AutomatedBuildings.com

Archive of Building Automation Articles

This archive is a compilation of all the Building Automation articles and columns published in our Emag.  If you'd like to submit an article or column for publication please send an email to news@automatedbuildings.com and we'll walk you through the process. It's a great way to share your knowledge and help support others in our industry.

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We are changing our Article Archives to a linked listing of the monthly articles without categorizing.   The original article archives will remain as originally setup.  Click here to access these.

Articles - February 2010

Smart Grid and Buildings connected in Orlando  A key part of the future of B2G is how the BAS industry will develop over the next few years. - We were fortunate at the Summit to have representation from two of the major BAS companies (Siemens and Schneider) and a perspective from one of the industry’s leading thought leaders in John Petze.  Anto Budiardjo, President & CEO, Clasma Events Inc.

Raising Your Intelligent Building’s IQ  $195 billion – goes to powering buildings, about half of them on corporate campuses.  Mark A. Ascolese, EDSA

FAVOURITE  Building Automation Considerations  From Assessment to Integration  Andy Stadheim CEO, Barix Technology U.S.

FAVOURITE  Twenty Ten to be a BAD-ASS Year  At events like AHR Expo we get to test to see if the implied sameness of our content has legs or is becoming reality.  Ken Sinclair Editor/Owner, www.AutomatedBuildings.com 

Requiem for an American Industry  This article is meant as more a paean to the Automatic Temperature Controls industry than a eulogy.  Thomas Hallett

Our Clouded Future is Bright  Our clouded future includes new virtual connections to our buildings from the communities they are part of with both physical and social interactions. Ken Sinclair Editor/Owner, www.AutomatedBuildings.com 

Columns - February 2010

FAVOURITE  Retrofit Strategies  What can I do to make my building more efficient?  Steven R. Calabrese, Control Engineering Corp.

Predictions for 2010 from an OPC Perspective  One of the key benefits of using OPC technology is its ability to robustly move large amounts of data rapidly and securely to an interface that will turn it into the information needed to make key business decisions. Manny Mandrusiak, Vice President of OPC Marketing, OPC Foundation

Is Hospitality at the “Fringe” of the Intelligent Building Industry?  Hospitality-centric products appear to have been immune to the market pressure of open protocols, so we have solutions that do not enjoy the benefits of this advance nor can they readily integrate to the commercial controls. Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group

The Cost(s) of BACnet  Perspectives on BACnet interface pricing  Andy McMillan, President and CEO, Teletrol Systems Inc.

Idle Thoughts on Smart Grids  Musings from the GridWise Architectural Council, Orlando, 2010  Toby Considine, T9

Articles - January 2010

FAVOURITE  Predictions for Smart Buildings in 2010  We can expect energy management systems to evolve for individuals or specific spaces or functions. Jim Sinopoli, PE, LEED AP, RCDD Managing Principal, Smart Buildings LLC

2009, The Year Smart Grid Came To Be  Smart Grid represents an important new business vehicle that BAS players can leverage utilizing existing skills and customer base.  Anto Budiardjo, President & CEO, Clasma Events Inc.

FAVOURITE  Energy Harvesting, Wireless and Next Generation Building Energy Management  Bottomless power generation comes from ambient sources such as linear motion, light and temperature differentials.  Robert Eckery, Marcom Manager, EnOcean, Inc.

Choosing a Submetering Solution  Finding What's Right for You  Part 3-3  Daryl Cowie, Business Development Manager, Wescon Technologies

Bundles Benefit Both  Bundles should be proactive and created based on the building’s function and the owner’s priorities. Jeff Bredeson

How efficient is your building’s resource use? Reviewing a building’s utility usage can improve accountability and help develop more efficient strategies.  Sarah Erdman, Marketing Director, QA Graphics

Canadian Insurance Giant Goes for the LEED “Gold”  Batteryless wireless technology contributes to LEED gold certification of the corporate headquarters of Canada‘s Promutuel insurance group.  Graham Martin, Chairman & CEO, EnOcean Alliance

FAVOURITE  Research Viewpoints CABA Facilitates Intelligent Building Technologies in Government Buildings  Rawlson O’Neil King,  Communications Director, CABA

The Sustainable Solutions Conference  We're expecting! Help Engineered Systems deliver its first SSC this summer. Robert Beverly, Editor, Engineered Systems Magazine

Free Educational Sessions January - Orlando  "Building Automation and the Cloud"  Ken Sinclair Editor/Owner, www.AutomatedBuildings.com 

Columns - January 2010

Common Routines in DDC  The keys to optimization are within your reach Part 2 of 2  Steven R. Calabrese, Control Engineering Corp.

OPC UA Education hits the road  Learn the latest advances in OPC technology at a city near you. Manny Mandrusiak, Vice President of OPC Marketing, OPC Foundation

Holiday Letter  BACnet International year in review  Andy McMillan, President and CEO, Teletrol Systems Inc.

FAVOURITE  Smart Grids and Distributed Energy create opportunities for Diversity in Energy Storage There is no reason at all to limit our concepts of grid energy storage and buffers to electricity and batteries—and many opportunities open up if we do not. Toby Considine, T9

Articles - December 2009

FAVOURITE  How Buildings Will Communicate With The Smart Grid: The Applications and Protocols  Jim Sinopoli, PE, LEED AP, RCDD Managing Principal, Smart Buildings LLC

Those guys always have the wrong price!  But what if the Competition really knows what they’re doing?   Al De Wachter, President,  Independent Control Specialists Inc. ICS

Submetering 101  What exactly should I measure? Part 2-3  Daryl Cowie, Business Development Manager, Wescon Technologies

FAVOURITE  Retrofitting Existing Commercial Buildings for the Smart Grid  Leveraging the latest technologies to perform the retrofits will help to reduce the upfront cost and payback periods. Harry Sim, CEO, Cypress Envirosystems

Construction Engineering Communication and Collaboration  Some ideas about how web technologies might affect communication and collaboration in the design, construction and service of commercial buildings.  Bob MacKie, C3

Top 5 Commercial Energy Management System Considerations  Today’s dashboard touch panel-controlled “smart” energy management systems enable business users to easily view and reduce their resource consumption in real time.  Gus Ezcurra, CEO Advanced Telemetry

Top 5 Reasons Your Business Needs an Energy Efficiency System  All too often, viable opportunities to cut costs are overlooked.  Gus Ezcurra, CEO Advanced Telemetry

Easy-to-use Control System Graphics  Make 2010 the year to gain a competitive edge Sarah Erdman, Marketing Director, QA Graphics

Demystifying Cisco’s role in the Real Estate Industry  As we grow our role in the Intelligent Building space we do face increasing concerns and questions from the established building industry stakeholders. Rick Huijbregts, Vice President, Vertical Industries, Cisco Canada & David Raffetto, Partner Business Development Manager, Converged Building Systems Business Unit Cisco

The 5C’s of Security as a Service  Change, Compliance, Cost, Continuity, and Coverage; these are all basic considerations for any organization.  John Szczygiel, Executive Vice President, Brivo Systems

Measure, Map & Manage  We Measure and sense almost every piece of building information, then Map to graphical representations to develop strategies for Managing from anywhere, anytime.  Ken Sinclair Editor/Owner, www.AutomatedBuildings.com 

Columns - December 2009

FAVOURITE  Common Routines in DDC  Let the system work for you!  Part 1 of 2  Steven R. Calabrese, Control Engineering Corp.

