales and Marketing, Luis Melgares, along with Andy McMillan’s presentation at the Connected Community Collaboration, a product update from Vykon. Of special note was the announcement of Sameer Pradhan as Director of ControlTrends India.
ControlTalk NOW interview with Dr. Igor Mezic, Chief Scientific and Technical Advisor, Co-Founder and John Morris, VP of Sales and Marketing of Ecorithm, a firm from Santa Barbara that is reshaping what it means to benchmark, showcase, and ensure occupant comfort, operational efficiency, and building health. Dr. Mezic is a world-renowned expert in the field of building energy efficiency. He is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). His major scientific contribution has been the development of operator-theoretic methods for analysis of complex dynamical systems, that led to a massive number of applications in “Big Data Dynamics” – a term he coined.
Ken Sinclair’s Automated Buildings February, 2016 Release: “Making it Mashable.” Ken Sinclair, owner and editor of Automated Buildings, applies the word mashable to the building automation world. Mashable, which the Urban Dictionary defines as “a term used to describe two or more online applications that work together and/or within each other.” February’s AB theme, “Making it Mashable,” addresses then, a very relevant concern — that as we sort through the maelstrom of exponential IoT technology impacting our industry, an industry that seeks optimality in every aspect of smart building control, data integration, and the maximum realization of energy and operational efficiencies — the question becomes, are we there yet? The technology certainly is, but our “mashability,” will ultimately answer yes or no for us.
VYKON Integrated Analytics Available Now on JACE Hardware. Latest version 1.1 includes advanced data visualization module! VYKON Integrated Analytics broke new ground when it was introduced. This innovative product uses real-time analytics at the edge (device level) to harness the enormous power of the Internet of Things. Today, Niagara users are even better positioned to capitalize on the IoT data explosion. Niagara AX Supervisors and select JACE® controllers now feature the latest version of VYKON Integrated Analytics with advanced data visualization.
Luis Melgares Details Neptronic’s New Multi-App Controller at 2016 AHR EXPO. Luis Melgares, VP of Sales and Marketing, updates the ControlTrends Community on Neptronic’s versatile Multi-App controller, able to provide stand-alone or networked control for all packaged AC RTUs, Heat Pump, Fan Coil Unit, and heating and cooling equipment applications, using a configuration set up with a greatly improved menu structure. No programming is required! Neptronic now manufactures the industry’s first Smart Duct Heater, which is networkable via BACnet and Modbus — a game-changing addition to their industry-leading portfolio of ball valves, actuators, and humidifiers.
2015 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: The Thermostat of the Year. Congratulations to Siemens. Their RDY 2000 Thermostat was voted the best commercial thermostat of the year by the global ControlTrends Community. The RDY 2000 can control conventional systems with up to three stages of heating and three stages of cooling, as well as heat pumps with up to two compressors and up to two stages of auxiliary heat. The RDY2000 also features outputs that control humidification/dehumidification equipment, maintain indoor air quality with optional CO2 sensor, and maximize energy savings with interface to economizer controls. Click here to see what makes the Siemens RDY 2000 so special.
Andy McMillan, president BACnet International (recently returned from China) opened the collaboratory discussions with an insight into how global transformation impacts all walks of life and summoned building automation professionals to be open, connected, collaborative, and receptive to transformation. As president of BACnet International, Andy works with users and suppliers to expand and enhance the BACnet community.
ControlTrends Introduces Sameer Pradhan, Director of ControlTrends India. ControlTrends was excited to announce that ControlTrends India has been formed and was absolutely delighted to introduce Sameer Pradhan as Director of ControlTrends India. The announcement took place at the 2015 ControlTrends Awards held the evening before the start of the AHR Expo 2016, in Orlando Florida. The global ControlTrends Community, particularly those located in the India and Southeast Asia regions, will be greatly enriched by Sameer’s visionary leadership and executive capabilities. ControlTrends India’s website www.controltrends.in is now fully operational.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending January 31, 2016 reviews the 2015 ControlTrends Awards including the AHR Expo’s Industry Service Award, the BACnet Award, the Cyber Security Award, the Young Gun Awards, the Petock Award, and the Hall of Fame recipient. A teaser video previews many of the highlights, with much more video and posts to follow. New product releases from Functional Devices and Lynxspring; Belimo webinar registration; Ken Sinclair’s 4th Connected Community Collaboration video; and DGLogik CEO, Eugene Mazo’s interview message interview from Informed Health 2016.
Young Guns Rob Allen and Brad White get Ready for the 2015 ControlTrends Awards. What do young BAS professionals talk about when they are not texting or using the latest forms of communication that don’t involve actual verbal communication? To find out we hooked up 2014 Young Guns Rob Allen and Brad White with a good Skype connection and turned the recorder on. Among other things, Rob and Brad discuss the upcoming ControlTrends Awards and what it means to be a Young Gun and why it’s so very important for our industry. See the next Young Gun class at the 2015 Control Trends Awards Sunday January 24th at 6:30 PM at The Hard Rock Live @ Universal Studios.
ControlTrends Awards Announces the 2015 CTA Award Winners, Young Guns, Petock Award Recipient, and Hall of Fame Inductee. The 2015 ControlTrends Awards were held yesterday evening at Orlando’s Hard Rock Live, located at the door step to the amazing Universal Studios. Hard Rock Live was a most befitting venue to celebrate the heroes and superstars of our HVAC and the Building Automation industries. Marc Petock and Kimberly Brown co-hosted the awards ceremony that recognized the 2015 ControlTrends heroes and superstars of the HVAC and Building Automation industry.
Functional Devices is All Ears When it Comes to Product Suggestions from its Customers! Functional Devices is excited to announce its new prepackaged power supply – now with a perforated steel sub-panel! This product is great for mounting a controller along with peripheral devices. Product features: Sturdy 14 gauge NEMA 1 metal enclosure with overall dimensions of 12.5″ (W) x 24.5″ (H) x 6.5″ (D). Available with one or two 100 VA enclosed power supplies with a 10 Amp on/off circuit breaker switch, two convenience outlets, and 24 Vac output terminal strip(s).
2015 ControlTrends Awards Teaser Video — Lots More to Come! Special thanks to Vladimir Chaloupka, videographer extraordinaire, who produced this immediate teaser video of the 2015 ControlTrends Awards Show, held January 24th, 2016, at the Hard Rock Cafe in Orlando, FL. ControlTrends Awards congratulates the winners and superheroes that make our HVAC and Building Automation industry so great. And many thanks once again to our sponsors who make ControlTrends Awards possible!
Lynxspring Launches New Product at AHR! The Onyxx BH311 Data Pump provides BACnet to Haystack network communication and data exchange. The Onyxx BH311 Data Pump is part of Lynxspring E2E, an edge-to-enterprise ecosystem for the Internet of Things, that enables collaboration between smart systems, smart devices, intelligent equipment and Cloud services. The Onyxx BH311 handles the BACnet to Haystack protocol translation, translating BACnet points to manageable Haystack points. Acting as a BACnet client device, the Onyxx BH311 manages all BACnet/IP, BACnet/Ethernet or BACnet MSTP devices connected to it.
Belimo’s Free Webinar on Dynamic Balancing — Wednesday, February 3, 1:00 EST. Don’t miss Belimo’s free Webinar on Dynamic Balancing! Belimo Energy Valve Pressure Independent Valves can offer system stability, improved efficiency and overall versatility that can only be achieved in a dynamically balanced hydronic system. During this webinar you will learn how partial loads can wreak havoc on statically balanced systems and how static balancing devices underperform the majority of the time.
Ken Sinclair’s 2016 Connected Community Collaboratory. Ken Sinclair, owner and editor of automatedbuildings.com did it again! The 4th CCC was a wonderful education session and discussion. Ken led a panel of industry experts who addressed how to approach creating and selling connection to the world. It was an open fun Collaboratory atmosphere that allowed attendees to learn and share their opinions. The concept of connected communities was created by Marc Petock and Ken at the 2012 AHR Expo in Chicago. They were working together and fueling new ways to extend the value of our building systems, while exploring the best of breed in change and innovation.
Evangelizing Open Source —DGLogik’s CEO Eugene Mazo at Informed Health 2016 UCSF. At Informed Health 2016, hosted by University of California, San Francisco, CEO Eugene Mazo sent DGLogik’s message out to two target audiences: first to manufacturers — to implement and support more open source products and services, and to developers — to build more applications and bring more brilliant cases to the markets, in this particular case, the health care industry, where dashboards for doctors could make huge improvements to patient care, while dashboards would also improve the patient experience.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending January 17, 2016, includes Drone Enthusiast and J2 Innovation’s VP of Marketing, Scott Muench; Systems Integrator of the Year nominees Brian Allen from ATS Automation, Seattle, WA and Fred Rotella and Brent Bernardi from Alpha Controls and Services, Rockford, IL. Additionally, we have a great interview with Marc Bergeron, President of ProLon, a leading manufacturer of HVAC control systems designed specifically for zoning systems in commercial applications. Please ensure to cast your 2015 ControlTrends Awards Vote by Tuesday, January 19th!
ATS Automation is centered in Renton, Washington, and is partnered with Alerton Technologies, Phoenix Controls, Aircuity, and Convergint Technologies. ATS Automation is a distributor for Alerton, Phoenix, and Aircuity in our respective marketplaces. Convergint Technologies partners with ATS on key projects to provide a greater scope and depth to our building solutions. ATS Automation has a deep history with all four companies in delivering quality product installations and support. ATS also has strong business relationships with Tridium through Controlco and Honeywell, Belimo Valves and Actuators, S4 Integration, and SkySpark through SkyFoundry.
Marc Bergeron, President of ProLon Inc, out of Montreal, Canada, and leading manufacturers of HVAC control systems designed specifically for zoning systems in commercial applications. ProLon provides efficient solutions to HVAC contactors in North America and around the world at a very competitive cost. ProLon offers its solutions through its network of North American distributors to commercial contractors. ProLon has a team consisting of the industry’s best professionals. ProLon aims to develop efficient systems and reliable products that meet the expectations of an increasingly demanding market. With over 2000 completed projects to date, ProLon’s team offers a zoning system that will suit you as well as your commercial projects.
Alpha Controls & Services LLC specializes in temperature-control solutions, Building Management Systems, Energy Management Systems, and Access Control solutions for industrial, commercial, and institutional buildings. It installs new systems and retrofits existing ones through a full-service organization that helps clients maintain their facility systems and operations at optimal levels. With offices in Rockford, Springfield, and Champaign, Illinois, Alpha Controls & Services is a field office for Schneider Electric – one of the most extensive suppliers of integrated Building Management Systems and a leader in automated information technology for today’s and tomorrow’s intelligent buildings.
Meet drone Captain Scott Muench, aka B.Scott Muench, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at J2 Innovations. In this video we get to see Scott as Drone Pilot Extraordinaire, and hear how he became a drone enthusiast while working as a systems integrator at Technical Building Services. in upstate New York. Scott also discusses the very serious parallels that exists between drones and PID and tuning used in building automation, and how the benefits of drones, soon to be realized, will become integrated with our day-to-day lives.
Excitement continues to build as the 2015 ControlTrends Awards event grows near! As a reminder the 2015 ControlTrends Awards will be held January 24, 2016, from 6:30PM to 9:30PM, at Orlando’s Hard Rock Live, located at the door step to the amazing Universal Studios. Join us is celebrating the heroes and superstars of our HVAC and the Building Automation industries. VOTE NOW!
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending January 10, 2016 begins our direct focus on those people, products, and solutions — that you, our ControlTrends Community, have nominated for the 2015 ControlTrends Awards. We have three guest interview with Honeywell’s Larry Andriunas, Tridium Vykon’s Ed Merwin and Systems Integrator of the Year nominee McKenney’s. Next, we review the Executive of the Year category for both large and small manufacturers and the new Systems Integrator category, featuring seven of the top systems integrators. To ensure maximum dissemination and response, the 2015 ControlTrends Awards voting deadline has been extended till January 19th, 2016.
ControlTalk NOW’s first interview guest is Director of Commercial Sales at Honeywell and PID Nominee Larry Andriunas. Larry’s extensive HVAC experience as contractor installing and servicing systems give him a second perspective and understanding into the multitude of challenges facing the distribution and contracting industries. Additionally, Larry shares Honeywell’s philosophy on customer service and technical support and highlighting a few of the major contribtors, as well reviewing Honeywell’s next generation product platform.
ControlTalk NOW’s second interview guest is Director, Vykon Automation Energy Security at Tridium and PID Nominee Ed Merwin, one of the most venerated Building Automation and Smart Building Solutions experts in the industry (2013 ControlTrends PID Award Co-winner). Ed reviews the hardware platform and the built-in features of the JACE-8000 Vykon’s next generation controller, the Niagara 4 Platform, Tridium’s latest innovation — the Niagara Market Place, and the upcoming 2016 Niagara Summit to be held in New Orleans.
ControlTalk NOW’s third interview guest is McKenney’s Inc, with offices in Atlanta, GA and Charlotte, NC. Featuring Single-Source Reliability, McKenney’s has developed a wide-range of services for every stage of a building’s lifecycle — from Design and Build to Manage and Maintain. For over six decades, we’ve combined superior mechanical construction expertise and proven processes with professional engineers and skilled tradesmen to provide high-quality solutions and exceptional performance. We’re uniquely positioned to deliver single-source, full-service accountability for every project, every time.
About McKenney’s: Since 1948, we have been developing services and expertise to serve you at every stage of your building. Self-performance of all trades, in-house shops and over six decades of experience have made us the top choice in mechanical contractors, providing highly efficient mechanical systems and a full range of services that meet your unique needs.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending January 3, 2016 welcomes the ControlTrends Community into 2016! Featuring an insightful interview with Automated Buildings’ Ken Sinclair and product information with Dwyer Instruments’ EWDP wireless differential pressure switch and Honeywell’s Smart Solution WEBs-AX Smart with N4. Therese Sullivan wraps things up with her interview with CONNEXX’s Anno Shelton — six ways to Smart Building Adoption. Happy New Year once again, and if you have any questions about the 2015 ControlTrends Awards, please email us at controltrends@gmail.com.
ControlTalk NOW interview with Ken Sinclair, owner and editor of Automated Buildings.com. Ken Sinclair’s Automated Buildings January, 2016 Release: “Our Role in the Transformation.” In Ken Sinclair’s Automated Buildings January, 2016 Release: “Our Role in the Transformation,” we are reminded of the instrumental roles we each will play as stewards in this industry grown gray. Creating viable and working endowments of industry knowledge, is not just necessary to transition successfully with the avalanche of technology being introduced, but critical to HVAC and BAS future generations — finding and holding their participation rights in the IoT world to come.
Dwyer’s Series EWDP Wireless Communications Adjustable Differential Pressure Switch. The Dwyer Instruments SERIES EWDP Wireless Communication Adjustable Differential Pressure Switch uses EnOcean® wireless technology to monitor pressure, vacuum, and differential pressures. The dual scaled adjustment knob in inches of water column and pascals allows changes to the pressure set point to be made without a pressure gage. The battery-powered switch is equipped with radio module for frequencies of 902 MHz or 868 MHz.
Smart Solutions for Intelligent Buildings — WEBs-AX from Honeywell. Smart Solutions for Intelligent Buildings — WEBs-AX from Honeywell is an open system building automation platform that allows you to connect all of your building’s systems rather than operate them independently – maximizing energy efficiency, reducing maintenance costs and giving you centralized control. Your Building, Only Smarter.
Therese Sullivan Interviews CONNEXX Energy’s Anno Shelton: 6 New Routes to Market for Smart Building Technology. ix New Routes to Market for Smart Building Technology (by therese554). Anno Scholten, President of Connexx Energy, has had a very busy year extending his company’s ‘last mile’ energy solutions for Smart Grid and Smart Buildings. But, I caught up with him during the waning days of 2015 and asked him the existential questions on the minds of many in the industry. “You may feel that you keep hitting a brick wall trying to convince some customers to adopt data analytics strategies for better building performance. But, ‘take heart,’ the route to Smart Building success may be just around the next turn.”
Happy New Years to the World-Wide ControlTrends Community! Afrikaans,Gelukkige Nuwejaar, gha-likkikga-neeva-yaarr, Albanian Gëzuar Vitin e Ri, gu-zoo-ar vi-tin e ri, Arabic, سنة سعيدة, sana sa’eedah, Azerbaijani Yeni iliniz mübarək ye-ni i-li-niz myu-ba-rack, Bahasa, melayu Selamat tahun baru selamat tahun aru, Basque, Urte berri on err-te berr-rri on, Bosnian, sretna nova godina, sr-et-na no-va go-din-a, Bulgarian, Щастлива Нова година, sh-tast-liva No-va go-din-a, Catalan, Feliç any nou, fe-LEES A-nee n-Ou, Cebuano (Philippines), Mabungahong Bag-ong Tuig kaninyong tanan, ma-boon-ga-hong bag-ong too-eeg kan-een-yong tan-an, Czech, šťastný nový rok, SHTU-stnee NO-vee rrr-ok…
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending December 27, 2015 features interviews with two more nominees for System Integrators of the Year, Navitas System Integration from Plymouth, MA and Automation Integrated, from Oklahoma City, OK. DG LOGIK’s Technical Tips & Tricks — Building IoT Applications for the Smartphone or Tablet; DOE Announces Largest Energy Efficiency Standard in History; and Tridium announces Niagara Summit 2016, May 15-17, New Orleans Hyatt Regency. Special thanks to Bill Dunkleberger and team Blue Ridge Technologies for their spirited Holiday wishes!
ControlTalk NOW’s first guests, John Donahue, owner and CEO of Control Consultants, Inc., one of the most successful systems distributors in North America and Dan White from Navitas System Integration (NSI) of Plymouth, MA, expert providers of Building Automation Systems for commercial, institutional, and industrial market applications. NSI specializes in LEED certified projects and can implement the improvements necessary to assure energy savings and achieve greener standards.
Keep an eye on 2016 Events with Ken’s Calendar!The Grid Modernization Forum, January 19-20, 2016 in Chicago is a focused, two-day educational and networking event that closely examines lessons learned to date by industry leaders who are pushing the frontiers of grid modernization and evolution. This will be a unique opportunity to interact with key professionals who are leading the way toward the integrated, interoperable, and resilient energy network of tomorrow.
Niagara Summit 2016, May 15-17, New Orleans Hyatt Regency. Dear valued member of the Niagara Community, mark your calendar and plan to join us for Niagara Summit 2016 in historic New Orleans! Every two years the Niagara Community comes together at the Niagara Summit to learn about advancements to the Niagara Framework®, network and learn from peers, and hear the latest on technology trends and news. What’s always a momentous occasion will be made all the more exciting in 2016 with the recent debut of Niagara 4 and the soon-to-be-released JACE® 8000.
DOE Announces Largest Energy Efficiency Standard in History! Energy Department Announces Largest Energy Efficiency Standard in History. The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced historic new efficiency standards for commercial air conditioners and furnaces. Developed with industry, utilities, and environmental groups, these standards will save more energy than any other standard issued by the Department to date. Over the lifetime of the products, businesses will save $167 billion on their utility bills and carbon pollution will be reduced by 885 million metric tons.
DG LOGIK’s Tips & Tricks — Build IoT Applications for the Smartphone or Tablet. Delivering valuable insight with proper usability across all modern smart devices will become a requisite for IoE Applications in 2016. With DGLux5, it’s easy to build flexible, device-agnostic applications that adjust to screen sizes, respond to touch controls and load images and IoE data conservatively. Without ever writing a single line of code, you can give your users an uncluttered, intuitive and efficient experience, regardless of their device.
Sam McDonald, Honeywell Sales Rep, a controls expert, who answers the following question asked by a building owner from Oakland, CA: We are undergoing a major renovation to one of our facilities. Our contractor has proposed installing the Honeywell RedLINK thermostats with the Equipment Remote Module. Sam answers: “Your Contractor made a wise choice in recommending using Honeywell’s RedLINK Wireless control system on your facility. Simply put RedLINK Controls allows for a faster installation; reducing labor cost which ultimately allows for greater profits. By going wireless, your contractor will not have to drill holes or pull wires. He can place the Thermostats in their proper locations or remotely mount them where only authorized personnel can access them.”
ControlTalk NOW’s second guests are Chris Favre and Jeff Houpt from Automation Integrated out of Oklahoma City, OK. Automation Integrated are true systems integrators who develop solutions that enable clients to modernize legacy technology investments, while simultaneously creating cost effective migration paths to new technology. The Automation Integrated result: The lowest total cost of ownership! Automation Integrated takes integration to the next level incorporating controls, security, and IT into one total solution.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending December 20, 2015 begins with OME’s Rick Werner and EasyIO’s Mike Marston discussing the hazards of the proverbial low bid, followed by interviews with Blue Ridge Technologies’ CEO Bill Dunkelberger, Dwyer Instruments’ Global Business Development Manager, Eric Fritch, and another 7 Minutes in Control with Rob Allen and Scott Muench from J2 Innovations — who is offering an exciting customer appreciation FIN 3.0 sale. More Contemporary Controls BACnet videos and expertise; 2015 ControlTrends Awards reminders; and the first peek at the 2016 calendar.
Why Accepting The Low Bid Price on a Job is sooooo Expensive. In this episode of Control Pub Talk, with “Mad” Mike Marston from Easy IO, the consequences of giving a project to the low bidder is discussed. Mike reaches out to Rick Warner, aka “The Innovator”, sans the usual Pub, to look at the true costs involved in the bidding process that is used on most new construction projects. “Penny wise and pound foolish” comes to mind as I listen to Rick explain the difference between up front price and true cost of ownership. To see more from the Innovator click here. Get more Control pub Talk with Mike Marston here.
J2 Innovations — Dive Into FIN Now — for 10% Less! Appreciation Sale. Don’t miss this great from J2 Innovations! FIN 3.0 is a next generation software suite including an entirely new application server called FIN Stack, combined with the custom graphic tool FIN Builder, and the FIN Mobile app. You can now build your entire customer’s solution using a unified toolset optimized for efficient workflow. The technology leverages powerful tagging and data modeling which means you can use queries to access data and eliminate time consuming linking. FIN was designed to encourage community collaboration and seamlessly supports add-on applications such as automated analytics.
What Can Fin 3.0 Do For You? Rob Allen Finds Out. In this episode of Rob Allen’s 7 minutes in Control, Rob finds out from Scott Muench, J2 Innovations’ Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, what is new at J2 Innovations including Fin 3.0 and how J2 Innovations uses Haystack tagging to make a system integrators life easier and reduces labor cost. If you like what you see reach out to your local J2 Innovations provider and take advantage of J2’s 10% off holiday special. FIN technology leverages powerful tagging and data modeling which means you can use queries to access data and eliminate time consuming linking.
Learn BACnet Now – Watch the BACnet Video Training Series. Thanks to George Thomas and the team at Contemporary Controls for putting together this eight part video series ” Understanding BACnet”. Contemporary Controls designs and manufactures the system building blocks for networking, integrating and controlling automation processes where performance and reliability are important. Their products are built upon open technologies such as ARCNET®, BACnet®, Controller Area Network, Ethernet, Modbus®, Niagara Framework®, and Sedona Framework.
ControlTalk NOW welcomes our first guest Blue Ridge Technologies’ CEO Bill Dunkleberger and his team of industry all stars. 2015 ControlTrends Awards Finalist Blue Ridge Technologies, nominated for six ControlTrends Awards including: Energy Saving Solution of The Year; Lighting Integration Solution of The Year; Best Technical Support Small Manufacturer: Nick Bare; Best Technical Support Person — Small Manufacturer; The PID Award: Bill Dunkleberger; and Executive of The Year Small Manufacturer: Bill Dunkleberger.
More from 2015 ControlTrends Awards Finalist Blue Ridge Technologies. Unified Lighting Control completes the BAS, incorporating lighting and HVAC controls on the same network. This network consolidation eliminates surplus hardware required for stand-alone and gateway lighting control. As a result, installation and maintenance costs decrease while simple and complete building control increases energy savings. This approach provides more savings for less cost. When a complete Building Automation System (BAS) is required, Unified Lighting Control is the superior lighting control solution.
2015 ControlTrends Awards to be Held — January 24 at the Hard Rock Live! ControlTrends is excited to announce that the 2015 ControlTrends Awards will be held January 24, 2016, from 6:30PM to 9:30PM, at Orlando’s Hard Rock Live, located at the door step to the amazing Universal Studios. Hard Rock Live is home to music history and a most befitting venue to celebrate the heroes and superstars of our HVAC and the Building Automation industries. ControlTrends graciously thanks our sponsors for allowing us to make this special industry event possible.
ControlTrends Keeps an Eye on 2016 Events with Ken’s Calendar. Help ControlTrends Keep an eye on 2016 Events with Ken’s Calendar! January 25-27, 2016 AHR Expo, Orlando Convention Center: The AHR Expo brings the entire HVACR industry together under one roof to see the latest products and technology, learn about the innovations and trends that are shaping the future, and do business face to face. Returning to Orlando for the first time in six years, the Show is anticipating more than 50,000 professionals in attendance, nearly 2,000 exhibiting companies, and a wide variety of educational sessions.
ControlTalk NOW’s second guest: Dwyer Instruments’ Eric Fritch, Global Business Development Manager. Dwyer Instruments is nominated for the 2015 ControlTrends Awards Peripheral Vendor of the Year. Since 1931, Dwyer Instruments has been recognized for manufacturing excellence, and has introduced over 75 new products since 2005. Global in scope, Dwyer is a key manufacturer of sensors and instrumentation components used in HVAC and Building Automation applications the world over. Visit www.dwyer-inst.com for more product information, videos, and tutorials — and be absolutely certain to visit Dwyer’s booth (1617), at the up-coming 2016 AHR Expo in Orlando, FL.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending December 13, 2015 features interviews with Control Network Solutions’ Mike Welch, Buildings Context’s Therese Sullivan, and Control Systems Consultants’ Cory Gunder; Marc Petock’s discusses the business-end of the Cyber Security stick; Rob Allen’s 7 Minutes in Control with KMC’s Dave Bohlmann, and an update on how Daikin Applied just changed Total Building Automation forever.
Marc Petock — The Business Side of Cyber Security (Continued). Marc Petock, a leading expert on Cyber Security, takes a close look at the ramifications and financial consequences of not taking aggressive measures to protect your business against cyber attacks. As I have said, cyber security has a technology side and a business side. From a business perspective, the negative consequences that cyber incidents can cause are disruptive and potentially catastrophic. The value of taking additional measures to increase the cyber security posture of your control systems, far outweigh the risk of not making them secure.
New Router from KMC on Rob Allen’s 7 Minutes in Control. 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.
CNS delivers the world’s first Internet of things (IoT) web-based DALI intelligent lighting control solution, elitedali ensures that live data from every light fixture can be accessed and the lighting controlled from anywhere in the world with internet access. he only non-North American finalist in its category, CNS has been shortlisted for its unique lighting control solution, elitedali. Transforming the Niagara building management system into a state of the art lighting control platform, elitedali provides total control and flexibility to the end user over access to their lighting data, system maintenance and any on-going adjustments.
ControlTalk NOW Special Guest: Mike Welch, CEO and owner of Control Network Solutions, BasingStoke, UK. Mike shares his unique knowledge of the industry and articulates the finer points of IoT, where there are some unintended consequences and negative aspects of IoT, because the distance between the APP and the cloud is populated by energy consuming devices and the key is collect value data directly from your network devices.
Daikin Applied Just Changed Total Building Automation Forever, Thanks to IoT. In January 2015, ControlTrends interviewed Paul Rauker, VP of Systems and Controls, Daikin Applied, on the ground floor of the 2015 AHR Show. Paul expertly reviewed the Rebel RTU — which was the first IoT HVAC RTU. Now, with Diakin’s minority stake acquisition of Riptide IO. Daikin is the first equipment manufacturer to introduce the industry’s first, true cloud-based technology platform for HVAC equipment — that truly harnesses the IoT! Here’s the rest of the story: DAIKIN APPLIED ACQUIRES MINORITY STAKE IN CLOUD-BASED BUILDING AUTOMATION COMPANY.
2015 ControlTrends Awards System Integrator of the Year Finalist CSC. The voting for the 2015 ControlTrends Awards is underway. One of the most followed categories is the ControlTrends System Integrator of the Year Award. This is a new ControilTrends Award. With over eighty nominees from around the world, making the final seven is quite an accomplishment. If you watched ControlTalk NOW a couple of weeks ago, you got a sneak peek at one of the magnificent seven, CSC from Dallas, Texas. Meet Corey Gunder and Scott Twomey.
Our second ControlTalk NOW guest is Therese Sullivan. Therese is the principal and editor of Building Context and Haystack, and contributing editor to automatedbuildings.com. Therese is a prolific and knowledgeable writer/technologist and marketing professional, who provides news and analysis for commercial building system integrators, facilities managers and real estate professionals. Always our eyes and ears from the Silicon Valley, Therese recaps the 2015 CoRETECH Show in Silicon Valley.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending December 6, 2015 features interviews with Automated Buildings’ owner and editor, Ken Sinclair; Ecorithm’s VP of Sales, John D. Morris; and Temperature Controls Systems, VP of Sales Scott Twomey, together with Control Systems Consultants’ systems integrator, Cory Gunder. See Neptronic’s production video and new TUCB24 product release. Additional posts include: BASSG Controllers, DOE’s newsletter, Open ADR webinar, Thermokon’s new BACnet Transceiver, J2 Innovation’s FIN Stack, Tridium’s JACE 8000, SMARTCORE’S CATA on-line Threat Assessment. Honeywell’s Smart Grid Solution and Stryker LNS Plug-in, Johnson Controls’ TEC3000 thermostat, and ControlTrends’ Streaming. Don’t forget to submit your Young Guns Candidate!
BAS Services & Graphics Announces R-ION and P-ION Controllers are Here! Since 2004, BASSG has been a constant innovator in Building Automation Technology and BAS Analytics delivery. BASSG reduces implementation and facility management energy costs — via easy-to-deploy, multi-system software tools, and BASSG’s OEM products. Let BASSG be your one-stop provider for everything BAS, and serve as your EnerCase, Solidyne, Ontrol, and SkySpark implementation specialist. View our newest RION Hotel application.
Open ADR Webinar – Easing Peak Load Stress During System Upgrades. Please register for our upcoming webinar “Easing Peak Load Stress During System Upgrades” on Tuesday, Dec. 8th, 2015 8:00 AM PT. REGISTER NOW. Distribution system upgrades can be stressful for utilities and customers, where the need for increased safety margins are heightened in order to manage grid reliability. DR programs typically require years to develop and deploy, but in this case, there are but months before the need for DR available load must be available.
ControlTalk NOW first guest: Ken Sinclair owner and editor of autmoatedbuilds.com, discusses Automated Buildings’ December Release: “Our AHR Expo 2016 Preview Issue” and draws our attention to the importance of attending our HVAC industry’s premiere event and prefaces the educational theme for the January, 2016 AHR Expo in Orlando, FL. “Very pleased to be doing our 17th year of Free Education Sessions at AHR Expo 2016 in Orlando. Pleased to be joined by several industry experts to help us all better understand the change upon us. Also extremely pleased that our industry is able through the voice and video of ControlTrend’s Awards “CTA” to recognize AHR Expo’s amazing support. Be sure to read the other Ken’s CTA interview. Here is a snippet:”
Thermokon’s New STC-BACnet IP 902 MHz EnOcean Radio Transceiver. The STC-BACnet IP 902 MHz EnOcean Radio Transceiver is Thermokon’s new and dynamic bi-directional gateway for EnOcean-based sensors, actuators, controllers, and control systems with BACnet IP interface. Configuration and commissioning is done using the EasySens AirConfig Software tool. Transmitting Frequency and Measuring Principles: Sensors send events and/or time controlled telegrams to the receiver.
The ControlTrends Young Guns — Who Will be in the Class of 2015? Nominate NOW! ControlTrends is extremely proud of the Young Gun Awards and what we believe to be another important industry initiative to draw young talent to our industry. There is no better way to enhance the image of the HVAC Industry than recognizing young professionals under the age of 30, who, early in their careers, already make an important contribution or significant impact within their organization — that will serve as career role model. As an industry, we need to collectively seek parity and positive recognition for our HVAC industry and attract more of the young minds and talent needed to sustain our industry in the years to come.
ControlTalk NOW’s second guest: Ecorithm’s VP of Sales and Marketing, John D. Morris. Ecorithm is reshaping what it means to benchmark, showcase, and ensure occupant comfort, operational efficiency and building health. Ecorithm’s cloud-based software automatically extracts specific and actionable insights from building sensor data, switching operational focus from reactive problem fixing to proactive predictive maintenance. Comfort is a key contributor to the productivity and happiness of building occupants. Ecorithm’s True Comfort Console empowers you to visualize comfort metrics on a detailed floor plan and analyze comfort trends.