FAVOURITE  BAS System Tune Ups  Improving efficiency can be fairly complicated and expensive, but many changes can be made simply by tuning up the systems that are already in place.  Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group

BACnet Marketing 3.0  A Short Course in BACnet Product Positioning  Andy McMillan, President and CEO, Teletrol Systems Inc.

Privacy, the Essential Service for Smart Buildings  Privacy issues and privacy concerns became front and center at the Grid-Interop and the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP).  Toby Considine, Systems Specialist, Facility Services, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Innovations at the SPS/IPC Drives Show  Everyone in all verticals is taking a look at life a little differently.  Manny Mandrusiak, Vice President of OPC Marketing, OPC Foundation

Articles - November 2009

School Monitors and Improves Building Performance  Chemawa Indian School, located in Salem, Oregon, is using the Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard (EEED) to see how much power, water, and gas is being used throughout the campus, and how this usage can be improved. Sarah Erdman, Marketing Director, Quality Automation Graphics

Yas Island  How the Aconex online collaboration system helped keep the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on track  Will Turbet, Marketing Communications Aconex

Monitoring the Grid  Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative uses Matrox Extio remote graphics extension technology to solve issues related to their legacy KVM solutions  Camille Caron, Matrox Graphics

New Energy Initiatives Energize Submeter Deployment  The myriad of public and private sector energy policies, while at times complicated, provides fertile ground for submeters as energy profilers and program verification tools. This article briefly overviews several key policies now in effect, with an eye to how submeters can help facility professionals comply with the appropriate guidelines.  Don Millstein, President and CEO, E-Mon, LLC

FAVOURITE  The Business Case for Submetering - Part 1-3 Show me the money!  Daryl Cowie, Business Development Manager, Wescon Technologies

A New DC Power Standard  Helps Buildings of Today Meet the Needs of Tomorrow  Brian Patterson
Chairman, EMerge Alliance

FAVOURITE  What is "Smart City"?  "a new scientific research center for intelligent automation in the construction industry"  Andrey A. Golovin, Executive Director of associations BIG-RU (BACnet Interest Group Russia) and KONNEX Russia, Editor in Chief of the magazine "Building Automation"

FAVOURITE  Energy Reporting  It was only a matter of time  Gina Elliott, MBA Project Director, Smart Buildings LLC

Building Transformation  Green has becomes a questionable color, the new true blue of an economical plus environmental bottom line supported with real dynamic data, presented virtually, anywhere, is the proof of our transformation.  Ken Sinclair Editor/Owner, www.AutomatedBuildings.com 

Columns - November 2009

Understanding Specifications (3 of 3)  “The devil is in the details”  Steven R. Calabrese, Control Engineering Corp.

FAVOURITE  Integrating BAS’s To Everything All The Time?  Equipment or systems integrated to a BAS and how they are integrated is a project-by-project decision based on the needs of the client and the design.  Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group

OPC UA Explained  Quickstarts and Tools for Developers  Manny Mandrusiak, Vice President of OPC Marketing, OPC Foundation

Managed Energy, Collaborative Energy, and Autonomous Load  There are two fundamentally different approaches to Energy Interoperation: managed energy and collaborative energy.  Toby Considine, Systems Specialist, Facility Services, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

A “BACnet System” Procurement Challenge The fallacy of equating “standard protocol” with “standard system”  Andy McMillan, President and CEO, Teletrol Systems Inc.

Articles - October 2009

FAVOURITE  The Real Value of Building Information, Integration and Transformation  It’s not building "automation" but building "transformation" that we are after. Rick Huijbregts, Cisco Canada

FAVOURITE  The Niagara Framework® and Energy  The biggest challenge currently facing existing buildings in reducing energy usage is the lack of manageability for efficiency and critical information about operating systems.  Marc Petock, Vice President, Global Marketing & Communications, Tridium, Inc.

FAVOURITE  The Emergence of Proactive Building Management Automation  All automation systems deployed in the future will require data streams containing all available performance characteristics of a piece of equipment be made available to the customer in a highly useable format.  David Wolins, CEO Scientific Conservation

Functional Mobility  Functional mobility currently provides significant benefit to millions of tech savvy users; placing access to their email, weather updates, text messaging, Global Positioning Services, telephone, etc. in the palm of their hands. Dave Ross, iSYS Automation, Inc.

A New Era of Building Automation Software  This enabling technology will prove to be a powerful tool in optimizing automated buildings even beyond the capabilities of today’s state-of-the-art systems.  Eugene Mazo, Chief Executive Officer, DGLogik, Inc

Five Building Inefficiencies that are Business Opportunities  Five years ago the US National Institute of Science and Technology estimated the lack of interoperability in the construction industry was costing around $16 billion per year.  Jim Sinopoli, PE, LEED AP, RCDD Managing Principal, Smart Buildings LLC

Work Local, Outsource Local  Domestic solutions for graphics needs at a competitive rate Sarah Erdman, Marketing Director, Quality Automation Graphics

ASU Gets Greener through Visibility  In our world of Greener Thinking, Universities play an important role in educating the citizens of the future. ASU takes this responsibility very seriously.  Roy Kok, VP Sales and Marketing, Kepware Technologies

FAVOURITE  Ebb and Flow of Lighting Needs Require Flexible Controls  Realize energy and cost savings with wireless lighting control systems  Kevin Braley, Communications Specialist, Orion Energy Systems

You Can’t Manage What You Can’t Monitor  A Holistic Approach to Monitoring  Jefferie K. Mitchell, Communications Specialist, RLE Technologies

Modular System Delivers Flexible Building Energy Management  This "plug and play" system delivers power by flexible modular wiring, and low voltage components are connected with off-the-shelf cabling and jacks, the entire system infrastructure can be relocated, expanded, or contracted to meet changing requirements. Michael Cole, Product Manager Convia-enabled Products, Legrand/Wiremold 