Neptronic Introduces Multi-App TUCB24 Wall Mount Universal Controller. Exciting news from Neptronic! The TUCB24 is a universal wall-mount controller with built-in temperature sensor and scheduler. The unit is designed for simple and accurate control of a heat pump or other heating/cooling equipment. Its field configurable algorithms enable versatile implementation of required control sequences. The TUCB24C6X2 also provides an external humidity sensor input for simple and accurate humidity control and provides a dehumidification sequence compensated by auto activation of reheat output. Founded in 1976, Neptronic is a private corporation that designs, manufactures and distributes products for the HVAC industry. Our product line includes intelligent controllers, electronic actuators, actuated valves, humidifiers and electric heaters.
See Why FIN Stack has Systems Integrators Talking. Many are calling FIN Stack the next generation of Building Automation Controls software. Check out this rewind of a live stream, lunch and learn, held at Stromquist & Company, to find out why. J2 Innovation’s, Scott Muench shows us the FIN 3.0 next generation software suite including an entirely new application server called FIN Stack. FIN Stack combines the custom graphic tool FIN Builder, with the FIN Mobile app.
Criticality and Threat Assessment
SMARTCORE’s Complimentary Online Threat Assessment Survey. SmartCore will translate your answers to this short survey into a Threat Assessment Scorecard as well as a prescriptive Cyber Risk Mitigation Plan that we can help you implement to strengthen your defense against attacks. Risk mitigation measures may include: Hardware, software or network solutions or modifications; Standard Operating Procedures and Protocols; Facilitated Education; Change Management; and Cultural Shift programs
Honeywell Smart Grid Solutions: How Automated Demand Response Works. Take advantage of Honeywell’s Automated Demand Response (Auto DR) that provides a custom automated solution for commercial and industrial facilities. Limit energy use and ease rate spikes during peak events. When energy demand exceeds supply you need a reliable and efficient energy management system while enabling you to meet business and production needs. Auto DR is part of our Smart Grid.
TridiumTalk — Learn More About the JACE 8000 Before its Debut. Upcoming TridiumTalks provide an in-depth look to get you ready. You won’t want to miss this next TridiumTalk, “JACE® 8000: An in-depth look.” Learn how this powerful new controller adds to the enhanced user experience of Niagara 4. Join Product Marketing Manager Mike Westerfield to hear about its high-performance core, simplified Wi-Fi configuration and many other value-added features. The JACE 8000 represents a dramatic revolution in connecting and controlling devices globally.
Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Newsletter. Welcome to the Fuel Cell Technologies Office newsletter. The newsletter is issued monthly to our Fuel Cell News subscribers and includes a recap of the previous month’s news and events, as well as a preview of upcoming activities. Newsletter archives can be found on the website. In this issue: In the News; Funding Opportunities and Requests for Information; Webinars and Workshops; Studies, Reports, and Publications; and National Laboratory and Principal Investigator Achievements.
Combustion Thursday Live Stream Play List. Check out this live stream of some of our favorite combustion videos in this Thursday Live stream. Learn about gas pressure regulators, combustion analyzers, and combustion controls. This series of six videos that will loop until 7:00PM EST. Check out my interview with the very knowledgeable Dave Krause from Honeywell Combustion and Control. Dave has over thirty years of in the field experience. When it comes to burners and boilers and how to control them, troubleshoot them, and make them safer Dave is the man.
ControlTalk NOW’s third guests are Temperature Controls Systems, VP of Sales and Marketing Scott Twomey, and Cory Gunder from Control Systems Consultants. Control Systems Consultants was nominated for the 2015 ControlTrends Awards System Integrator of the year. As you listen to Cory talk about Control Systems Consultants, it’s easy to see why. In CSC’s own words, “In our 25 years of servicing 100’s of businesses with building automation systems and environmental services all of us at Control Systems Consultants are working our hardest to maintain our company’s unwavering commitment to total customer satisfaction.”
Johnson Controls Releases New Thermostat. Johnson Controls has announced that the TEC3000 line of standalone and communicating (field selectable BACnet or N2) thermostats are now available. Here are a couple of the things that make the TEC3000 cool: The 4.2 inch backlit LED touchscreen allows for easy and fast configuration; The N2/BACnet communication switch enables simple migration from N2 to BACnet MS/TP by switching the communication protocol in the software; Every model has a USB port for faster configuration by uploading and downloading thermostat settings; and Home screen configuration allows the building owner or contractor to custom tailor the user experience.
Honeywell’s LNS Plug-in for Stryker VAV Controllers. Honeywell is pleased to announce the availability of the Stryker VAV LNS Plug-in 2.3.0. Some new and existing BAS installations utilizing LonMark® devices may use general-purpose tools that utilize an LNS Plug-in Director such as Echelon’s LonMaker.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending November 22, 2015 announces the 2015 ControlTrends Awards Finalists! Cybersecurity SITREP from SmartCore’s Fred Gordy, who invites the ControlTrends Community to use SmartCore’s free on-line Criticality and Threat Assessment survey. US-CERT’s I3C Public Service Announcement and Cyber attack update; Lynxspring’s Onyxx E2E Solution; Sierra Monitor Corporation’s Telecom Site Case Study; FIN Stack Lunch ‘n Learn; and Therese Sullivan writes about the CoRE Tech Silicon Valley event and the slow adoption rate of Smart Building technology.
EasyIO Certification Training in December at Cochrane Supply, MI. With our latest EASYIO 32-bit range of DDC products, you can now build your Automation solutions from top to bottom, with various OPEN programming tools. With the EASYIO range of IP DDC Controllers, now available and selling worldwide.
30 Minutes with Lynxspring Webinar Series – Professional Services – New Onyxx Products. The 30 Minutes with Lynxspring Webinar Series continues on Wednesday, November 18th, at 12:00 PM CST. Session 6 – Lynxspring’s New Onyxx Products. Overview: Our IoT world increases the number of smart equipment, systems, and devices — creating tremendous intelligence at the edge.
Announcing SmartCore’s Free, Online Criticality and Threat Assessment (CATA). Online Assessment at NO CHARGE to you! SmartCore has developed an online assessment tool that gives building and portfolio management a high level assessment of each building free of charge. Contact info@smartcore.com to receive your assessment link. SmartCore will translate your answers to this short survey into a Threat Assessment Scorecard as well as a prescriptive Cyber Risk Mitigation Plan that we can help you implement to strengthen your defense against attacks.
Congratulations to the 2015 ControlTrends Awards Finalists! (JavaScript is needed to display this video player! The voting for the 2015 ControlTrends Awards will begin shortly. Please register to vote! Building Automation VAV Controller of the Year Manufacturer or Product: Neptronic, Distech, Delta Controls, Johnson Controls, KMC SimplyVAV, Honeywell Spyder, and Prolon.
Sierra Monitor Corporation Case Study on Telecom Site Remote Monitoring. Telecom Site Remote Monitoring: The telecommunications industry includes regional operating companies, traditional long distance carriers, wireless carriers, and cable and satellite service providers; they all deliver voice, data, and video services. Sierra Monitor Corporation shares its extensive expertise about this universal, yet challenging application.
Internet Crime Complaint Center The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has issued an alert warning that law enforcement personnel and public officials may be at an increased risk of cyber attacks. In addition to doxing (the act of gathering and publishing individuals’ personal information without permission), threat actors have been observed compromising the email accounts of officers and officials. These target groups should protect their online presence and exposure.
Stromquist Company Hosting Lunch ‘n Learns for FIN Stack. Our Authorized FIN Distributor Stromquist is hosting two free informational Lunch ‘n Learns. The first is at their Atlanta office Thursday Nov 19th from 12:00 – 1:00 EDT, and will be available also remotely via live stream at ControlTrends The sesond session will be at Orlando office Tuesday November 24 from 12:00 – 1:00 EDT.
Therese Sullivan Puts the Full Court Press on CoRE Tech’s Silicon Valley Message: ‘Just Do It.’ (By therese554) Smart Building technology isn’t being adopted at the pace expected. Why aren’t more property owners getting off the sidelines? Chicago Bulls Basketball star Michael Jordan inspired a lot of sports watchers to become sports Do-ers in the 1980s and 90s. And, of course, there was the ‘Sneaks.’ Can tech-firm smart building All Stars be as motivating? Are their methods and tools a fit for the rest of us?
ControlTalk NOW Special Guest: SmartCore’s Director of Cybersecurity expert Fred Gordy. Fred is responsible for the technology strategy and cyber security for control systems. Fred’s portfolio includes projects military bases, internet data centers, national retail chains, an international media company, REIT’s, and research labs. Fred has contributed and/or been featured in the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Fox, HPAC Engineering, Retrofit Magazine, Building Context, Healthcare Facilities Today, and BOMA FacilitiesNet.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending November 15, 2015 features special guest Marc Petock; interviews and product updates with Lynxspring’s CEO,Terry Swope; DG Logik’s Dennis Khvostionov; ACI’s Barry Gordon; and Intelligent Buildings’ Shaun Klann. SGIP wins NIST Funding award; Cybersecurity must-read whitepaper from Frost & Sullivan, and a special tribute from Dozier Mills for Veterans Day.
Ask a Controls Expert with Stromquist Company’s Dozier Mills, who reponds to the question, “Why not use a PLC instead of a DDC System to control a buildings’ equipment?” Doz has been active the HVAC/R Industry for over 30 years specializing in commercial and domestic air conditioning, refrigeration, and heating systems, with application specialization in data centers, cold storage, ice plants, pneumatic controls, as well as Siemens, Johnson Controls, Alerton, and Honeywell control systems.
Terry Swope at The 2015 Lynxspring Exchange. I had a chance to catch up with Lynxspring CEO and co founder Terry Swope. As a blues guitar playing, Greg Allman doppelganger, smart buildings controls aficionado and all around good guy, Terry is one of my favorite people. Watch this video to find out more about Terry, the smart buildings controls renaissance, and Lynxspring, including what and how Lynxspring came into being.
JACE 8000: An In-depth Look! Don’t Miss the Next Tridium Talk. Don’t miss our next TridiumTalk for the latest on our cutting-edge controller! Tridium’s next-generation JACE® 8000 controller is almost here – so make sure you’re up to speed on the platform’s power and enhanced capabilities. Join Product Manager Mike Westerfield for our next TridiumTalk, “JACE 8000: An in-depth look.”
Frost & Sullivan Report: CYBERSECURITY IN SMART BUILDINGS “INACTION IS NOT AN OPTION ANYMORE.” This Cybersecurity seminal document, written by Konkana Khaund, Principal Consultant, Energy & Environment, at Frost & Sullivan, takes a “History Channel” look at the whole story of Cybersecurity, detailing the origin of our vulnerabilities, to our present and rather disparaging status. Cyber attacks, by their seeming distance from our doorstep, pose significant challenges to all building purveyors.
ControlTalk NOW Special Guest: Marc Petock, VP, Marketing at Lynxspring and Connexx Energy where he leads corporate and product marketing strategy and execution, brand management, public relations and communications to support both companies strategic and growth initiatives. Marc is a contributing author, noted speaker and recognized industry leader having earned Realcomm’s “Top 35 People to Watch” for the last seven years in a row, Who’s Who in M2M, a Digital Impact Award and several other industry accolades. Marc recaps 2015 Lynxspring Exchange and, as the Master of Ceremonies, leads the 2015 ControlTrends Awards.
Veterans Day November 11, 2015 — A Green Light is a Simple Way to Show Support. If you know a veteran or have a friend or family member that is now serving, or served in the military, reach out to them and let them know how thankful you are for the service they render, or have rendered to our country. Veterans Day is your opportunity to remember and honor those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. On a special note, the Green light Beacon, located at 417 5th Avenue, New York, NY(Entrance on 38th Street), will be on view from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM for all to see.
Barry “Flash” Gordon at the 2015 Lynxspring Exchange. I had a chance to catch up with Barry Gordon from ACI at the 2015 Lynxspring Exchange. Behind every great Smart Building solution is a Smart Sensor and behind every smart sensor is a smart, dedicated, hard working technical support person. Watch this video to find out why Barry “Flash” Gordon, recipient of the 2012 ControlTrends Awards Best Technical Support Award, is considered by many to be the standard by which quality technical support is measured.
Intelligent Buildings’ Shaun Klann at 2015 Lynxspring Exchange. ControiTrends coverage of the 2015 Lynxspring Exchange continues as I had the opportunity to speak with Intelligent Buildings’s Shaun Klann, and get a ring-side update of the Smart Buildings arena from one of the top firms in the Smart Building business. Shaun cited some of the consultancy topics that Intelligent Buildings is prepared to help solve for their customers. First, Cybersecurity — an issue that has to be proactively addressed to secure industrial control systems.
SGIP News & Activities: President Sharon Allan’s November Update. I am pleased to announce that SGIP won the NIST Funding opportunity which we submitted via a competitive bidding process in June. I have been working through the final details with our NIST contracting specialist. We will receive $2.1M when it is all finalized over the course of the next three years; which will breakdown as follows: $900k for 2016, $700k for 2017, and $500k for 2018. We look forward to continuing our relationship with NIST.
DG LOGIK Shows off Project Assist 2.0 at 2015 Lynxspring Exchange. Front and center at the 2015 Lynxspring Exchange, DGLogik revealed their Project Assist 2.0 for facilities. The Project Assist 2.0 wizard allows users to create rapid HTML5 interfaces to better manage and monitor facility data. Project Assist 2.0 will deliver a faster, simpler and more intuitive user experience, offering full flexibility and customization without diving into the full design and development environment of DGLux5.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending November 8, 2015 reminds the ControlTrends Community that the nomination period is ending November 15th. Please ensure you nominate the deserving people, products, and solutions that make our industry so great and register to vote! Special thanks to our guests Therese Sullivan, Mike Marston, Chris Lane, and Alper Üzmezler. Fred Gordy reviews the president’s Cyberspace Policy and Marc Petock keeps the focus on Cybersecurity with excerpts from Lynxspring Exchange, and announces the release of Lynxspring’s Edge-to-Enterprise (E2E) Initiative. Also, watch great interviews with Belimo’s CEO, Lars van der Haegen and ACR’s Kevin Parsley.
Cyber Legacy? I think that the president is looking to use cyber security as a “legacy” play for his last year in office. It is the one thing that most Americans, regardless of their party affiliation, will agree on and get behind. Cyber awareness is a good thing, but what does that look like coming from Washington? The only way to know this is to be informed. If you haven’t seen the Cyberspace Policy Review Final, you may want to look it over. It has both negative and positive aspects for businesses.
Ask a Controls Expert with Chris Lane, Senior FX Product Manager at Johnson Controls who responds to Franklin from Florida’s question asking, “Will the Johnson Controls FX ASSET TOOL save him time, money, and programming?” Chris answers with a clarification: “The FX ASSET TOOL is really a money-maker because it streamlines the whole project and speaks the user’s language. It reduces the time it takes to bid, submit, order, and program a building automation controls job.” So, the Johnson Controls FX ASSET TOOL is a great way to save money and time on building automation controls project and installations.
Lynxspring’s Marc Petock Offers Insight into Cyber Security. Dear Lynxspring Business Partner, when it comes to building automation and management systems, while they were once separate, they are now firmly integrated within a company’s network infrastructure and should not be treated differently when it comes to cyber security and threat protection.
Control Pub Talk with Mike Marston in Thailand with his guest Michael Baek, from South Korea, where they discuss the rigorous requirements of South Korea’s Defense Department and how EasyIO is able to meet those exacting standards. Stay tuned for Mike’s next Control Pub Talk with Brian Anderson. A global favorite, the EasyIO’s FG-32+ Controller is one of the most versatile controllers on the market, come with the CPT and reference VAV, AHU, Chiller Plant, and Boiler Plant APPs that are easily modified to meet your exact application.
Catching up with Belimo’s Lars van der Haegen. What makes an HVAC or Building Automation Controls company great? To find out the answer to this important question, I reached out to Belimo’s CEO, Lars van der Haegen. I had the pleasure of catching up with Lars at the 2015 Belimo Platinum Distributors Meeting. Belimo is known for their quality valves and world-class actuators. This makes Lars the perfect person to answer our aforementioned question.
Interview with Therese Sullivan, principal and editor of Building Context and Haystack, and contributing to automatedbuildings.com. Therese is a prolific and knowledgeable writer/technologist and marketing professional, who provides news and analysis for commercial building system integrators, facilities managers and real estate professionals about innovations in building automation with emphasis on data analytics, mobile apps, cloud services and wireless networking. Therese knows her way around Silicon Valley and shares her knowledge of how emerging technology will impact the world of intelligent buildings.