Monitoring an ”Energy-plus-house”  Prime Project in Sweden has chosen Botech as their partner to measure and monitor the energy use in their Energy-plus-house. Robert Cawood, Botech

Indoor Parking Lots, How to Automate Air Quality  Let the gas sensors do their job of measuring and let the ventilation do its job of clearing the pollutants. Keith Rasmussen, Opera

Vision-based Analytics  Video Analytic technology addresses all the shortcomings of common motion sensors enabling greener energy practices for building operations.   Bob Cutting, Vice President, Product Management, ObjectVideo & Martin Verge-Ostiguy, Marketing Coordinator, Lyrtech

The Cloud Beyond the Network  As more software and computer services move off-site, a look around suggests that the collaborative power of cloud computing has already begun to reign for those looking to harness real-time building information most efficiently.  Ken Sinclair Editor/Owner, www.AutomatedBuildings.com 

Keeping our Feet on the Ground While Working in the Cloud "If we want to continue to be leaders in this industry, we must deliver the goods today, Tomorrow is not good enough."  Ken Sinclair Editor/Owner, www.AutomatedBuildings.com 

Columns - October 2009

Understanding Specifications (Part 2 of 3)  Parts is parts, so they say  Steven R. Calabrese, Control Engineering Corp.

OPC and PROFINET technologies combine for efficient light control  HVAC systems, sprinkle systems, doorway controls, could all be linked together using PROFINET, and then controlled via a protocol like OPC from any PC on the network.  Manny Mandrusiak, Vice President of OPC Marketing, OPC Foundation

FAVOURITE  Smart Buildings Meet the Smart Grid  Keep the Smart Grid in mind as you start to work on your next project and think about how you can make the building a smart part of the Smart Grid.  Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group

BACnet Triple Play  Three ways to win with BACnet Integration  Andy McMillan, President and CEO, Teletrol Systems Inc.

Articles - September 2009

Bringing BIG Building Automation to The Small Building Market  Today’s new building owners have more sophisticated needs and wants. They are looking for big building automation features for their “mid-market” facilities. Trevor Palmer, Director of Marketing / International Sales, Viconics

FAVOURITE  Energy Dashboards Inform and Educate Green Education Tool  Sarah Erdman, Marketing Director, Quality Automation Graphics

Pneumatic Energy Savings Control  Wireless on off auto pneumatic switching control George Fincher, President - Sales and Marketing, Energy Controls Co.

Smart or Dumb Meters  Hundreds of thousands of so called 'smart' meters have been fitted with no interface or even real time display.  Mark Hunter, ION Controls

Building Cloud Connections  The identification and use of these valuable industry cloud connectors is essential to propel our industry forward at warp speed so it can radically change to survive. Ken Sinclair Editor/Owner www.AutomatedBuildings.com 

Columns - September 2009

Understanding Specifications (1 of 3)  A breakdown of your typical temperature controls spec  Steven R. Calabrese, Control Engineering Corp.

OPC Technology finds its’ place on the map on the journey to the Smart Grid  Manny Mandrusiak, Vice President of OPC Marketing, OPC Foundation

The Coming Evolution of BAS Design  A good BAS design starts with a well thought-out sequence of operation and point list.  Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group

Smart Buildings and Market Information Enable Collaborative Energy  Collaboration requires able partners; smart grids require smart buildings able to make intelligent decisions about energy use. Toby Considine, Technology Officer, Facility Services, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

FAVOURITE  BACnet … from the Outside In  Clues to the BACnet Puzzle  Andy McMillan, President and CEO, Teletrol Systems Inc.

Articles - August 2009

FAVOURITE  Automated Continuous Commissioning  The Path to Optimized Operations & Energy Efficiency  David Wolins, CEO, Scientific Conservation, Inc. (SCI)

FAVOURITE  Drilling for Dollars: IT Companies Find Energy Jim Sinopoli, PE, LEED AP, RCDD Managing Principal, Smart Buildings LLC

Track LEED v3 Credits in Project Management Software LEED Requires Strong Document Control  Houston Neal, Software Advice

How Powerful Are Your Graphics?  Powerful graphics catch the viewers’ eye and leave a lasting impression.  Sarah Erdman, Marketing Director, Quality Automation Graphics

After The Keynote? Green Intelligent Buildings Conference, Santa Clara, CA, September 29-30 Robert Beverly, Editor, Engineered Systems

Embedded Flexible Module Solutions  End-to-End Connectivity for Build Out of Intelligent Buildings, OEM Edge Assets and Connected Infrastructure  Daniel A. Drolet, Sr., VP, Business Development, PCN Technology, Inc.

LONMARK® International/ LONMARK® Americas Update August 2009 Heather Deal, Marketing Communications Liaison, LONMARK Americas

My Clouded Thinking Clears  The clouds are open and scalable and are my new tool set. Ken Sinclair Editor/Owner www.AutomatedBuildings.com

Columns - August 2009

Airflow Monitoring Techniques and technologies: the basics for beginners  Steven R. Calabrese, Control Engineering Corp.

Opening the OPC Mailbag  Supplying answers to some OPC email questions.  Manny Mandrusiak, Vice President of OPC Marketing, OPC Foundation

Advanced Controls Optimization for High Performance Buildings – Part II Water Side Last month’s column focused on the control of the air side with the use of strategies including demand controlled ventilation and static pressure reset. This month we would like to explore the control of the water side.  Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group

Distributed Energy Resources and Storage  With the big smart grid standards roadmap conference coming up in Washington on the third and fourth, I am going to stick with writing about what this means for buildings. Toby Considine, Technology Officer, Facility Services, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

Articles - July 2009

FAVOURITE  My Takeaways from ConnectivityWeek  After each year's event I try to list my takeaways of the things that significantly impacted, impressed me and are likely to change my future.  Ken Sinclair Editor/Owner www.AutomatedBuildings.com

BIMStorm® brings Cloud Computing to ConnectivityWeek  Real-time visualization of sensor data in Excel-generated BIM on Google Earth is a world premier.    Kimon Onuma, FAIA, ONUMA, Inc. and Michael Bordenaro, BIM Education Co-op

Cisco's Mediator Helps Buildings Reduce Energy Use with Internet Intelligence Michael Bordenaro, BIM Education Co-op

Reflections on record breaking ConnectivityWeek and BuilConn  The perfect storm produced a perfect event; a combination of rich subjects discussed, enormous business opportunities for vendors and integrators alike, on a backdrop of solving climate change problems and interestingly an awareness of social changes permeating our world.  Anto Budiardjo, President & CEO, Clasma Events Inc.

Open Automation Object Model  Object Automation Model will enable us to have programming and documentation done in one standard format and location.  Alper Uzmezler, BAS Services & Graphics, LLC.