Lynxspring Announces Edge-to-Enterprise (E2E) Initiative, New Solutions and Services. LYNXSPRING EXCHANGE 2015, Lee’s Summit, MO – November 5, 2015 – Lynxspring, Inc., a premier developer and provider of open, IP-based control solutions for intelligent buildings, energy management, cyber protection and device-to-enterprise integration, unveiled its new initiative, Lynxspring E2E (Edge-to-Enterprise) ecosystem at the 2015 Lynxspring Exchange and Partner Conference last week
HVAC Controls Distributor Review: ACR Supply. When you have been around the HVAC and Building Automation Controls business as long as I have, you see a lot of companies, and meet a lot of great people. I had the chance to catch up with one of my favorite people, Kevin Parsley and companies ACR Supply. Kevin gives us some insight into what makes ACR Supply such a great place to work and how they create value in the HVAC controls marketplace. ACR Supply was founded by Troy Meachum’s dad, L.C. Meachum in 1977 in Durham, NC. Troy and Kevin uphold the values that have earned ACR Supply Company the trust and loyalty of HVACR parts and supplies users throughout central North Carolina.
BASSG’s CEO Alper Üzmezler, one of the first Young Guns of our industry. BASSG was founded in 2004, and serves as a leading Intelligent Building Solutions provider and continuous innovator in Building Automation Technology and BAS Analytics — that focus on reducing implementation and facility management energy costs. Through in-house developed easy-to-deploy, multi-system software tools, BASSG branded OEM products and multiple distributorships, BASSG offers one-stop delivery for everything BAS — with incomparable value to significantly lower implementation and maintenance costs.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending November 1, 2015 thanks Scott Cross from Temperature Controls Systems, Dallas, TX, for that amazing jet pack introduction! This week features highlights from the Lynxspring Exchange 2015 event; DOE Funding Opportunities; a great introductory video from Contemporary Controls — Understanding BACnet Part I; and an in-depth interview and discussion with Ken Sinclair, owner and editor of automatedbuildings.com. Don’t miss the November edition of Automated Buildings!
Lynxspring Exchange 2015: How Lynxspring is Making a Difference and Building for Tomorrow — Today! The Lynxspring Exchange and Partner Conference being held October 26th-28th at the Argosy Hotel and Casino, Riverside, Missouri, began with a quaint evening reception and hosted exhibit networking, really kicks into high gear today. Lynxspring Exchange 2015 brings together Lynxspring’s ecosystem and community of business partners, integrators, contractors, OEMs, technology partners, industry professionals and practitioners.
What is BACnet and Why is it Important to Smart Buildings? What is BACnet? Why is it important to controlling Smart Buildings? To get a simple to understand answer we turned to George Thomas and his team at Contemporary Controls. Contemporary Controls designs and manufactures the system building blocks for networking, integrating and controlling automation processes.
ControlTrends introduces a new Q&A format: Ask a Controls Expert. In response to a question emailed to ControlTrends from Bill from Montana, we were able to contact Rick Jones, a well known HVAC industry expert from Relevant Solutions, to answer Bill’s question with an in-depth explanation of why the Belimo Energy Valve is such a smart specification for engineers. We invite you to record your HVAC question as an attachment and email it to controltrends@gmail.com, where we’ll get an industry expert to answer your question on ControlTalk NOW.
ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending October 25, 2015 takes us to the Belimo Platinum Conference in Aruba, where Eric, set against the beautiful beach sites, gives us an overview of the products and conference agenda. Interviews with OPEN BMCS’ Chris Schnieder, and EasyIO’s Tommy Hangenes; DG Logik’s new Project Assist 2.0 to be unveiled at the Lynxspring Exchange; Product reviews include the Johnson Controls’ T600, ACI’s new A/WPR2 Wet-Wet DP Transmitter, and Contemporary Controls’ BAScontrol20 BACnet Sedona Controller; Mike Marston dives deep into EasyIO’s free Engineering APPs, and Able Ramirez gives a video Tech Tip on spring return actuators.
Chris Schneider and OPEN BMCS — Immediate Browser Based Building Management at Your Fingertips! Eric Stromquist and Chris Schneider discuss OPEN BMCS, one of the most versatile and scalable browser based Building Management System on the market. Regardless of the size of your business, the OPEN BMCS software has the ability to expand to hundreds of controllers — and features: Template Creation, Alarm and History Creation, External Linking, and Custom Settings and Services. OPEN BMCS can control and monitor anything from a garage door to a complete campus wide network, with everything you need on board. Visit OPEN BMCS today!
DGLogik to Reveal Project Assist 2.0 at Lynxspring Exchange 2015. Coming this October 26th at the Lynxspring Exchange event, DGLogik will be revealing the enhanced step by step wizard, Project Assist 2.0 for facilities. This wizard will allow users to rapidly create HTML5 interfaces in order to better manage and monitor facility data. It will deliver a faster, simpler and more intuitive user experience, offering full flexibility and customization without diving into the full design and development environment of DGLux5. The Lynxspring Exchange and Partner Conference joins Lynxspring’s ecosystem and community.
Tech Tip: Setting Up a Spring Return Damper Actuator. How do Spring Return Damper Actuators really work? To find out the answer to this we turned to our friend, Able Ramirez, AKA “The Controls Freak”. Abel put together this fantastic video using the Belimo AF24-SR Spring return damper actuator. Great job Abel! Speaking of Belimo, be sure to check out Steve Rybka,one of the best controls guys and teachers I know.
ControlTrends Around the World: Norway. 2014 ControlTrends Awards Young Gun recipient Tommy Hagenes, Nordic Representative EasyIO Europe B.V., Bergen Area, Norway is a specialist in Building and Industrial Automation. At the EasyIO Global Partner Conference, Tommy introduces two of Norway’s top systems integrators Christa and Andreas – who share their thoughts on the conference and the new additions to the EasyIO product portfolio, in particular, EasyStack.
ACI’s New Remote Wet to Wet Differential Pressure Transmitter with LCD. ACI has added a new option to the A/WPR Series! This new product has been very well received based on its ability to save on installation and set up time. It also has range and output flexibility. The final piece is an oversized display option which provides valuable real-time information including High, Low and Differential Pressure readings. The A/WPR2 Series Remote Wet to Wet Differential Pressure Transmitter is designed to reduce installation time and provide mounting flexibility, often eliminating the need for additional plumbing.
Johnson Control’s Easy Way to Control Portable Classrooms. I found this one in the archives, but it is still a great solution from Johnson Controls for controlling portable classrooms. The Johnson Controls T600 Family of thermostats include several cool features, including an on board occupancy sensor. Mike Glenn, from Johnson Controls shows us how the T600 can be used to control and save energy in portable classrooms. The T600 is a low cost practical way to control temperature and reduce energy consumption in your remote classrooms.
Take a Deep Dive with Mike Marston — EasyIO’s Powerful Engineering APPs. Mike Marston reviews EasyIO’s new and powerful engineering APPs — featuring EasyIO’s FG-32+ Controller, one of the most versatile controllers on the market. These reference VAV, AHU, Chiller Plant, and Boiler Plant APPs are easily modified to meet your exact applications. Each loads with graphics, logic, and documentation — including the BACnet reference documents.
BAScontrol20 BACnet/IP Sedona Controller Instrumental in Providing SCADA Simulation. October 2015 — Jon Vietti, a DDC Controls Consultant/Specialist at DDCSupportServices.com, was recently hired by Walla Walla Community College to create a SCADA simulator that provides remote monitoring and control of the college’s Amatrol Process Control System trainer. A BAScontrol20 BACnet/IP Sedona controller was critical to the task. Providing students with the capability to earn an Associate’s Degree in Plant Operations, the Walla Walla Community College has an extensive program which teaches students the necessary skills to excel in their chosen career path.
ControlTalk Now — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending October 18, 2015 features Rob Allen of 7 Minutes in Control and his coverage of the 2015 KMC Controls Event with interviews with Richard Newberry and Mitch Kehler. Rob continues his coverage of Honeywell’s Momentum 2015 with Noesis’ VP of Sales, Justin Putnam. As always, ControlTrends is delighted to provide more international news and coverage with interviews by India’s Vinayak Sane, and Mexico City’s Alfredo Melnik and Carlos Roman.
Will The KMC Commander be the Smart Buildings Controls Game Changer? Will the KMC Commander be a Smart Buildings Controls Game Changer? To find out the answer to this question, our Rob Allen, chats with KMC’s Richard Newberry at the KMC Controls 2015 Business Conference. Richard is the Chairman and advisor to the KMC Board of Directors. Listening to Richard speak, it is no wonder KMC Controls is known for their innovative Building Automation and Smart Buildings Controls. Every great company has a great mission. Ricard explains that KMC’s mission is to “provide innovative, intuitive building automation and Smart Buildings Controls solutions from responsive and supportive people.”
KMC’s Mitch Kehler, Director of Sales, Connects with Rob Allen. KMC Controls is leading the way with new technology! Mitch Kehler, Director of Sales, summarizes some of the exciting new features of KMC’s recently deployed KMC Connect, a time-saving, menu-driven configuration utility and KMC Connect Lite, a revolutionary mobile application, both of which were designed to save contractors significant amounts of time and money — on every project installation utilizing Near Field Communication (NFC).
Honeywell Momentum 2015: Rob Allen Live with Noesis’ VP of Sales, Jason Putnam. Jason Putnam discusses with Rob Allen what Noesis can do for distributors, contractors, and OEMs that need help in getting deals done faster with greater levels of success. It’s not always about savings and ROI; often, the decision-makers need clear insight into the impact the deal will have in regards to their cash flow. Noesis offers software tools, unique financing products, and top-notch technical and service support to help their partners close one deal and move onto another. Noesis is teaming up Mark Jewell of Selling Energy, and Honeywell’s Energy and Environmental Optimization Program to take success to the next level.
Smart Building Controls Revolution in India. The Smart Buildings Revolution is taking place in India, as the country gears up and invests in Smart Buildings and Smart Cities. Who better than India’s own, Vinayak Sane, from SI Consultech in Mumbai, to discuss this phenomena. We spent time with Vinayak at the EASY IO Global Conference, where Vinayak and Building Automation and Smart Buildings Controls integrators from around the world gathered to discuss the Smart Buildings Controls Renaissance and the latest control trends. Vinayak gives us his thoughts on Smart Buildings and Building Automation Controls. He interviews and introduces us to several of his colleagues, including a familiar face from America. Great work Vinayak.
Apology from Eric: I am so sorry about my audio on this episode. We tried a different set up and my mic settings are way off. Thank you for your understanding. Next weeks episode will be much better.
Welcome to ControlTalk Now, the Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending October 11, 2015. We are delighted to announce that the nomination period for the 2015 ControlTrends Awards has officially begun! Help us recognize the heroes and superstars of our HVAC and Building Automation industry. ControlTrends is excited to present the Second Episode of Networking Conversations, with Sierra Monitor’s CEO, Varun Nagaraj, along with interviews with Alfredo Melnik and Carlos Roman, of MR Intelligence Professional Solutions Buildings SA de CV, one of Mexico City’s premiere intelligent buildings integrators and Honeywell’s Director of Commercial Sales, Larry Andriunas, live from the 2015 Honeywell Momentum. And don’t miss Ken Sinclair’s October edition of Automated Buildings: Satisfaction + Well Being = Productivity.
Automated Buildings October Release: Satisfaction + Well Being = Productivity. Editorial Words of Wisdom from Ken Sinclair, owner and editor of automatedbuildings.com: “Our new tools of social engagement allow us to rapidly and continuously quantify as never before the measured variables of “Satisfaction” and “Well Being” in our buildings. We all understand how important these factors are to the productivity within our buildings.
2015 Honeywell Momentum: Larry Andriunas ” The Controls Guy… Control Guy.” If you did not make the 2015 Honeywell Momentum event, no worries, our Rob Allen gives you the 411 on what’s Industry Giant is doing in Building Automation and Smart Building Controls. In this video Rob catch up with Larry Andriunas. Larry, in addition to doing a phenomenal job as the MC at this years event, is the Director of Commercial Sales at Honeywell. He is responsible for sales of Honeywell’s commercial portfolio within the ECC (Environmental Combustion and Controls) division.
ControlTalk NOW Interview with Alfredo Melnik and Carlos Roman, of MR Intelligence Professional Solutions Buildings SA de CV, one of Mexico City’s premiere intelligent buildings integrators. Alfredo and Carlos provide expert insight into the developing markets in Mexico and some of the interesting challenges they have faced during the past 10 years while bringing hospitals, hotels, hi-rises, and other facilities and buildings into smart building status.
Here is Your Official 2015 ControlTrends Awards Nomination Ballot! The nomination period for the 2015 ControlTrends Awards has officially begun! This is your opportunity to nominate your favorite products, solutions, vendors, technical support people and executives. Help us recognize the heroes and superstars of our HVAC and Building Automation industry. Nominate those people, products, and solutions that help sustain our industry and make it so important and successful. Click here to start the nomination process. Please share this link with your network.
Episode 2: Control Networking Conversations with Varun Nagaraj: We are super excited to welcome back Varun Nagaraj with Episode 2 of Control Networking Conversations. Varun, who is the CEO of Sierra Monitor, has a knack for taking the complex and explaining the technical aspects of Building Automation Controls Networking in an easy to understand manner. If you saw Episode 1 of Control Networking Conversations you know what I mean.
ControlTalk Now, the Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending October 4, 2015. It has been another amazing week on the go — with continuing coverage of the EasyIO Global Partner Event with prophesying interviews from Mike Marston and Johan Schakenraad (EasyIO Global), Scott Muench (J2 and EasyStack) and Terry Casey (Intellastar), while Rob Allen and Michael Bonner interview Larry Weber at the Honeywell Momentum 2015, and then hop over to the KMC distributor meeting. More Cyber Security updates from Pablos Holman and Fred Gordy, and Siemens adds additional competitive room controllers to it’s commercial product portfolio; and DGLogik take DGLux5 training to Michigan at Cochrane Supply.
Hacker Skills: How to get free Movies in Your Hotel Room. Ken Smyers, Fred Gordy and I talk a lot about how hackers use vunerablities in BAS systems to get into places they should not. Pablos Holman shows us just how unsafe your wireless and other technologies are. From Blue Tooth to automobile remotes, PCs, and “secure” credit cards, Hacker extraordinaire, Pablos Holman, shows how nearly every secure system is vulnerable.
Siemens Fan Coil Stats – Out with the Old and In with the New. Siemens’ RAA and RAB series of fan coil thermostats are now obsolete and being replaced by the RDG series room thermostats. They cover a wide range of commercial HVAC applications from roof top units and heat pumps to VAV/CAV control. Ideally suited for light commercial installations such as retail, hospitality, light healthcare and small commercial buildings, they are easy to install and commission.
Renaissance of Building Automation Control — Global EasyIO Partner Event Begins Today in Paris. For those vendors and systems integrators gathering today at the Global EasyIO Partner Event — from six continents, buildings are the common currency and EasyIO is the common language spoken. Featuring the release of EasyStack, the enhanced FG-32+ controller, the possibilities of the Belimo MP Bus Gateway, and a myriad of new vendor applications, EasyIO now provides a greater range of solutions for the underserved global markets, where an estimated 70% of the world’s buildings still lack edge technology and control.
Building Automation Controls Renaissance Man Mike Marston at the EasyIO World Event. Ken got a chance to catch up with Mike Marston at the EASYIO World Event. Mike gives us an update on the role EASYIO and their partners are playing in the Building Automation and Smart Buildings Controls Renaissance.
Global EasyIO Partner Event 2015 — Day 2 Highlights. Day 2 began with a hearty welcome from Bullzevents’ Guido Van Erp and the yearly sales and marketing review from Johan Schakenraad, CEO, EasyIO Europe, who summarized EasyIO’s impressive growth with the words “EasyIO FG-32… To use it, is to love it.” Day 2 resumed with a series of product and solution presentations beginning with Yanis Cottard of NODON, followed by updates on the EasyIO EnOcean driver, the enhanced CPT Tool with new widget features.
EasyIO, Renaissance, and Terry Casey’s Eloquent Interview: Building IoT Explained. On Day 2, at the EasyIO vendor show, the Renaissance continued as ControlTrends had the opportunity to interview one of the most venerated members of the building management industry, Mr. Terry Casey, of Intellastar. Terry began his prolific journey as CEO and founder of Trend, still a premiere DDC line in England, and by serving as President/CEO of Tridium Europe. His professorial explanation of what he terms, the “Building Internet of Things” and its underlying stack technology, represent a significant departure from the rather status quo of the past 25 years.
We Were IoT Before IoT Was Cool. (originally posted on AutomatedBuildings.com – link to article) Open Source, Plug & Play, IoT, and an Automagically Connected Home, these are terms we hear all the time. But what do they really mean? And more importantly, what do they mean to the Integrator community? The connected buildings and devices that can be accessed via the web are not new. Integrators have been doing this for years. Most of the public didn’t know how, or really care how HVAC, lighting, access control, elevators, parking garages, etc. were controlled in the building they worked. This was all done “behind the curtain” and as long as they were comfortable, they didn’t even think about it.
Calling All Building Systems Integrators! DGLux5 Training Oct. 7-9, 2015. Powerful, full-featured data visualization tools are paramount to properly utilize building systems data as an asset. And DGLux5 has proven to be the preferred application development platform with exceptional toolsets that will take your customers’ building performance data to the highest level. So, join us for DGLux5 training, become DG Certified and take your customers’ data to the next level!
J2 Innovations Announcement Contributes to The Smart Building Control Renaissance. J2 Innovations makes a huge announcement at the EASY IO Global Conference in Paris. Scott Muench delighted systems integrators around the world with his demo of the new EasyStack. As Scott, explains in the video, Easy Stack combines the power of EasyIO controllers with the flexibility of the J2 Innovations platform to give a powerful solution to the Smart Buildings and Building Automation Controls community. Watch the video to learn more about the features and power of EasyStack.
EasyIO’s Role in the Smart Building Control Renaissance. Are we in the midst of a Smart Building and Building Automation Controls Renaissance? With the advent of Haystack Connect, Niagara 4, HTML5, building analytics, the race to the small space, and many other trends that we track on ControlTrends, we think we are at the tipping point of Smart Building and Building Automation Controls Renaissance.
Honeywell Momentum Update: Larry Weber on Honeywell’s Race to The Small Space. Our Rob Allen was in attendance at the 2015 Honeywell Momentum Conference. In addition to taking in all the great information for the Buildings Automation Group at Stromquist & Company, Rob covered the Conference for the ControlTrends Community. In Rob’s first update, he tracks down Larry Weber. Larry is the General Manager for the Honeywell Buildings Control Systems Brand. In addition to being a nice guy, he is usually the brightest person in the room.
KMC Controls Conference: Day One Recap. Our Rob Allen and Michael Bonner are in San Antonio this week at the KMC Controls Conference. Rob and Mike give is the highlights from day one of the KMC Controls Event. KMC, in conjunction with Intel and Dell are ensuring that Internet Technology and Operational Technology are playing nice together eliminating internet gateway issue. Great job guys!
ControlTalk NOW for the week ending September 6th, 2015 features Siemens’ Come Fly With Us RDY2000 Commercial Thermostat Promotion. Already dubbed the ReadyStat 2000, it launches with an exceptionally rewarding marketing promo. Tridium’s Niagara 4 is available, NOW — and so is DGLogik’s DGLux5 IoT Platform for Niagara 4. Automated Buildings’ Ken Sinclair September edition throws a “delay of game penalty flag” on the HVAC Industry’s historical slow rate of meaningful change. And, Fred Gordy’s depiction of supervisory controllers — exposed on Shodan’s website, provides more stark visualization of fixable cyber security exposure.
Niagara 4 is Here! Next-generation IoT Framework Now Available! Niagara 4 builds on the legacy of the Niagara Framework® in many new and ground-breaking ways, and is designed to help businesses take full advantage of the Internet of Things. Some of the most exciting advancements include: Modern user interface and design language (HTML5); Powerful and easy-to-use security features’ and Seamless conversion from Niagara AX.
ControlTalk NOW welcomes SK Foo. EasyIO’s strong technical support is anchored by SK Foo, who was exceptionally busy the past two weeks with nonstop visits to Twinco in NYC, NY and the new Belimo Air Controls factory in Danbury, CT; then to Pittsburgh, PA and Seattle, WA, to conduct EasyIO refresher training; and then finally, off to Sydney, Australia, where he will conduct EasyIO certification training. Listen in as EasyIO’s SK Foo gives us a preview of the feature-rich FG-32+; the new developments with Belimo MP Bus Gateway, which be featured at the EasyIO Global Partner Conference scheduled foe September 20-22 in Paris, France.
Automated Buildings September Theme: Change Evolves from the Possible — 17th Education Sessions at AHR EXPO 2016 in Orlando. Ken Sinclair, owner and editor of Automated Buildings, has chronicled the slow rate of change within in our industry, citing in particular, the compelling need to change the vendor-centric unconnected world of traditional marketing of our products and services. Join Ken and a host of industry experts at the 17th Educational Sessions being held at the AHR EXPO 2016, Orlando, FL.
Gateways Aren’t Supervisory Controllers But They Offer A “Greatway” Into Your Site. If you haven’t looked at Shodan maps maybe you should. It shows a stark visualization of just how exposed we are. The above image shows all of the Lantronix devices that exposed. In the US alone there are 7,024 as of this morning (9/3/2015). Generically speaking gateways convert one protocol to another. Typically in the BAS world gateways convert serial communication such as RS232 and RS485 to IP. More specifically BACnet serial to IP and Modbus serial to IP (Lantronix gateways are just one of several gateway manufacturers).
DGLux5 for Niagara 4 is Available for Download — NOW! Niagara 4 has officially been released and our innovative technology is alongside Tridium’s latest and greatest. Yes, DGLux5 for Niagara 4 is available for download! IoT Application Platform, DGLux5 is the finest compliment to Niagara 4, providing an enhanced user experience for all your data visualization needs. DGLux5 is an award-winning, fully HTML5 drag and drop development platform that allows users to rapidly create stunning, data-driven applications.
The Best Product Promotion of 2015? The Siemens RDY 2000 Thermostat! Siemens introduces the RDY 2000, one of the most powerful and flexible thermostats money can buy, and one of the coolest promotions we have seen. This Siemens promotion won’t last forever so get on board now! “Come Fly With US!” Siemens, CGNA and Control Trends have joined forces to promote the new Siemens RDY2000 Thermostat. It is a gift card promotion along with a contest for the best contractor RDY2000 installation/application video from your phone. The Grand Prize Winner for the best video will receive a $750 travel voucher.
ControlTalk NOW for the week ending August 30, 2015 features guest interviews with Neptronic’s Luis Melgares and SI Consultants’ Vinayak Sane; new products from Thermokon and Functional Devices; Tridium N4 Crossover Training Video; Fred Gordy’s continued focus on Cyber Security; Sierra Monitor Corporation’s Varun Nagaraj’s Part 1 series on IIoT; and an updated ControlTrends Events Calendar.
Thermokon’s Newest Products — Released in 902MHz EnOcean’s Frequency for North America. Thermokon is pleased to announce several game-changing 902 MHz EnOcean products recently added to their extensive EasySens product platform, which include these application advantages: Cost savings due to Energy Harvesting: producing energy from the sensor environment; Flexibility with sensor location – quick and easy mounting and commissioning; Reduction of fire load – no need for wires.
ControlTrends Event Information Calendar Update. Global EasyIO Partner Event 2015: Paris, September 20-22! EasyIO is changing the way Building Automation is deployed, while significantly reducing installation costs. EasyIO’s global partner event will unveil awesome new products and features that will further enhance building management and energy solutions — for all building types. EasyIO has already a reputation to hold up for their amazing event programming.
Product Update: The New Functional Devices EnOcean Relay. Wireless is all the rage in todays building automation and smart buildings control systems. But to get the most out of your wireless system you need reliable wireless components like the EN3 EnOcean relay from Functional Devices. The EnOcean technology is an energy harvesting wireless technology used primarily in building automation systems; but is also applied to other applications in industry, transportation, logistics and smart homes.
Luis Melgares, Neptronic’s Vice-President, Sales and Marketing ControlTalk NOW’s first guest interview. ControlTrends caught up with Luis while he was on the road in Western PA and WV, technical support to system integrator and developing new business. Luis gives ControlTrends the latest scoop on Neptronic’s newest hardware and software, and previews Neptronic’s next generation TUC thermostat/room controller expected to be released fourth quarter 2015 — that will definitely be on display at the 2016 AHR EXPO in Orlando.
Tridium Niagara 4 Crossover Training Promo Video — World Class Technical Training for the Niagara Community. Tridium Niagara 4 Crossover Training Promo Video featuring World Class Technical Training for the Niagara Community. At Tridium, our training goals are simple; help our customers to be effective using the Niagara Framework. We do that by offering a variety of training classes covering the broad spectrum of Niagara-based solutions.
Vinayak Sane, with SI Consulting, based in Mumbai, India is ControlTalk NOW’s second guest interview. In this introductory video, we meet Vinayak and hear how he got started in the BMS/HVAC markets. Vinayak will be providing ControlTrends with progress updates on India’s immense efforts to bring 100 Smart Cities on-line, while proving insights on the some of the primary challenges facing India’s Smart Cities Mission, Building a Smart India, from an engineer’s perspective.
Practical Application for Using Shodan. Finding Devices, Protocols, Vendors, etc. Shodan’s search engine is fairly flexible and easy to use. The various lists below are what I found using a URL search like the two shown here (you must be logged in for the URL search to work). https://www.shodan.io/search?query=PDU+country%3A”US“ Notice the two bold sections of the URL string. The first is what you are looking for and the second is the country. The URL Encoded Characters for a colon are %3A.
If You’re Breached, You May Be Facing Two Battles. According to an arstechnica article Monday, August 24, a federal appeals court ruled that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) can now sue a company that employs poor IT security practices. This resulted from a lawsuit that the FTC filed against the Wyndham Worldwide Corporation who suffered three breaches from 2008 to 2009. (click here to see FTC vs Wyndham) FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramierz wrote in a statement to Ars, “Today’s Third Circuit Court of Appeals decision reaffirms the FTC’s authority to hold companies accountable for failing to safeguard consumer data.
Sierra Monitor’s Varun Nagaraj: A Model to Categorize IIoT Use Cases – Part 1. There is no shortage of stories and case studies about the IIoT. In aggregate, they support the assertion that the classic Buffalo Springfield song makes: “There’s something’s happening here; what it is ain’t exactly clear”. Unfortunately, the many IIoT case studies being written up throw the phrase “cloud” around like there is no tomorrow, and all the stories begin to blur together! Personally, I find it useful to have a model that helps me categorize IIoT use cases.
ControlTalk NOW for the week ending August 23, 2015 continues its focus on Cyber Security Awareness with Data Center Equipment Exposure; CABA’s Landmark CyberSecurity Research Initiative; and White Hat Billy Rios brings ICS/SCADA training to Georgia. Also featured: Eric Stromquist presents the Belimo Energy Valve to the Atlanta Better Building Challenge; Neptronic’s and ecobee’s newest product releases; the 2016 AHR EXPO registration is now available; 7 Minutes in Control with Rob Allen and Mike Bonner discussing their successful Honeywell N4 migration; and the amazing history of KMC Controls.
Data Center Equipment Exposed With Default Manufacturer User and Pass. Shodan Cataloging of Liebert & APC (Disclaimer – It is not the intent of this post to point out a particular BAS software vendor. The intent is to show that we, the system integrator, still have work ahead of us to do our part.) Last week I searched for Niagara systems on Shodan and the numbers were 27k plus in just the US. This week the US number is down just over 15k.
CABA Launches Landmark Research on CyberSecurity: Is Your Organization Prepared? What steps have your organization taken to ensure that your customers, products/services and organization are safe from privacy issues and cybersecurity attacks? The CABA Board of Directors and the CABA Connected Home Council (CHC) have selected the next CABA Landmark Research Study to be “Cybersecurity and the Connected Home”.
7 Minutes in Control with Stromquist’s Rob Allen and Mike Bonner. The two gentlemen provide great insight to a successful Honeywell WEBs AX migration to N4 that included several JACE controllers, numerous Honeywell Spyders, and an AX Supervisor, connecting multiple buildings over a wireless IP LAN. Please stay tuned to 7 Minutes in Control as Rob and Mike continue with N4 project migration updates.
World’s Largest HVACR Marketplace is Headed to Orlando, FL — January 25-27, 2016. The World’s Largest HVACR Marketplace is headed to Orlando, January 25-27, 2016, Orlando, Florida — ORANGE COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER! The AHR EXPO brings the entire HVACR Industry together under one roof to see the latest products and technology, learn about innovations & trends, and build relationships.
Neptronic Announces its Next Generation VAV and Fan Coil Controllers are Here! Neptronic, a leading manufacturer of HVAC Products and Solutions since 1976, is proud to announce that their game-changing Next Generation VAV and Fan Coil Controllers — are Available NOW! Huge hardware, software, and network improvements provide better precision, greater application versatility and more. Visit Neptronic today to see more features and benefits of Neptronic’s Next Generation Controllers!
Hey Siri, meet ecobee3 — Ahem, the HomeKit-enabled ecobee3. HomeKit makes it easy to discover, group, and control Apple HomeKit-enabled accessories in your home. Control your ecobee3 by using Siri on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Requires iOS 8.1 or later. Your iPhone is now a universal remote that controls your home. Imagine all your smart accessories working together and customized around you.
ControlTrends at The Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge. I got a chance to hang out with the movers and shakers of the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge last night. Atlanta’s mayor, Kasim Reed, gave us an update on the progress Atlanta Building owners are making towards reducing their energy spend by 20% by the year 2020.
KMC Controls — A History of Great Success Built with Great People and Great Products. KMC Controls, an almost mythical American success story begins with a summer job at Barber Colman in Rockford, IL, where Ken Krueter was first introduced to the world of HVAC and controls. Ken Kreuter’s pioneer efforts were soon augmented by a remarkable family and a cast of industrious and harmonious visonaries that would sustain KMC’s growth — and allow KMC to make significant contributions to the HVAC industry — for the next fifty years.
ICS/SCADA Security Essentials, Atlanta – Billy Rios, Instructor. My friend and mentor Billy Rios will be he instructor for the upcoming SANS Institute ICS/SCADA Security Essentials in Atlanta, September 28 thru October 2. Billy is not only an expert on this subject, but is highly engaging and thought provoking. His instructional delivery method coveys information that can be easily understood and is comprehensive.
The Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge, Pecha Kucha, and The Belimo Energy Valve. Here is a video of my Pecha Kucha at the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge. Pecha Kucha is a presentation style that allows the speaker 20 slides and 20 seconds to explain each slide. The Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge is the vision of Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed. He challenges commercial buildings in Atlanta to reduce their energy consumption 20% by the year 2020.
ControlTalk NOW for the week ending August 16, 2015 focuses on Cyber Security Awareness with a vulnerability summary from the National Cyber Awareness System, Tridium’s Niagara AX security updates, and Fred Gordy’s BAS exposure report from the Shodan site. Delta Controls’ Und de Boer shares her insights about “Doing Things Right.” Join Chris Ryan and “30 Minutes with Lynxspring,” and another great application from Data Center Monitoring experts, Sierra Monitor Corporation.
National Cyber Awareness System: SB15-222: Vulnerability Summary for the Week of August 3, 2015 08/10/2015 06:14 AM EDT. Original release date: August 10, 2015 The US-CERT Cyber Security Bulletin provides a summary of new vulnerabilities that have been recorded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) National Vulnerability Database (NVD) in the past week. The NVD is sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) / United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT).
Sierra Monitor’s Featured Application — Data Center Monitoring. Sierra Monitor — Experts in Data Center Monitoring Applications. A data center is a facility used to house networked computer servers and storage systems that are securely connected to the Internet. A data center generally includes redundant or backup power supplies, redundant data communications connections, environmental controls (e.g., air conditioning, gas detection, fire suppression), and physical access control systems.
Niagara AX Updates Available Now — Versions 3.6, 3.7, and 3.8 are Affected. Niagara AX updates available now. Versions 3.6, 3.7, and 3.8 are affected. The August 2015 Update Releases are available for download on Niagara Central. The updates include important enhancements that increase the security of a Niagara AX system, including a newer revision of the Java Virtual Machine. VYKON strongly encourages all customers to update Niagara AX to one of the newly available releases.
“30 Minutes with Lynxspring” Webinar Series – August 19, 2015. We are always thinking of ways we can help you maximize your company’s productivity and profitability.This month’s “30 minutes with Lynxspring” discusses the services we provide through our Professional Services Group and how they will help you turn projects over quicker, maximize resources and productivity, allow you more time to increase your customer base, pay more attention to your existing customers, and have the time to spend in front of them discussing additional opportunities.