Maintaining Your Control Valve Investment  Replaceable control valve cartridges allow the preservation of your original labor and embodied energy investment while reducing the total generated waste in facilitating upgrades and maintenance.  Paul Balazovjech, President, Spartan Peripheral Devices   

6 Useful Tips for Smart Meters and Plug Loads  As buildings move to incorporate more sensors and metering to generate data about usage and performance, metering and monitoring the electrical distribution and plug load will be integral.  Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, LEED AP, Smart Buildings

Can OPC Bridge the Engineering-IT Divide?  Regular dust-ups between Engineering and IT on the shop floor reveal characteristics and approaches that are strikingly dissimilar on both career and personal levels.  Randy Kondor, President, OPC Training Institute

Park It Here: Smart and Green Parking Garages  Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, LEED AP, Smart Buildings

Your Automation System on Red Bull®… Prophet™ Gives You Wings!  Andy McMahon, CSI3

Bright Green Buildings  Convergence of Green and Intelligent Buildings Rawlson O'Neil King Communications Director, Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA)

It’s 2pm… Do you know how much energy your building is using? David Helliwell, Co-Founder and CEO, Pulse Energy

The Power of the People  The power of the people lies not just in how we innovate, but also how we are able to share knowledge with others through that innovation.  Ken Sinclair Editor/Owner www.AutomatedBuildings.com

Columns - July 2009

BAS Graphics  Take a virtual tour of your building’s mechanical systems  Steven R. Calabrese, Control Engineering Corp.

Advanced Controls Optimization for High Performance Buildings  Strategies that should be considered to optimize the operations of these systems using the control system to dramatically reduce energy usage.  Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group

Making Friends wherever I go!  Companies that are successful in this day and age (of this global economy) are successful because they partner and collaborate with other companies that also are successful. No one company, or consortium, can truly afford to stand alone. Manny Mandrusiak, Vice President of OPC Marketing, OPC Foundation

“The Dawn of Convergence …. Or the Eve of Collision?”  Another Commentary on BAS-IT Convergence  Andy McMillan, President and CEO, Teletrol Systems Inc. & President BACnet International  

FAVOURITE Intelligent Buildings talk to the Smart Grid  Last month, the National Institute for standards and Technology (NIST) unveiled the Interim Smart Grid Interoperability Roadmap. (http://www.nist.gov/smartgrid/) The roadmap defines the smart grid and how it interacts with is smart end nodes. Toby Considine, Technology Officer, Facility Services, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

Articles - June 2009

Don’t Shoot The Messenger!  Let’s spread the word that achieving and maintaining ultra-efficient building energy system operation is possible, but to do so requires change. Thomas Hartman, P.E. The Hartman Company

Building Information Modeling Continues to Grow in Green Building  Adding Ease to Displaying Building Energy Efficiencies  Sarah Erdman, Marketing Director, Quality Automation Graphics

Are New Real Estate Risks Creating The "Tipping Point"?  Now the risks of doing nothing different may be even greater than rewards of being progressive. Tom Shircliff and Rob Murchison, Co-Founders, IntelligentBuildings®

Thermal Imaging  a key to locating HVAC system leakage Colin Plastow, Industrial Product Manager, Fluke

FAVOURITE  Future of Building Automation with IP Version 6 & cloud networking Alper Uzmezler, BAS Services & Graphics, LLC.

Web Based CMMS Systems  Efficient, Mobile, and Environmentally Friendly David Knight, Sales/Marketing Rep, Web Work by Tero

240 And Counting….  The number of speakers at ConnectivityWeek has now surpassed the total number of attendees at the first BuilConn  Anto Budiardjo, President & CEO, Clasma Events Inc.

Building Automation Networks  This article provides insight to the evolution to date of Building Automation Networks to Enterprise and Web based networks and on into cloud computing.  Ken Sinclair Editor/Owner www.AutomatedBuildings.com

Columns - June 2009

OPC EXPO comes to Connectivity Week!  Join us at the OPC EXPO in Santa Clara, CA, June 8-11 Manny Mandrusiak, Vice President of OPC Marketing, OPC Foundation

Selecting Sensors for BAS  A tutorial on choosing the right temperature sensor for the right job  Steven R. Calabrese, Control Engineering Corp.

“Good Fences Make Good Neighbors”  A Commentary on BAS-IT Convergence  Andy McMillan, President and CEO, Teletrol Systems Inc.  & President BACnet International   

The State of the Building Automation Market  “who makes the best building automation system?”  Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group

Conversation between Intelligent Buildings and Smart Energy  As I write this, the Interim Roadmap for the Smart Grid has not been published. What follows is my view of how this area will develop. Toby Considine, Technology Officer, Facility Services, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

FAVOURITE  The Reinvention Convention  On June 9, 2009, I will be in Santa Clara, California over seeing the presentation of several sessions on “The Reinvention of Building Automation”.  Ken Sinclair Editor/Owner www.AutomatedBuildings.com

Articles - May 2009

The California Smart Building Association  The California Smart Building Association is dedicated to establishing and strengthening public policies that promote the development of smart buildings in California for commercial, residential and public projects.   Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, Managing Principal, Smart Buildings

Once in a Lifetime  We really have to seriously go back to the invention of electricity and the internal combustion engine, and combine that with the changes that we have seen in the birth of the Internet that has changed our lives.  Anto Budiardjo, President & CEO, Clasma Events Inc.

Smart Grids Start With Smart Ideas  Developing smart electric grids requires smart ideas and our industry can be a valuable contributor in developing them!  Thomas Hartman, P.E. The Hartman Company

FAVOURITE  Green Intelligent Buildings… what next?  Energy Business Intelligence will be to buildings what the iPod was to music.  Jack Mc Gowan, CEM Energy Control Inc.

Pain, Tipping, and Leverage The “new” Energy Services Game  Terrence Reynolds, PE Control Technologies

Green Building Control Solutions….Sure to keep you in the Black!  Trevor Palmer, Marketing Manager, Viconics

The Reinvention of Energy Services  To actually turn the tide and reduce the total amount of energy used in commercial buildings will require reinvention. Tim Kensok, Vice President, Market Development, Air Advice

Smart Grid - Taking Our Cue from Nature  Roman Kulyk, Chief Technology Officer, REGEN Energy Inc.