What Makes a Company Great? It starts with their Philosophy. As we prepare for the nomination period for the 2015 ControlTrends Awards, I am reminded of how many great people, products and companies we have in our industry. It made me wonder what is at the core of these amazing players that make up the Building Automation Controls and HVAC Group. I came across this video and post from Una de Boer, the director of marketing at Delta Controls. Una is one of the bright, hardworking, thoughtful people in our Industry and does a wonderful job of answering my question. So, with her permission, please check out the following video and Una’s words from one of her LinkedIn posts.
Top US Cities With Exposed Niagara Systems. (Disclaimer – It is not the intent of this post to point out a particular BAS software vendor. The intent is to show that we, the system integrator, still have work ahead of us to do our part.) The information I list below I got by running a report on Shodan today (8/13/2015). And it didn’t cost a dime and I didn’t have to use any query language… just plain ole English. I opened the site (https://www.shodan.io/) and in the search bar I typed “niagara”.
ControlTalk NOW for the week ending August 9, 2015 is co-hosted by Rob Allen as we discuss Niagara 4 and the TridiumTalk Update; WattStopper’s new DLM product launch; 2015 Annual Demand Response Forum announcement; BACnet Attack Framework video from Brad Bowers; Better Buildings August Bulletin; EasyIO’s Global Conference in Paris; Interview with Ron Zimmers and CABA’s Big Data Research; and the updated ControlTrends Event Calendar.
TridiumTalk: Niagara 4 Tagging and Templating and Launch of Niagara Community.Presenting the latest additions to our TridiumTalk series: Join us for a demo of a key feature of Niagara 4 and learn more about the new Niagara Community website. Niagara 4 Tagging and Templating: How to quickly integrate devices and make data readily available. Niagara 4 delivers many notable improvements to help businesses take full advantage of the Internet of Things.
WattStopper’s Digital Lighting Management (DLM) Product Launch. Based on simplicity, flexibility, and scalability, WattStopper’s Digital Lighting Management (DLM) platform continues to revolutionize lighting controls projects across North America. Today we’re excited to announce the availability of new DLM fixture-integrated controls — products that add granularity to our already-proven suite of room and area controls.
2nd Annual Demand Response World Forum 2015, October 6-8 in Costa Mesa, CA. Utilities around the world are under increasing pressure to maximize energy efficiency, control load, and integrate distributed energy resources. These factors plus a changing regulatory environment are driving new requirements for network resiliency, flexibility, and power quality — all of which impact the traditional utility business case.
What You Always Wanted to Know About BACnet (… but were Afraid to Ask). Although this video is a little bit dated, it contains a lot of vital information and critical content for those in the awareness and knowledge gathering phases of the cyber security “human patching” process (Gordy). At ShmooCon 2013, Brad Bowers‘ BACnet Attack Framework presentation “How To Own A Building: Exploiting the Physical World With Bacnet” brings to light the vulnerabilities of one of the most standard communication protocols used in the operational technology side of the HVAC and Building Automation industries.
Better Buildings Bulletin: August, 2015. The Better Buildings Bulletin is a monthly feature to help keep you up to date on partner successes, program updates, opportunities to participate, and more. View the Bulletin online. At the 2015 Better Buildings Summit, over 200 speakers presented their solutions. These presentations are posted to the Solution Center where you can easily browse presentations using filters for building type.
EasyIO Global Conference Paris 2015 Update. Global EasyIO Partner Event 2015: Paris, September 20-22! EasyIO is changing the way Building Automation is deployed, while significantly reducing installation costs. EasyIO’s global partner event will unveil awesome new products and features that will further enhance building management and energy solutions — for all building types.
CABA — Where the Pros go to get Big Data on Big Data. I got a chance to catch up with Ron Zimmer from CABA. If you need to get the facts and information on all things Smart Buildings, and Building Automation Controls, Ron and the team at CABA can hook you up. Watch Ron and learn more. The Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA) is an international not-for-profit industry association dedicated to the advancement of integrated technologies for homes and buildings. The organization was founded in 1988 and is supported by an international membership of over 300 organizations.
ControlTrends Event Information Calendar Update. Global EasyIO Partner Global EasyIO Partner Event 2015: Paris, September 20-22! EasyIO is changing the way Building Automation is deployed, while significantly reducing installation costs. EasyIO’s global partner event will unveil awesome new products and features that will further enhance building management and energy solutions.
ControlTalk NOW for the week ending August 2, 2015 has two provocative cyber security posts from SmartCore’s cyber security evangelist and guru Fred Gordy, who shows us the ballistic cyber world with real-time Threat Maps and Shodan. Fred warns, “If you have setup a customer’s system that is directly connected to the internet, Shodan has either found it or will find it and put into its database for the world to see.” Read Ken Sinclair’s AutomatedBuildings and the August theme: Transformational Change our Mission Possible. DOE funds STEM training; Lynxspring Exchange updates; Easy IO’s Mike Marston with more Control Pub Talk; and Angie Jarvis and ProLon have a VAV Solution for you!
Real-Time Threat Maps: If you haven’t seen these maps, it can be eye opening. These are real-time and/or near real-time threat maps that are readily available online. Various companies who are touting their cyber security offering like to throw these up behind them during photo ops. They are impressive, but more importantly they show us the unseen cyber world and the fact we are under attack.
Shodan – Are Your Sites Listed?If you haven’t heard what Shodan is and why do we care, I would suggest you get familiar with it. Shodan has been called the “Google” for the internet of things (IoT). Shodan is continually cataloging web facing, connected devices such as control systems, computers, CRACs, power systems, etc. Why should we care? We should care because if you have setup a customer’s system that is directly connected to the internet, Shodan has either found it or will find it and put into its database for the world to see.
ProLon: The Easy Way to do Zoning. Are you looking for an easy to use and configure zoning system — that has the capabilities of a much more complex zoning system? We caught up with Angie Jarvis and the team from ProLon at the 2015 CGNA Vendor Showcase and ProLon just might have the answer! Check this video out and see just how easy it is to set up a zoning system. Reach out to your local CGNA controls distributor and try ProLon on your next zoning job.
Energy Department to Fund Master’s and Doctoral Training in Power Electronics ($10 Million)! Energy Department to Fund Master’s and Doctoral Training in Power Electronics. As part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to accelerating American manufacturing and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz’s support of STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) to create the next generation of engineers and manufacturers.
How to Make Beer with the EASY IO FG Controller. In episode 2 of Control Pub Talk with “Mad” Mike Marston, Mike shows us the EASY IO FG-32 Controller being used in several unique applications. Want to make beer? The powerful FG32 is the control solution of choice for micro brewers in the know. Could you control vending machines with the EASY IO Controller? Watch this video and find out!
Automated Building’s August Theme: “Transformational Change our Mission Possible.” Transformational change is the process of altering the basic elements of an organization’s culture, including the norms, values, and assumptions under which the organization functions. Getting some great comments directly, off the record and in articles and comments in our August issue about the “Transformational Change” that is happening to allow the Map of the possible.
The posted content for ControlTalk NOW for the week ending July 26, 2015 is rather sparse, but is offset by importance, because during time away from our keyboards, we were able to secure two major events of extreme importance: Cyber Security Summit and the 2015 ControlTrends Awards. SmartCore’s Fred Gordy, Lynxspring’s Marc Petock, Stromquist Company and DMS Controls Group LLC, working in close concert with the Georgia Tech Research Institute, will be hosting the first Cyber Security Summit in Atlanta, GA. Additionally, ControlTrends is excited to announce that the 2015 ControlTrends Awards will be held Sunday, January 24, 2016, at Orlando’s Hard Rock Live.
New Power Meter from Dent Instruments. 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 Controls Group North America (CGNA) 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 Special Guest: Fred Gordy is Senior Consultant for SmartCore and is responsible for the technology strategy and cybersecurity for control systems. Fred has focused on control system cybersecurity for the past several years and has built a network of cybersecurity professionals to grow knowledge for control systems at large. Fred’s portfolio includes military bases, internet data centers, national retail chains, an international media company, REIT’s, and research labs to name a few.
2015 ControlTrends Awards to be Held — January 24, 2016, at the Hard Rock Live! ControlTrends is excited to announce that the 2015 ControlTrends Awards will be held January 24, 2016, from 6:30PM to 9:30PM, at Orlando’s Hard Rock Live located at the door step to the amazing Universal Studios. Hard Rock Live is home to music history and a most befitting venue to celebrate the heroes and superstars of our HVAC and the Building Automation industries. ControlTrends graciously thanks our sponsors for allowing us to make this special industry event possible. Platinum Sponsors and their invited guests will join ControlTrends in the John Lennon replicate #71 Dakota Suite reception area prior to the awards show.
ControlTrends Event Information Calendar Update. Managing the Contractor Lifecycle at Critical Infrastructure Facilities for Enhanced Security and Regulatory Compliance. Wednesday, August 5, 2015 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET. Critical infrastructure facilities, such as energy and petrochemical sites, are complex environments to secure. Not only do these facilities manage valuable resources that need to be protected, but an accidental or intentional mishap can prove costly to both an organization’s bottom line as well as a nation’s economy.
ControlTalk NOW for week ending July 19, 2015, features interviews with Tridium’s Ed Merwin, Siemens’ Paul Gilvydis, and Rob Allen’s 7 Minutes in Control with Honeywell’s Roger Rebennack; Fred Gordy contributes vital Cybersecurity information; TridiumTalk: Cybersecurity Webinars — three registration opportunities; and new product release and information from Neptronic and ZKAccess. Don’t miss this great video edition from Eric’s new studio!
Toss the Key with Biometric Access.Stromquist is pleased to now be a distributor for ZKAccess, manufacturers of security access equipment. As one of the largest providers in the world, they have earned a reputation for technical innovation, quality, speed-to-market and reliability. These are just a few reasons why ZKAccess is the reader manufacturer of choice for so many OEMs, software developers, integrators, distributors and dealers worldwide.
Siemens Now Offering BAS Sensors through CGNA Distributors. It use to be that if you had a Siemens Building Automation Control System you had to go to the Siemens branch to buy all your replacement parts, including sensors. Although you still have to go back to the Siemens branch or factory direct contractor to get your properitory Siemens Building Automation controllers, you now have the option of buying the communicating wall sensors from independent distributors like the ones in Controls Group North America.
DOE Seeking Prototypes & Posters for Emerging Technology Pavilion. Building Technologies Office: Calling all innovators! Apply to share your early stage technologies at Energy ConneXions’ Emerging Technology Pavilion. This event brings together leaders in the federal government and the private sector to advance collaboration, and offer viable solutions for improving outcomes and reducing costs at federal sites.
Neptronic Announces: Next Generation VAV and Fan Coil Controllers are Here! Neptronic, a leading manufacturer of HVAC Products and Solutions since 1976, is proud to announce that their game-changing Next Generation VAV and Fan Coil Controllers — are Available NOW! Huge hardware, software, and network improvements provide better precision, more application versatility, upgrades to BACnet V14, an dual menu selected BACnet or Modbus protocols. and context driven menu. Visit Neptronic today to see more features and benefits of Neptronic’s Next Generation Controllers!
TridiumTalk: Cybersecurity and Why it Matters. Join Tridium’s chief security architect, Kevin Smith, for our next TridiumTalk. Today’s cybersecurity threats are sophisticated and growing, but there are ways to prepare yourself and your customers to combat these threats. That’s why you won’t want to miss our next TridiumTalk, Cybersecurity: Why it matters.
Ed Merwin at 2015 Realcomm|IBcon. Young gun, Rob Allen, caught up with “The Godfather” (yes, he will make you an offer you can’t refuse), Ed Merwin, at the 2015 Realcomm|IBcon conference. What was the offer? Well, here is a hint, the number 4 is involved. Niagara 4 builds on the legacy of the Niagara Framework® in new and exciting ways. It’s less reliant on browser plug-ins, faster and easier.
Are You Patching The Humans In Your Control System? Dan Kaufman, head of the Software Innovation Division for DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) was asked a question by Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes (view 60 Minutes segment) “Can the Internet be fixed? Or do we just have to throw this one out and build a whole new Internet from scratch, with security built in?”
Rob Allen’s 7 Minutes in Control with Honeywell’s Roger Rebennack. Young Gun, Rob Allen welcomes the incomparable Roger Rebennack to 7 Minutes in Control. Roger, one of the most knowledgeable experts in access and security systems, shares with Rob the 5 primary reasons building owners and facility managers need to integrate access and security controls to their BAS now.
ControlTalk NOW for week ending July 12, 2015, features a recap of the 4th of July holiday week; interviews with Realcomm’s Jim Young, LumenCache’s Derek Cowburn, and Networking Conversations: Understanding IIoT with Sierra Monitor’s Varun Nagaraj; Industry and DOE webinars and calendar dates for upcoming events (Register Today!); Project Haystack demo; and an important DG Logik Adobe update.
ControlTalk NOW for week ending July 5, 2015 (sans video) wraps up a short holiday week with HVAC and Building Automation highlights including product posts from Belimo and Sierra Monitor Corporation; interview with John Petze, DOE’s Program Funding, and a preview look at Ken Sinclair’s “Finding Reality in a Virtual World,” and Belimo’s Lar van der Haegen assumes duties as the CEO of Belimo Global.
ControlTrends Around the World Premier with Special “Down Under” Guest: Richard McElhinney from Australia. Richard is a veteran systems integrator with Airmaster and Vice President, Board of Directors at Project Haystack Corporation. Richard shares the five big take-aways from Haystack Connect 2015 and fills the ControlTrends Community on what’s new in Australia. Join us next week for another global ControlTrends correspondent!
FREE Smart Building Webinar: Project Haystack – Working with Data from the Internet of Things. PROJECT HAYSTACK WORKING WITH DATA FROM THE INTERNET OF THINGS. JULY 22, 2015 | 4:00PM UK TIME Featured guests: Q&A with Marc Petock of Lynxspring & John Petze of SkyFoundry Discussing how the open source initiative Project Haystack is streamlining working with data from the Internet of Things; creating standardized semantic data models and web services with the goal of making it easier to unlock value from the vast quantity of data being generated by smart buildings. Register here!
Jim Young Recaps Realcomm|IBcon 2015 and Reveals the Next Big Trend in Smart Buildings. It was my great pleasure to catch up with the always prophetic Jim Young at the hugely successful 2015 Realcomm|IBcon Conference in San Antonia, TX. In addition to recapping the great event that he and his team orchestrated, Jim offers us a glimpse at what could be the next game-changing technology in Smart Buildings: DC Micro Grids.
Put New Tools and Content on the Building America Solution Center To Work for You! Join us for a free webinar on July 22, 2015, presented by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building America program! Each month’s webinar will offer information about the latest advances in residential building technologies and practices, presented by Building America research team and national laboratory experts, and DOE Program Managers. Date/Time: July 22, 2015; 3:00–4:30 PM EST. Register now!
Press Release: Lynxspring Announces October Lynxspring Exchange!Lee’s Summit, MO. July 7, 2015 Lynxspring, a premier developer and provider of open, IP-control solutions for building automation, energy management, cyber protection, and device-to-enterprise integration today announced it will hold The Lynxspring Exchange and Partner Conference on October 26th-28th at the Argosy Hotel and Casino in Riverside, Missouri. Register here!
2015 Project Haystack’s Amazing Live Demo — The Future of Tagging is Here. Using an integrated live audience, a host of visual props, and three screens, the masters of Mythbusting, Jason Briggs and Scott Muench brought Haystack tagging to life instantly and with profound effect. In close cooperation and support of the growing Haystack community of manufacturers, vendors, and sponsors — including : J2 Innovations, SkyFoundry, Lynxspring, Altura, Pacific Controls, Siemens, KMC Controls, Contemporary Controls, WattStopper, Veris, bueno, Onicon, Wind, Daintree Networks, BASSG, Airmaster, Connexx energy, Lobos/Yardi, Intellastar, and CBRE/ESI, Project Haystack continues its mission to bring the world of building integration to maximum efficiency and benefit.
Catching Up with Derek Cowburn from LumenCache. Jim Young introduced me to Derek Cowburn, and the concept of the DC micro grid, at the 2015 Realcomm|IBcon conference. Jim believes that Derek has a technology that will radically change how we power devices. When the ever prophetic, Jim Young speaks, we listen.Derek’s technology is in the mix of the green tech wave that is upon us.
DG LOGIK UPDATE! – Adobe Releases a Patch to Flash Player which Eliminates Vulnerability. Important UPDATE! – Adobe has now released a patch to flash player which eliminates this vulnerability. Please ensure that you have the most up to date Flash player which includes the patch for this vulnerability. We, at DGLogik, want to assure you that we remain committed to supporting DGLux2, and you can continue utilizing it without concern as Adobe has now patched this issue.