Automation for the environmentally challenged  Electronic and electromechanical thermostats have in the past provided low initial capital cost, device simplicity, but have lacked in the ability to centralize information for energy and maintenance monitoring.  Trevor Palmer, Marketing Manager, Viconics

Opening the Door to IP POE-Powered Access Control Systems  The transformation leverages the existing IT infrastructure, eliminates the need for local power, consolidates and saves labor costs for cable installation, reduces the time to install system devices, is more scalable and provides a large base of management tools and support.   Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, Managing Principal, Smart Buildings

Upgrading Prison’s Temperature Control HVAC System Yields Overall Efficiency Debra Biela, Marketing Communications Specialist, Contemporary Controls

FAVOURITE  BIMSTORM® Processes Guide Smart Grid Planning  Award-winning Building Information Model web software invigorates Smart Grid planning and design processes.  Robert Smith, PhD, California State University Professor Emeritus, and Michael Bordenaro, Co-founders, BIM Education Co-op

The Reinvention of Building Automation The complexities of our industry reside with us, but the reinvention and representation of our future resides with the new teams we build.  Ken Sinclair, AutomatedBuildings.com

Columns - May 2009

FAVOURITE  SGIX – Smart Grid Information Exchange  Some feel that direct control of tomorrow’s smart buildings must be in the hands of the utilities. I feel that that building owners must be in control.  Toby Considine, Technology Officer, Facility Services, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

BACnet by the Numbers  A twelve step program for kicking the proprietary systems habit  Andy McMillan, President and CEO, Teletrol Systems Inc.  & President BACnet International   

Points List Primer  A “pointed” view of hardwired I/O  Steven R. Calabrese, Control Engineering Corp.

The Application my iPhone should have  complete smart home synchronized with my handheld  Manny Mandrusiak, Vice President of OPC Marketing, OPC Foundation

The dawn of the era of the Intelligent Building?  The simple answer is that a convergence that has been building for years is now occurring.  Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group

Articles - April 2009

It’s 1992 all over again!  As there was a driver in the 90s, today there are two of the most significant drivers that we can imagine in play, the Y2K of today if we continue the comparison to the 90s.  Anto Budiardjo, President & CEO, Clasma Events Inc.
Getting There From Here  Here is my list of areas that need our help with fresh thinking for new directions for us to get out of the rut we’re in.  Thomas Hartman, P.E. The Hartman Company
Diving Into Building Water Management  It is a water management system that monitors and manages water usage that will change the process from simply supplying water to managing the demand for water.  Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, Managing Principal, Smart Buildings
FAVOURITE  LEED 2009 and Building Automation Systems  Any sufficiently capable BAS, regardless of whether its protocol is standard or proprietary, can achieve LEED points along with the corresponding energy reductions.  Bill Swan, Buildings Standards Initiatives Leader, Alerton
Read manual dial gauges wirelessly, in minutes  Clamp on Wireless Gauge Reader optically reads needle and transmits reading. Harry Sim, CEO, Cypress Envirosystems
Smart building infrastructure helps manage costs  The value proposition exists for all stakeholders, from the developer who saves from a lower capital cost to the operator and/or tenant who saves from a lower operational cost and to the end user who obtains a better user experience. Bradley Hemphill, Managing Director, Electrical Engineering Solutions

Columns - April 2009
OpenEMS  Creating Value Through Open Systems In An Energy Management Context  Andy McMillan, President and CEO, Teletrol Systems Inc.  & President BACnet International   
Cyber-security, Smart Buildings, and the Smart Grid  We went to a distributed approach for Enterprise Building Management System EBMS, something that looks nothing like the approaches of traditional building systems and of SCADA.   Toby Considine, Technology Officer, Facility Services, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
What’s New! From This Year’s AHR Expo  Green, IAQ, BACnet, Demand Response, Wireless, to name just a few. Steven R. Calabrese, Control Engineering Corp.
FAVOURITE  Commissioning An Intelligent Building  Interoperability testing is an important key to the success of multi-manufacturer BAS’s and will become even more important to the success of Intelligent Buildings. Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group
How a video store proves the need for real-time data access  Knowledge is power, and having the right knowledge at the right time most definitely improves any company’s bottom line.  Manny Mandrusiak, Vice President of OPC Marketing, OPC Foundation

Articles - March 2009

The Smart Grid: Opportunities and Challenges - Workshop  The 2009 MIT Energy Conference - Accelerating Change in Global Energy - March 6, 2009  Jack Mc Gowan, CEM, President & CEO, Energy Control Inc.
Sustainable Design of Building Automation Systems  A a sustainable BAS is achievable with proper initial design considerations that include the use of open protocols, standardized Network Management tools and open access to product and training.  Patrick Winkelman, Vice President Sales Americas, Distech Controls, Inc.
FAVOURITE  Connecting BACnet Devices to an IP Infrastructure  This paper reveals how all BACnet devices can effectively share a common IP network — thereby enhancing the power and convenience of BACnet. George Thomas, President, Contemporary Controls
Steam Trap Energy Savings  New Wireless Steam Trap Monitor installs in minutes to detect costly leaks, with payback of about one year.  Harry Sim, CEO, Cypress Envirosystems
A Facility Dashboard for the Rest of Us  Users of the facility – residents, office-workers, students, visitors, etc. – are those that have the greatest potential for impacting operational building efficiency, based on their individual behavior. Greg Barnes, VP of Business Development, co-founder & Paul Ogle, VP Marketing, Product Management, Activelogix, LLC
Video Integrates with SCADA System to Improve Security at Madison,Wisconsin Water Utility  Al Larson P.E., Principal Engineer, Madison Water Utility, Madison, WI
Integrated Lighting Control 101  Integrated lighting control allows a building to take advantage of all possible lighting strategies. Gina Elliott, Smart Buildings
HVAC Contractors The Channel of Choice for Scaleable Energy Services Tim Kensok, Vice President, Market Development, Air Advice
Evaluating Airflow Measurement Technologies  Sources of the differences between expected and actual performance of HVAC instruments.  Leonard A. Damiano, EBTRON, Inc.
A Capital Idea!  The info and ideas flying around our Green Intelligent Buildings conference can help your business, but they can help your career, too.  Robert Beverly, Editor, Engineered Systems

Columns - March 2009
Pay-it-forward  Turning Short-term Stimulus into Long-term Value  Andy McMillan, President and CEO, Teletrol Systems Inc.  & President BACnet International
Energy Interoperability Standards: Smart Buildings, Smart Grid Toby Considine, Technology Officer, Facility Services, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
AHR Expo Blows Through the Windy City  A local guy’s experiences at the Big Show  Steven R. Calabrese, Control Engineering Corp.
BAS and Advanced, Integrated Lighting Control  New technologies including the use of wireless communications, networking and open standards are making the deployment of advanced lighting control practical in both new and existing building projects. Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group
Mastering middleware for sustainability  When you know how much energy you use, it’s much easier to determine where savings can be achieved.  Ken Sinclair, Editor, AutomatedBuildings.com