Sierra Monitor Networking Conversations — Video Volume 1: Understanding IIoT. This first Sierra Monitor Networking Conversation video is an extremely comprehensive and important overview of the economic impact and changes that the Industrial Internet of Things (IIot) is making within our industry. Join in on the conversation as Sierra Monitor’s CEO, Varun Nagaraj, rewards viewers with a remarkably down-to-earth insight into the most significant and economically vibrant aspects of IIoT and the opportunities these changes represent. The channels and business models for the OEMs, integrators, and facility/building managers are indeed changing. Are you?
ControlTrends Event Information Calendar Update. Put New Tools and Content on the Building America Solution Center To Work for You! Join us for a free webinar on July 22, 2015, presented by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building America program! Each month’s webinar will offer information about the latest advances in residential building technologies and practices, presented by Building America research team and national laboratory experts, and DOE Program Managers. Date/Time: July 22, 2015; 3:00–4:30 PM EST. Register now!
ControlTalk NOW week ending June 28, 2015 features products from BASSG, LLC, and ACI; DOE’s latest Crowdsourcing Initiative; interviews with Newcombe and Boyd’s Donny Walker, and SmartCore’s Will Winn; Mike Marston’s Inaugural BAS Pub Talk; Honeywell’s Niagara 4 Head Start Program and Momentum 2015; and the ControlTrends Event Information Calendar Update previewing a variety of HVAC and Building Automation information announcements and industry events. Help ControlTrends help you — by forwarding your organization’s up-coming events, training, webinars, and product releases — and we’ll gladly post them ControlTrends!
Alper Üzmezier, BASSG, LLC, Presents Cool New Thermostat from BAS.co. The ever inventive, Alper Üzmezier, BASSG, LLC, introduced us to a very cool thermostat at Haystack Connect. This is more than your average commercial thermostat. With a port on the back of the thermostat, you can control your Dali Lighting ballast directly from this thermostat, you can add remote I/O, and get data from the thermostat via modes on BACnet MS/TP.
ACI’S NEW A/CO2 SERIES: Room and Duct sensors only strengthen an already distinguished product lineup. The A/CO2 Series sensors are a cost-efficient means of monitoring carbon dioxide levels in industrial, school, and office-type environments. Output data can be used in conjunction with a Building Automation System or Demand Control Ventilation System.
DOE’s Crowdsourcing Initiative Seeks to Solve Buildings-Related Problems (Watch Video). Calling all building technology innovators! The Building Technologies Office is partnering with the successful SunShot Catalyst crowdsourcing initiative to identify and solve problems related to software development, data, and/or automation. Individuals who submit a problem statement will have a chance to win a $1,000 cash prize! Problem statements need to be submitted by July 15, 2015.
What Kind of Consulting Engineer Shows up at Realcomm|IBcon? What kind of consulting engineer shows up at shows like Realcomm|IBcon? Well, the enlighten ones, like Donny Walker do. It is refreshing to see more and more consulting engineers coming to conferences like Realcomm|IBcon and getting the 411 on the latest building automation controls technologies and solutions.
Inaugural Episode of BAS Control Pub Talk with Mad Mike Marston. We affectionately refer to EasyIO’s Mike Marston — as Mad Mike Marston, because of his effervescent scientific approach towards building solutions. In the first relaxing hours after an intensive 2-day conference show, ControlTrends adjourned with Mike, to a near-by microbrewery restaurant.
SmartCore’s Will Winn on Making Your Building Cyber Secure. I had a chance to catch up with Will Winn from SmartCore at the 2015 Realcomm|IBcon conference. Based in Charlotte, NC, SmartCore provides a five‐tiered framework that encompasses building management systems, physical security systems, digital media systems, network communications systems, and operational support solutions.
Get an Edge with Niagara 4 Head Start Program!As the excitement builds for the release of the next generation of the Niagara Framework®, now is the time to take advantage of its features and benefits before the official launch. This program introduces the Niagara 4 Head Start bundle for current Niagara AX TCP certified professionals.
Honeywell MOMENTUM 2015 — IT STARTS HERE! BUSINESS-BUILDING INSIGHTS — Join Honeywell Building Control Systems in our mission to drive technological innovation, sustainability and profitable growth. We’re advancing the industry with unprecedented speed and power, but it’s only with you that we can transform our momentum into true success.
ControlTrends Event Information Calendar Update: Use ControlTrends to help keep you on track and up-to-date with all of the HVAC and Building Automation information announcements and industry events. Help ControlTrends help by forwarding your organization’s up-coming events, training, webinars, and product releases — and we’ll gladly post them ControlTrends!
ControlTalk NOW week ending June 21, 2015 continues its coverage of the Realcomm|IBcon Event 2015, themed Real Change Right Now. The prophetic words of Bran Ferren still echo. Are our once purposeful sensibilities and instincts now strangling our futures? Probably! Driverless vehicles will change buildings, real estate, highways, pollution rates, and cityscapes. Watch the Realcomm general session highlights, and more insightful industry and solution interviews with John Petze, Dan Probst, and Marc Petock.
Conference Live: John Petze at 2015 Realcomm|IBcon. I had a chance to catch up with Sky Foundry’s John Petze at the 2015 Realcomm|IBcon conference in San Antonio. Key interview take-aways are that the state of building analytics has improved significantly since 2011. As John says, “It’s impossible to monitor data and system operations manually.” Successful deployment of analytics results in increased comfort, reduced costs, and energy savings.
Watch the 2015 Real Comm IBcon General Session!If you didn’t get to 2015 RealComm|IBcon in San Antonio — and you missed out on the incredible 2-day visionary voyage of Real Change – Right Now, this general session video captures, in small part, the enormous importance and depth of the event. Tridium’s Nino DiCosmo and John Sublett, and a host of industry experts spoke, and the dazzling Bran Ferren, a virtual Edison incarnate, delivered an amazing keynote presentation.
Contemporary Controls BAScontrol20 Firmware Version 3.1 Released.Contemporary Controls recently released firmware version 3.1 for the BAScontrol20 Sedona Open Unitary Controller. Built on the Sedona Framework, Contemporary Controls has developed more than 100 custom Sedona components which complement the standard Tridium-developed Sedona 1.2 components that reside within the device.
2015 Conference Live: Dan Probst of Jones Lang Lasalle Explains IntelliCommand.I had a chance to catch up with Dan Probst at the 2015 Realcomm|IBcon conference. Dan is the Chairman – Energy and Sustainability Services for Jones Lang LaSalle. Dan helps real estate companies reduce energy and operational costs by using their data analytics platform InelliCommand.
Fred Gordy’s Cyber Security Terms and Definitions – Part 2.The list below is a continuation of the series Cyber Security Terms and Definitions. Some of the terms you may have heard or probably will hear sometime in the near future. I am not sure how many of these I need to do past this point because it can get into some areas that you will probably not run into. If you have terms or topics you want to take a deeper dive into, let me know and either I will answer it or have some of the cyber security experts I know post response to it.
Global EasyIO Partner Event 2015: Paris, September 20-22! EasyIO is changing the way Building Automation is deployed, while significantly reducing installation costs. EasyIO’s global partner event will unveil awesome new products and features that will further enhance building management and energy solutions — for all building types.
Conference Live with Marc Petock — 2015 RealComm|IBcon. I got a chance to catch up with the ever-informative Marc Petcock, a long time building automation controls legend, at Conference Live, 2015 Realcomm|IBcon. Marc is VP Marketing at Lynxspring and a leading expert on building automation cyber security. Check out what Marc has to say.
Big Fun from Cochrane Supply. Scott Cochrane, one of the smartest guys in the building automation controls industry, shows us he is more than just another big brain in the BAS world. Scott, wrote and directed this film about the Cochrane Supply technical support process.
ControlTalk NOW for the week ending June 14, 2015, features 2015 Realcomm|IBcon and Conference Live video highlights and interviews with Delta Controls’ Una de Boer, SkyFoundry’s John Petze, Lynxspring’s Marc Petock, Hepta Controls’ Ted and Jason Houck, Intelligent Buildings’ Tom Shircliff and Rob Murchison. ControlTrends thanks its global community that helped ControlTrends surpass 1,000,000 views!
Fred Gordy’s Cyber Security Terms and Definition – Part 1. Just like in the controls industry, cybersecurity has its share of acronyms, terms, etc. Wading through these can be overwhelming. The list below is some of the terms you may have heard or probably will hear sometime in the near future. Rather than cram a bunch of terms/definitions into one post, I will post terms periodically in my blog.
IBCON Day 1 Highlights. Eric Stromquist and Young Gun, Rob Allen review the events of Day 1 and Pro-Con, where the Real Estate industry meets the Smart Buildings and the people who provide the equipment, devices, and solutions that are pushing the improvements around the globe. Congratulations to Jim Young and Howard Berger for another incredible and successful event. Stay tuned for more video coverage.
Jonathan Schultz at IBcon 2015. You meet the the coolest people at RealComm/IBcon. Case in point, I was sitting behind the fascinating Jonathan Schultz at the Cyber Security break out session. Jonathan,co-founder of Onyx Equities shares his thoughts on cyber threats to commercial real estate, and how he using data analytics to create a more profitable portfolio of properties. Be sure to check out Jonathan’s blog.
Catching Up with Paul Oswald CBRE/ESI. Paul Oswald and ESI develop innovative solutions that enable commercial property occupiers and owners to efficiently manage their building systems and remotely monitor and analyze energy usage in real time to identify and achieve potential savings. ESI is providing analytics-driven managed services on over 180 million sq. ft. of facilities at over 2,800 sites throughout the U.S. ESI was acquired April 14, 2015 by CBRE Group, Inc.
Conference Live: Tom Shircliff and Rob Murchison on Keeping Buildings Secure. Tom Shircliff and Rob Murchinson, from Intelligent Buildings, a smart buildings Consulting Company out of Charlotte, NC, share their vast industry experience consulting building owners in over 85 cities around the world. One of the big takeaways is for building owners to take the small steps first whether they are dealing with energy and operational efficiencies or cyber security.
Rob Allen Breaks Down ClockWorks. Rob Allen caught up with Nicholas Gayeski, from KGS Buildings. Nick showed Rob a very cool analtyics package called Clock Works. KGS Buildings offers market leading automated diagnostics and building performance management software and services to facility managers, engineers, and service providers.
RealComm/IBcon Day 2 Highlights from San Antonio, TX. Day 2’s General Session featured Bran Ferren. Few people understand more about nurturing ideas and waiting for the world to understand them than Bran Ferren. Bran is an American technologist, engineer, scientist, entrepreneur, and inventor. 7.5 billion people and 7 billion cell phones in use.
Ted and Jason Houck at Conference Live, 2015 Realcomm/IBcon. I got to catch up with two of most the prolific integrators in the business, Ted and Jason Houck from Hepta Systems. Hepta Control Systems is an award-winning leader in integrated building automation and security controls. They provide single driver seat solutions for energy efficiency, security, and tenant comfort systems.
Catching Up With Marc Petock at 2015 Realcomm/IBcon — Conference Live. Marc Petock, VP Marketing, Lynxspring, shares his thoughts on Cyber Security IoT at the 2015 Realcomm/IBcon Conference Live Show. Marc summarized the situation, “Cyber Security has grown from a little side conversation to something first and foremost on everybody’s mind.”
Catching Up With Delta Controls’ Una de Boer. One of the great things about the Realcomm/IBcon conference is getting to spend time with cool people. Una de Boer of Delta Controls is one of the brightest marketing professionals in building automation controls. Una fills us in on what is going on at Delta Controls and gets Keith La Rose to give us a product demo on the latest features in their CopperTree Analytics platform, which include Haystack tagging.
KMC Commander Awarded Best Intelligent Building Technology Innovation at Realcomm IBCon. San Antonio, Texas – June 11, 2015 KMC Controls, a leader in building automation systems, was awarded the Best Intelligent Building Technology Innovation Award at the 2015 Realcomm IBCon conference in San Antonio, Texas.
Welcome to ControlTalk NOW for the week ending May 31, 2015, that also includes some posts we delayed while away at Haystack Connect, which dominated the ControlTrends horizon with interviews with Brian Frank, Anno Scholten, Richard McElhinney, Marc Petock, Jason Briggs, Scott Meunch, Jason Houck, Ken Sinclair, Andy McGowan, and many more. Realcomm|IBcom is next week and there’s still time to register. The registration link for EasyIO’s Global Event in Paris is up as well. Awesome interviews with CGNA Vendors: Blue Ridge Technologies, Siemens, Honeywell Genesis, and Functional Devices. Featured updates from DGLogik, who teamed with QA Graphics, and Sierra Monitor’s EZ Gateway Webinar and Wastewater Application and much more!
Realcomm & IBcon General Session Program Announced — Register NOW!General Session Program Announced! June 8-10 meeting in San Antonio, TX. Be sure to take advantage of the special ControlTrends Rate: $895.00 — valid till 6/1/15. Use Promo Code: IB15CTL1. The impact that technology, automation and innovation have had on the commercial and corporate real estate industry over the last 3-5 years is unprecedented.
The 2014 ControlTrends Awards HighLight Reel. Watch this video to re-live the excitement of the 2014 ControlTrends Awards. Thanks again to all our sponsors for making this event possible. A special thanks to our emcee’s Marc Petock and Kimberly Brown. Plans for the 2015 ControlTrends Awards, in Orlando, FL, are already underway. Thanks, once again to all of our sponsors and the continued support and participation from our global ControlTrends Community.
CGNA Vendor Showcase: Blue Ridge Technologies. Blue Ridge technologies is a great example of the quality vendors that are represented in the group. As you can see in this video, Bill and his team provide a very powerful and easy to use lighting solutions. Blue Ridge Technologies has developed an approach called Unified Lighting Control.
Siemens has a winner with the RDY2000 Thermostat. ControlTrends caught up with Siemens at the 2015 CGNA Vendor Showcase. They introduced us to several cool new products. One of the ones we like a lot is the RDY2000 light commercial thermostat.The RDY2000 thermostat that has big time features for small business solutions.
Contemporary Controls’ BASintegratorJ2: Niagara AX Integration via Haystack. May 2015 — The BASintegratorJ2 uses a subset of J2innovations’s FIN stack to create a powerful, yet flexible intelligent gateway that integrates Modbus and BACnet points up to Project Haystack clients. Built on Contemporary Controls’ open automation Linux platform, the BASintegratorJ2 can discover points and apply Haystack tags to serve up to building supervisors such as Niagara’s AX Supervisor.
Sierra Monitor’s Webinar: Introduction to the EZ Gateway. Register today for an educational webinar introducing our new EZ Gateway! Integrating Modbus devices into BACnet networks is a common field application. Completing this integration in an efficient, reliable, and repeatable fashion is a requirement in today’s environment. Our expert instructor, Richard Theron, will discuss how simple it is to connect Modbus devices to BACnet systems with the EZ Gateway and how to lower commissioning time and costs with features such as EZ Profiles and DeviceProxy.
CGNA 2015 Vendor Show Case: Honeywell Genesis Cable. All great control systems need the right cable and wire. ControlTrends caught up with Randy Lee, VP Sales, Electrical & HVAC Division and Honeywell Genesis Series Cable, at the 2015 CGNA Vendor Showcase and got the 411 on Honeywell’s new merchandising efforts, which include adding Contractor Pro Point rewards, new point of sale displays, and the new wire legend — marked on every reel, to know exactly how much more wire is left in the box.
Haystack Connect 2015: Open Source Community Resumes Plenary Session, Colorado Springs, CO.The majestic snow covered Pikes Peak contrasted by the wondrous earthy red rock formations of the Garden of the Gods provided a suitably inspiring setting for Haystack Connect as it resumed its mission to adroitly usher in the world of self-defining data — in a collaborative way that no single-minded entity could possibly achieve. Marc Petock and three special guests, Brian Frank, Anno Scholten, and Richard McElhinney join ControlTrends for a pre-reception discussion of why some 240 of the top global automation and IoT professionals are attending the second Haystack Connect meeting.
2015 Haystack Connect Day One — General Session, Opening Comments, and Keynote Speakers. Marc Petock and John Petze hit the stage running and kicked off the 2015 Haystack Connect with a grateful thanks to the Project Haystack Sponsors and its 900 Haystack community members, 245 of which, were present at the General Session. Project Haystack grown by 45% over the last two years. Special recognition was given to Lynxspring, Contemporary Controls, KMC’s Conquest, J2 Innovations, BASSG, and Plant Pro/Air Masters for their efforts in developing Haystack applications.