February 2009

FAVOURITE  Connected Real Estate Cisco grows Connected Real Estate investment with EnergyWISE and Richards-Zeta Acquisition. Rick Huijbregts, Vice President, Vertical Industries, Cisco Canada
State of the Industry - 2009  If you really want to help move our industry toward a future that works, I invite you to join with those who want a more sustainable future.  Thomas Hartman, P.E., The Hartman Company
Subtle Winds of Change in Windy City  A perfect storm of change if you understand the big picture that has been a constant theme on AutomatedBuildings.com for months if not years.  Anto Budiardjo, President & CEO, Clasma Events Inc.
Count Me In: People Counters  A Simple System for Essential Building Data Jim Sinopoli, Managing Principal, Smart Buildings, PE, RCDD
FAVOURITE  Robots in Every Building? It’s Closer Than You Think Jeanne Dietsch, CEO and co-founder, MobileRobots Inc & Stuart Rich, GIS Practice Manager, PenBay Media, Enterprise Geographic Information Systems
Energy Efficiency Education Display Greets Visitors at Iowa State Capitol: Interactive Screen Highlights Environmental Initiatives at Capitol Complex  Daniel McCarty, President, QA Graphics
The Role of Networked Sensors in Boosting Energy Efficiency  To realize peak avoidance and enjoy significant associated savings, customers must know both when and where power and energy were consumed. Roland Acra, President and CEO Arch Rock Corporation
Wireless Pneumatic Thermostat Ideal for Economic Stimulus Plan Large numbers of older federal buildings with pneumatic controls can now be upgraded to Direct Digital Control (DDC) at 20% of the cost, and less than 20 minutes per zone. Harry Sim, CEO, Cypress Envirosystems
Buildings, Industry, Automation, and Smart Grids  As wholesale energy markets have developed, and mandates for re-purchase by utilities and power grids of alternate energy such as wind and solar, your building may be a net consumer at one time and a net provider at another.  William Cox, Cox Software Architects LLC
CES09 through “Digital Signage” lenses.  To view the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2009 show through the lenses of digital signage is to see a future of media interactivity, interoperability, integration and presentation... and the direction of some key players.  Lyle Bunn, Principal & Strategy Architect, BUNN Co
Building Automation Sustainability  Whether you view the word “Building” as a noun or a verb the real goal is Sustainability Ken Sinclair, Editor, AutomatedBuildings.com

Columns - February 2009
FAVOURITE  Control Valves – Sizing & Selection  A refresher on choosing the right valve for the right application  Steven R. Calabrese, Control Engineering Corp.
Energy, Innovation, and E-Tech  Current assumptions of a paternalistic utility providing all control will not be sustained. New models of loose integration and symmetric interactions are required. Toby Considine, Technology Officer, Facility Services, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Building Automation Wishes for a New Year  As with technology in general each advance seems to reveal the need for more advances to achieve that elusive state of perfection. Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group
Trust: The Primary Currency in an Open Systems World It takes work to earn it, care to nurture it and only one poor decision to lose it. Andy McMillan, President and CEO, Teletrol Systems Inc.  & President BACnet International
The Reinvention of Building Automation (BA) Building Automation is evolving to a web service that is greatly enhanced with online services.  Ken Sinclair, Editor, AutomatedBuildings.com

January 2009

Obama’s Energy Challenge  The building sector is described by incoming administration insiders as a core element of their new energy independence and global warming initiatives.  Thomas Hartman, P.E., The Hartman Company
2009, Not Business As Usual!   Big things need to happen to force a revolution; what we are witnessing right now with the economic woes, climate change, and the change that the new Obama administration will bring about will drive things forward. Anto Budiardjo, President & CEO, Clasma Events Inc.
FAVOURITE Nine Predictions for Smart Buildings in 2009  “Never make predictions, especially about the future.” Casey Stengel American Baseball Player and Manager, 1891-1975  Jim Sinopoli, Smart Buildings
A New Year’s Resolution for PJM: Sign Up for Demand Response  Peter Kelly-Detwiler Constellation NewEnergy
An Aspect on Networked Area Control  As there are multiple philosophies associated with control through various manufacturers, it has been a challenging task for some manufacturers to relinquish some of their beliefs for the sake of interoperability. Rocky Moore, OEM Sales and Marketing Manager, American Auto-Matrix
OpenLynx: Open Source Software for BAS and the Smart Grid  To solve the daunting energy problems facing the nation federal and state institutions, building automation and smart grid integrators, utilities and ISOs need to support and accelerate development of sound open source initiatives focused on smart grid development, simulation and integration and building automation. Peter Michalek
Introduction to BACnet Routers  Each data link is treated as a separate network and the collection of data links is considered a single BACnet internetwork. George Thomas, President, Contemporary Controls
New Year Resolutions for the Industry  How we will stop smoking, lose weight, start exercising and save money in 2009  Jim Sinopoli, Smart Buildings
Choosing the Right Integrator for Your Building Automation Project  There are many options: Automation Vendors, Distributors, Architectural engineering and construction firms, and Independent control system integrators. Norman O’Leary, Executive Director CSIA – Control System Integrators Association
Top 12 Issue Favourites - 2008  We thank you all as an industry for being our success in providing incredibly current content that is well read by our reinvented industry.  Ken Sinclair, Editor, AutomatedBuildings.com

Columns - January 2009
Working with the Wind in Chicago  Next week, there will be a lot of wind surrounding the AHR Expo, the largest conference anywhere dedicated to the efficient movement of air, and thereby the biggest energy-related conference of the year.  Toby Considine, Technology Officer, Facility Services, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
FAVOURITE Standards and Opportunities when Smart Buildings meet the Smart Grid The goal of the new standards efforts is to support new markets that we do not today know or understand. Toby Considine, Technology Officer, Facility Services, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Discussion on Descriptors  Commanding and confirming the operation of two-state devices  Steven R. Calabrese, Control Engineering Corp.
BAS Use of Ethernet / IP Infrastructure II  Use of Virtual Local Area Networks Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group

December 2008

Creatively Address Rising Costs and Environmental Concerns  Building owners can respond to both of these issues by incorporating smart choices into their designs that reduce energy use, lowering costs and lessening the building’s impact on the environment. Sarah Romero, Veris Industries
“31 Tannery Project” – Year 2+ Sustainable Operations maintaining our 2nd Year of Net Zero Electric Operations and Energy Star 100 scores… Moving on… Edward H. Brzezowski, PE, LEED AP Noveda Technologies
Protocol Blenders and Information Creators: Middleware Providers and Implementation Strategy Jim Sinopoli and Neil Gifford, Smart Buildings
Introduction to Modbus Serial and Modbus TCP    Modbus is popular for its simplicity. Because so many users with Modbus knowledge are in the field and because a Modbus-IDA association backs this open standard, it will continue to remain popular. George Thomas, President, Contemporary Controls
Indoor Air Quality Basics  Part 1/2 - IAQ Audits: Are You Missing the Bigger Picture? Christina Inge, Marketing Manager, Spinwave Systems, Inc.
FAVOURITE  2008 Digital Signage Year in Review  Digital Signage “Turned the Corner,” maturing in 2008  Lyle Bunn, Principal & Strategy Architect BUNN Co
The Front End  The chief reason for multiple systems under one Front End is to remove the perceived shackles of the control provider from the end user.  Darryl Trombley, Building Automation Consultant, Metro Environmental, Inc.
Maximizing Boiler Performance and Efficiency  Would you know what to adjust if you realized money and energy were being wasted on an hourly basis?  Sharam Pavri, Forbes Marshall
XML Integration Transforms Telephone Entry System to Web-programmable Appliance Jerry Graciano, Manager of Development Partnerships, Brivo Systems, LLC
Grid Interoperability  Demand response is an important tool in your energy management toolkit. But the future it anticipates could be of even greater benefit to your bottom line.  Ken Sinclair, AutomatedBuildings.com

Columns - December 2008
Cabling for DDC Systems  Specify the proper conductor sizes and cable types for your BAS project  Steven R. Calabrese, Control Engineering Corp.
The Lie in Demand—Response  We encourage only the crudest, least effective energy savings, while denying the market the energy signals that would cause better.  Toby Considine, Technology Officer, Facility Services, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
BAS Use of Ethernet/IP Infrastructure Simply put, should a BAS use its own dedicated Ethernet/IP system, or should it use that provided for the building’s business-enterprise communications and managed by the IT department?  Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group
FAVOURITE  A Light at the end of the Wireless Tunnel  BACnet-Zigbee for Building Automation has a Bright Future  Andy McMillan, President and CEO, Teletrol Systems Inc.  & President BACnet International

November 2008

FAVOURITEEnergy & Controls…making sense of it all at Grid-Interop Jack Mc Gowan, CEM
ECommerce, Buildings, and Energy  How do eCommerce technologies, including contracting, reliable messaging, security, and the application of Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA) fit into the energy and buildings world? Carol Geyer, Director of Communications, OASIS
Blue, Buildings, and Energy The shift from green to blue has started. Laurent Liscia, Executive Director, OASIS, Toby Considine, University of North Carolina, William Cox, Cox Software Architects LLC
B2G and the NIST Workshop at Grid Interop '08  David Holmberg, NIST B2G domain expert working group lead, BACnet Utility Integration working group lead
The Smart Grid and Ongoing Building Commissioning  For building owners, preparing for the Smart Grid starts with initiatives that will benefit them today.  Jim Butler, CTO, Cimetrics Inc.
Transacted Energy End Games  It starts today, with demand response, and continues with transacted energy.  Toby Considine, University of North Carolina
Wireless Interoperability Wireless Interoperable Systems: Enabling the Smart Grid  Christina Inge, Marketing Manager, Spinwave Systems, Inc.
OPC, XML, .NET and Real-Time Applications  DCOM is alive and well. DCOM fills a void that XML web services cannot fill.  OPC DA (based on DCOM) will continue to dominate applications. White Paper, MatrikonOPC
The Virtue of VirtuaWatt^TM  VirtuaWatt^TM is an online demand response auction application that is designed to help customers more easily navigate the complex energy market. Joe Franz, Director of Product Management, Constellation NewEnergy & Del Hilber, Director of IT Demand Response, Constellation NewEnergy
Feel the need for total security  Video surveillance, is becoming a sought-after technology to provide security  Steve Rubin, President, Longwatch
Setting Sights on a Standard  In order to support the technology shift toward IP video systems, the market leaders need to work toward creating increased flexibility for end users, integrators and consultants. Dr. Bob Banerjee, Product Marketing Manager, Bosch Security Systems, Inc.
Imagine you could speak to your SCADA system…   Send a text message to your SCADA system.  Michael Meirovitz, CEO, Control See Ltd.
Legacy Building Automation Integration  The BACnet-N2 Router is a network appliance hosted on the Advantech Embedded Automation Computer. Steve Jones, Managing Partner, The S4 Group, Inc.
Demand response: turning on to new opportunities  The next frontier for demand response is to move beyond curtailment and leverage the power of building automation systems that exist within or across collections of buildings. Ken Sinclair, AutomatedBuildings.com

Columns - November 2008
FAVOURITE  The Three Little (BACnet) Pigs  A Modern Day Fable of Building Systems Integration  Andy McMillan, President and CEO, Teletrol Systems Inc.  & President BACnet International
Sequences of Operation (2 of 2)  An objective look at specified descriptions of control Steven R. Calabrese, Control Engineering Corp.
Buildings, Emergency Response, Energy, and Situation Awareness  The NG911 system, or Next Generation 911 supports better interaction.  Even buildings, and building systems, might act as 911 operators. Toby Considine, Technology Officer, Facility Services, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Data Center Building Automation  In many ways data centers come closest to blurring the line between commercial and industrial controls in our industry. Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group

October 2008

The NewEnergy Paradigm  Quite simply, my belief is that energy in buildings has much more to do with automation that it does with any of the other technologies that seem to be in the spotlight continuously. Jack Mc Gowan, CEM, Energy Control Inc.
Buildings and ET  The mantra of energy management in the 21st century has to be Buildings, Buildings and Buildings  Anto Budiardjo, President, Clasma Events Inc.
The Enemy Within  Project engineers must be ready to give up the detailed design work with which they are familiar and provide the flexibility, support, and oversight to others so they can ensure ultra-efficient performance is achieved and maintained over time.  Thomas Hartman, P E The Hartman Company
Using Structured Cable Solutions For BAS  The largest opportunity to reduce capital costs of installation in building technology systems is the installation of the system’s cable and cable pathways.  Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, Managing Principal, Smart Buildings
OPC Security: Seven Years, Seven Fears  Eric Murphy, BSc, PEng, MatrikonOPC
Save 18% on Energy Costs  with One 15-Minute Change Christina Inge, Marketing Manager, Spinwave Systems, Inc.
FAVOURITE  Wireless Sensor Networks Move Onto The Internet  IP allows different kinds of links to be connected together as a single network, with routers steering each message to its desired destination, crossing different kinds of links along the way.  Brian Bohlig, Vice President of Marketing, Arch Rock Corporation
DDC For HVAC Systems  DDC knowledge has become critical in the current HVAC market, but the only sources of information have been highly technical until now. Barbara Ragusa, LAMA Books