“Off to a Great Start!” Project Haystack’s Executive Director John Petze Reports. Executive Director, John Petze, regaled ControlTrends with the exciting news that 2015 Haystack Connect is off to a great start: New people, new vendors, more consultants, and the spirit of collaboration that includes the likes of Siemens, have all helped Project Haystack emerge as the leading initiative that helps people, at all levels, get more value from their systems. In order to use advanced analytic techniques, enhanced reporting, and comprehensive energy analysis, you must go through the process of tagging data.
2015 Haystack Connect — Day 2 Highlights — Interoperable Blues Band Rocks the House! Day Two of 2015 Haystack Connect began with a hoax-busting integration experience, as Jason Briggs and Scott Muench configured a Haystack project involving 10 participating vendors, employing a uniquely entertaining and unprecedented live demonstration of the potency and inevitability of Haystack tagging (Video to follow). Adoption of Haystack’s naming conventions and taxonomies — will make it more cost effective to analyze, visualize, and derive value from our operational data, period.
New Product Review: Functional Devices BACnet Network Relay. ControlTrends had a chance to catch up with Kelly Holmes from Functional Devices at the 2015 CGNA Vendor Showcase. Kelly showed us a cool new product from Functional Devices, the RIBTW24B-BCAO enclosed BACnet® MS/TP Network Relay Device. Functional Devices designs products that make the contractors life easier. Competitively priced and easy to use the RIBTW24B-BCAD is no exception.
Haystack Connect from a Systems Integrator’s Perspective. Project Haystack is an open source initiative to streamline working with data from the Internet of Things. We standardize semantic data models and web services with the goal of making it easier to unlock value from the vast quantity of data being generated by the smart devices that permeate our homes, buildings, factories, and cities. Applications include automation, control, energy, HVAC, lighting, and other environmental systems. To find out why it is so important to today’s master systems integrators we tracked down one of the smartest building automation controls systems integrators on the planet, Jason Houck, from Hepta Systems. See what Jason had to say.
EasyIO Global Event — Sponsors and Speakers Welcome. Belimo Goes Gold! EasyIO’s first global partner event in Madrid, Spain was a gathering of EasyIO success stories from around the world. The deep networking between manufacturers and vendors, specifying engineers, 3rd party solution providers, systems integrators, and a rather new entity to the scene — solution entrepreneurs with accomplished technical skills and the dashboard/analytic/graphic tools to meet every application, large and small, was a unique integration meld.
DGLogik Updates: May 27th-29th Training & DGLogik Partnership with QA Graphics.May 27th-29th in Oakland: DGLogik, Inc. will be hosting DGLux5 Application Development Training course at our headquarters in Oakland. The training course takes place from Wednesday, May 27th through Friday, May 29th. Take advantage of progressing your rapid development skills through our collaborative training exercises.
solution and SmartStruxure Lite solution. The critical information delivered by the actuator helps the BMS operate at optimal efficiency. 
ControlTrends takes a deep-dive into CyberSecurity with our interview with two top industry experts, Leroy Walden, President and Chief Consultant, Highrose Consultants and Fred Gordy, Director of Cyber Security, 
ControlTrends CGNA Vendor interviews with Earl Doyle, Director, Product Management & Smart Systems Efficiency, VERASYS, Johnson Controls’ Plug-and Play Controls System for Light Commercial Buildings; Josh Felphrin, Senior Sales Manager, Siemens’ TRA and BT300 Solutions; Gina Elliott, Marketing Manager, Small to Mid-Markets, Schneider Electric’s New Building Insights, Small Building & Energy Management System; Aaron Gorka, Innovation Manager, ANT Technologies’Paperless, cloud-based, operational technology for HVAC & Control Contractors; Barry Gordon, Senior Sales Engineer, ACI’s New DLP Differential Low Pressure Transmitter; Maggie Talbert, North East Regional Sales Manager, Functional Devices’ new products and continued partnerships; Bill Dunkleberger, President, Blue Ridge Technologies’ BACnet Unified Lighting Solutions; and Mike Sackett, Executive Director, CGNA Elite — Industry’s Elite Working Together.
ControlTalk NOW’s first guest interview is with Ruairi M. Blackwell a principal with DLR Group’s Chicago location. Ruairi leads the Building Optimization enterprise within the firm. In this role, Ruaiari is responsible for growing Building Optimization as a distinct 
ControlTalk NOW second guest interview is with Computrols’ CEO, Andrew Mire, who took the helm of VP of operations in 2014, and was promoted to Chief Executive Officer in 2017, where he manages corporate operations, Computrols’ dealer program, and remote job operations. In 1983 Computrols began providing first-rate professional technical service for large building automation systems. A complete dedication and commitment to customer satisfaction has provided valuable lessons that have carried the company for years. Simplicity, flexibility, and power are the 
Our interview this week is with Leroy Walden, LEED AP, President and Chief Consultant Highrose Consultants, who has worked in the Building Controls and Automation industry since 1978, beginning with Robertshaw Controls as an Applications Engineer. Leroy recently retired from a leading systems integration firm to pursue his passion for tracking the growing uses of technology in sustainable building operations. Listen in, as Leroy brings specific insights to smart devices and equipment and how open-source integration platforms will transform building maintenance in the coming decades. Contact Leroy ASAP (lcwalden256@gmail.com) — to take advantage of Leroy’s $100.00 discount for the 2017 Realcomm|IBcon Conference June 13th-15th in San Diego, CA.
Ken Sinclair’s Automated Buildings April, 2017 Theme: In Search of the “Make Me Happy Button” – Claiming our Piece of the Productivity Puzzle. Most of us see that the forces driving much of our industry are changing faces, morphing from the owners’ countenance to the occupier’s smile or frown. The seriousness of these new metrics, criteria, and occupant feedback cannot be underestimated. In this April edition of 
Sporting a 10-gallon Stetson cowboy hat, Josh Felperin, Siemens’ Senior Sales Manager, tells us what’s in store for the 350-plus Summit partners attending the 3-day Siemens Partner Summit. Featuring DXR training; golfing at the on-site JW Marriott TPC course; various breakout business sessions and technical sessions, mixed with major league fun and evening entertainment, this is the Siemens event of the year.
ControlTrends watches on at the busy Siemens’ Talon Partner Vendor Show as Bob Byron demos the latest features of 
Siemens’ Senior Sales Director, Building Automation, Scott Hamilton shares with us that this is the 20th Siemens Partner Summit, celebrating the accomplishments of the best integrators and control contractors in the country and how grateful Siemens is for their partnerships and success. Later, at the Awards Banquet, these high-performers would be recognized for their continued growth and success. Scott must be getting it right — he’s already got a boulevard named after him!
ControlTalk NOW Interview with one of the most knowledgeable experts in the HVAC Industry, Scott Cochrane, CEO of 
ControlTalk NOW Interview with Jason Houck, CTO at Hepta Sysytems. Jason discusses 
ControlTalk NOW’s first interview is a ControlTrends Awards wrap-up with EasyIO’s Mike Marston, on his way to Australia, after finishing a 2-day training session in Pittsburgh, PA. EasyIO is people, products, and applied technology on the move. Congratulations to EasyIO for winning four ControlTrends Awards. The EasyIO FW-14 wireless controller is only getting better! Register now for the EasyIO World Conference, Manchester United UK – 22 May 2017.
ControlTalk NOW Interview with Lynxspring’s Chief Communications Officer and VP Marketing, Marc Petock. Marc gives us venerated industry insight into trends impacting and disrupting our markets and the growth of the ControlTrends Awards. As the Master of Ceremonies, Marc shares his excitement as the fifth ControlTrends Awards draws near. Marc also previews 
Our next ControlTrends Interview is with Bill Dunkleberger, President of Blue Ridge Technologies, a manufacture of proven energy management solutions with a focus on Unified Lighting Control. 
ControlTalk NOW’s first guest, Schneider Electric’s Channel Development Leader, Stacey Kimbell tells us about 
Ask a Controls Expert with Stromquist’s own David Cates who answers an inquiry on a combination gas valve. A combination gas valve is used to control gas pressure and provide safety features. Controlling the pressure is required to avoid fires and explosions caused by too much pressure. If the pressure is not high enough, though, the appliance will not get the amount of ignited gas required for it to function properly.
ControlTalk NOW interview with Therese Sullivan of 
ControlTrends’ second guest is Josh Bradshaw, who tracks the newest technology coming out of Silicon Valley. Josh’s blog 
ControlTrends’ third guest is Fearless Phil Zito. One of the sharpest knives in the building automation drawer, Phil is owner and editor of 
ControlTrends coverage of the 
ControlTalk NOW’s first interview is with Fred Gordy, Intelligent Building’s Director of Cyber Security. As our industry’s leading cyber security expert, Fred focuses on the specific vulnerabilities concerning Operational Technology, controllers on building networks that control the HVAC equipment and building systems and equipment versus Information Technology. Operational Technologies were designed for availability and comfort, which was suitable at the time, but when the need to share information across subnets made Broadcast BACnet Management Devices necessary, as well as using a public IP address, the security imperative was not factored into the equation. Watch this video! and, visit the NIST Cyber Security Framework website for basic recommendations to protect your Operational Technology.
ControlTalk NOW’s second interview is with Director, ControlTrends India, Sameer Pradhan. Sameer Pradhan is also the Managing Director of CICC Automation Technologies, a leading international building automation systems provider. Sameer recently chaired a panel discussion on Smart Connected Intelligent Buildings — The Foundation for Smart Cities,” that discussed in great detail, the critical aspects of the smart city standard and its core component, the intelligent building. India has presently identified 60 cities that will be included in this massive initiative. Great update!
Josh Bradshaw Interview: Fans of tech meet fans of Harry Potter. This clock is the closest thing to the Weasley clock technology can provide. I just signed up as a backer on Indegogo and so should you! In this video Anton Zriashchev, CEO at 
Stromquist’s Young Gun Rob Allen gives us a tour of Eric’s office and his fashionable standing desk. ControlTrends update: Rob Allen and Chris White are about to launch the Next Generation Innovation series, which is all about our industries’ bright young superstars and their careers — and their insights into the evolution of our industry and what we need to do — to enhance the image of the HVAC and BAS as an important and meaningful career.
CTP 2 ControlTrends People, Life Stories of the People that Make Smart Buildings Smart. ControlTrends People presents inspiring and motivational stories that open our eyes to the many paths taken to the prominent positions in our industry. Many accounts offer endearing insights and self-told anecdotes about the triumphs and setbacks that molded their careers and shaped ControlTrends People throughout their professional journeys. 
ControlTalk NOW interview with Martin Villeneuve, President at Distech Controls, Dan Flaherty, Distech’s VP Global Sales, and Eugene Mazo, Eugene Mazo, VP — IoT, Customer Experience. While Acuity is deciphering and translating all the possible value synergies it now has available, these three top industry experts will help to set new standards in the HVAC, BAS, and a host of other emerging markets. Each of these executives is a formidable expert in their fields and with their combined talents, they are confident that they will deliver the next generation of innovation and technology — because they have the talent, engineering, and the resources needed — to get it done. Don’t miss this great video interview!
ControlTalk NOW first interview with Scott Cochrane, president of 
— Selling the Connected Home: How to Grow Your Business July 26, 2016 2pm EST. More than simply building connected products, 
ControlTalk NOW first interview is with industry expert and Lynxspring’s VP Marketing, Marc Petock — who takes the lid of IoT; reviews why edge devices will play an expanding role in the journey to a smart building and 
What is TESLA’s Power Wall and How Will it Affect the Smart Home?Forget about the gloom and doom we hear every day, check out one of the coolest new technologies to hit the street. Elon Musk unveils the 
ControlTalk NOW first guest interview with 
ControlTalk NOW second guest interview is with Fearless Phil Zito, owner and editor of 
Cyber Security Expert Fred Gordy Waives the Cyber Security Caution Flag! Censys Device Search Engine Picking Up Exposed Niagara 4 — Wake Up! Thanks once again to 
The Smart Buildings Controls Renaissance Begins — Review of Global EasyIO Partner Event in Paris. The 
2015 ControlTrends Awards Red Carpet Interviews (Caution: Superstars and Super Heroes Entering Stage Right). Great ControlTrends Awards interviews with Ken Sinclair, Automated Buildings and Brad White, SES Engineering, discuss the Young Guns Awards (Climate Superheroes), the AHR EXPO Industry Service Award, the global growth of ControlTrends Community and Hans Kranz’s Hall of Fame induction; along with interviews with Johan Schakenraad, CEO, EasyIO Europe; Allion and Scott Cochrane, Cochrane Supply; Alerton’s Amy Doran and Kevin Callahan; BASSG’s Alper Uzmezler; McKinney’s Leroy Walden; Jason Briggs from J2 Innovation; Siemens’ Josh Felperin; Thermokon’s David Alliband; Chris Lane and Dimitri Papadopoulos from Johnson Controls (Congratulations on Facility Explorer’s 10 Year Anniversary); John and James Donahue from Control Consultants, Inc.; and Blue Ridge Technologies’ Bill Dunkleberger.
ControlTalk NOW guest Chris Schneider, General Manager, OpenBMCS. From sunny down under, Chris’ tells us about his latest focus, which is about producing a video support package for the OpenBMCS software package — a fully web based building automation head-end to manage everything about your Sedona site: graphical front end, programming, alarming, trending, and controller management. This step by step video guide walks you through installing a system, adding a new controller, and an in-depth review of the alarming package. OpenBCMS has recently launched two new modules, which can be added through their website: Tenant Billing and Maintenance Log. 
Hans Kranz, Fabled Controls Wizard from Landstule, Germany, Inducted into ControlTrends 2015 Hall of Fame. Perhaps the greatest highlight moment of the 2015 ControlTrends Awards was the special pleasure of watching Automated Buildings’ editor and owner, Ken Sinclair, induct Hans R. Kranz into the ControlTrends Hall of Fame. Hans’ incredible sixty year career in the HVAC industry began at the age of 14, and progressed with one achievement after another, becoming known as the father of Standard BACS Functions. Hans has served on the Presidial Board of DIN (German Standardization Institute), is a member of the DKE (German Electrotechnical Commission) and the VDI (Association of German Engineers with 150,000 members). For more on Hans Kranz’s outstanding life achievements and biography, please see below.
ControlTalk NOW’s first interview guest is Director, Vykon Automation Energy Security at Tridium, Ed Merwin. Ed is one of the most venerated Building Automation and Smart Building Solutions experts in the industry (2013 ControlTrends PID Award Co-winner and 2015 Petock Award winner). Ed reviews the Technical, Developer, and Business Tracks planned for the upcoming 2016 Niagara Summit to be held at Champions Square in New Orleans — one of the best venues in the country. Early Bird registration ends the evening of February 29th, 2016. 
ControlTalk NOW Interview with Sameer Pradhan, Director of ControlTrends India. ControlTrends was excited to announce that ControlTrends India has been formed and was absolutely delighted to introduce Sameer Pradhan as Director of ControlTrends India. The announcement took place at the 2015 ControlTrends Awards held the evening before the start of the AHR Expo 2016, in Orlando Florida. The global ControlTrends Community, particularly those located in the India and Southeast Asia regions, will be greatly enriched by Sameer’s visionary leadership and executive capabilities.
ControlTalk NOW interview with Dr. Igor Mezic, Chief Scientific and Technical Advisor, Co-Founder and John Morris, VP of Sales and Marketing of 
Andy McMillan, president 
Marc Bergeron, President of 
Meet drone Captain Scott Muench, aka B.Scott Muench, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at 
Excitement continues to build as the 2015 ControlTrends Awards event grows near! As a reminder the 2015 ControlTrends Awards will be held January 24, 2016, from 6:30PM to 9:30PM, at Orlando’s Hard Rock Live, located at the door step to the amazing Universal Studios. Join us is celebrating the heroes and superstars of our HVAC and the Building Automation industries. 
ControlTalk NOW’s first interview guest is Director of Commercial Sales at 
ControlTalk NOW’s second interview guest is Director, 
ControlTalk NOW’s first guests, John Donahue, owner and CEO of 
Sam McDonald, Honeywell Sales Rep, a controls expert, who answers the following question asked by a building owner from Oakland, CA: We are undergoing a major renovation to one of our facilities. Our contractor has proposed installing the 
ControlTalk NOW’s second guests are Chris Favre and Jeff Houpt from 
ControlTalk NOW welcomes our first guest Blue Ridge Technologies’ CEO Bill Dunkleberger and his team of industry all stars. 2015 ControlTrends Awards Finalist 
More from 2015 ControlTrends Awards Finalist Blue Ridge Technologies. 
ControlTalk NOW’s second guest: Dwyer Instruments’ Eric Fritch, Global Business Development Manager. Dwyer Instruments is nominated for the 2015 ControlTrends Awards Peripheral Vendor of the Year. Since 1931, 
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