Columns - October 2008
Building BACnet  2008 BACnet International Conference and Award Ceremony  Andy McMillan, President and CEO, Teletrol Systems Inc.  & President BACnet International
Privacy, Price and the Cost of Control As we seek to extend Demand / Response to more systems in the house, we run into what we might call Knowledge Problems, problems of diversity and understanding.  Toby Considine, Technology Officer, Facility Services, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Sequences of Operation (1 of 2)  An objective look at specified descriptions of control Steven R. Calabrese, Control Engineering Corporation
Selecting the Building Automation or Systems Integration Contractor  The process that we use involves a formal “Request for Proposals” (RFP), allowing us to gather information and evaluate it in an impartial manner. Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group

September 2008
Is DR Hype?  Or, is DR real and a potential short-term game changer for building automation? Anto Budiardjo, President, Clasma Events Inc.
DR-Expo Comes To Ontario  The new OPA DR3 program has created significant financial opportunities for Ontario’s commercial and industrial participants. Peter Kelly-Detwiler and Rob Reale, Constellation NewEnergy
The Value of Demand Response and Energy Programs  At DR-Expo in Toronto, October 6-7. I will be leading a track called “DR Technology Planning”  Anno Scholten, Novus Edge
DR on College Campuses  Letting people know that a DR program will reduce the need to build new power plants, and will likely cut the carbon footprint of the campus, can go far in getting students and faculty to support it. Christina Inge, Marketing Manager, Spinwave Systems, Inc.
FAVOURITE An 8-Step Strategy To Making Existing Buildings Smart  An 8-step strategy for improving the performance of existing building stock. Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, Managing Principal, Smart Buildings
The Cultural Shift to Measurement and Verification for Buildings “Inefficient buildings and homes account for a third of North America’s greenhouse gas emissions.” Paul Silverthorne, President, Dimax Controls
SmartGrid Domain Experts Workgroup NIST Notes on August 5, 2008 Meeting Toby Considine, Technology Officer, Facility Services, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Large Building Automation CABA Unveils Enhanced Building Intelligence Quotient David Katz, Principal Sustainable Resources Management Inc., Member of the BIQ Consortium
Introduction to the Modbus Protocol  Originally intended as a point-to-to interface between proprietary Modicon products, the protocol has found use in multi-drop and peer-to-peer networks like TCP/IP. George Thomas, President, Contemporary Controls
Smart Lighting System Saves Energy   All the lighting system components - ballasts, sensors and controllers - are from different suppliers which demonstrates the interoperability of the DALI  Bradley Hemphill, CEO, Electrical Engineering Solutions
Reducing Travel Costs with Remote Server Access Using remote access solutions, your computers and intelligent devices can be monitored and maintained from anywhere in the world.  Kenneth Dukofsky, Marketing Communications Manager of Minicom Advanced Systems
FORECAST: Increasingly Cloudy and Under Control  As the burden of building data gets heavier, strategies for managing it take to the sky, so to speak, whether it’s sorting your services smartly or learning to use SCADA or OPC, modern building automation aims to help you succeed by keeping your head in the clouds and your feet on the ground. Ken Sinclair, AutomatedBuildings.com
Reaping the Harvest Daylight harvesting and daylighting controls can make a big difference in your energy bill. And solutions are becoming more flexible all the time. Ken Sinclair, AutomatedBuildings.com

Columns - September 2008
The Green Gold Rush  Promoting energy management and building automation systems as important elements in an overall sustainability initiative or green building development is both legitimate and useful. Andy McMillan, President and CEO, Teletrol Systems Inc.  & President BACnet International
Programming Methods  A historical view as seen from one perspective Steven R. Calabrese, Automated Logic Chicago
It’s all too cheap  If we are not going to manage our devices, our systems, and our energy, who will? Toby Considine, Technology Officer, Facility Services, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Differentiating an Intelligent Building These three levels of an Intelligent Building system can result in a significant improvement of system operations, operational efficiency, and high level tools for facility assessment and optimization. Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group

August 2008
Economic Downturn, Automation Identity Crisis and Energy Opportunity  …where does your business go from here  John J. "Jack" Mc Gowan, CEM, Energy Control Inc.
Wireless Demand Response Bringing DR to a Broader Base of Customers Christina Inge, Marketing Manager, Spinwave Systems, Inc.
Is IT God?  Does god exist? Yes, there is a god; her name is Communications!  Michael Kirrene, Founder and President, Optimal Energy
How Green IT is.  Efforts like the Green Grid Alliance are looking to help reduce the energy consumption of corporate data centers through education, establishing server power measurement standards and influencing product designs.  Eric Murphy, BSc, PEng, MatrikonOPC
Staying in Touch with Touch Screen Controls  The actual touch screen devices vary, but three classes of devices have emerged. These include touch screen controls from companies traditionally focused on audio visual, touch screens on VOIP telephones and touch screens that are part of wall-mounted personal computers.  Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, Managing Principal, Smart Buildings
FAVOURITE  Lynxspring’s JENEsys™ snap! – a New Solution for HVAC Energy Conservation Bob Mealey, Lynxspring’s Vice President,  Marketing and Sales
Object Modeling a Physical BACnet® Device This paper introduces object modeling, object properties, and services as they pertain to a physical BACnet/IP device. Part 1 of 2 George Thomas, President of Contemporary Controls
Achieving BACnet® Compliance To ease the process in determining BACnet compliance, the standard classifies devices into six categories: Part 2 of 2 George Thomas, President of Contemporary Controls
Comprehensive Environmental Monitoring Solution Fortify your Business Continuity/Disaster Prevention readiness through a comprehensive Environmental Monitoring solution. Fred Kemp, Vice President Marketing & Sales, Invetex Corporation
Exploring the Deep End of Video Surveillance Management Design Considerations David Keidar, General Manager, EVT

Columns - August 2008
Open Systems Opens Doors The Secret Sauce in the BACnet Recipe for Success Andy McMillan, President and CEO, Teletrol Systems Inc.  & President BACnet International
FAVOURITE Anatomy of a Typical BAS Analysis of a hypothetical commercial office building DDC system Part 3 of 3  Steven R. Calabrese, Automated Logic Chicago
Clouds and Rain  Cloud Computing is a name for putting computing services, whether traditional, such as CRM applications, or modern, such as SaaS, on computers up in the wider network. Toby Considine, Technology Officer, Facility Services, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
An Intelligently Green Building  The imagination of the building design team (along with the willingness to research and specify the technology and products involved in this integration) is the only limit to creating intelligently green buildings.  Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group

July 2008
Making Sense of it All  Automatedbuildings.com has not only provided those ideas and contacts for potential partners, products and procedures to help us push our network based energy efficient strategies forward, but it has also played an important role in developing the community of industry professionals. Thomas Hartman, P E, The Hartman Company
The Next 10 Years  "Ken’s theme for the next 10 years is about change .... I would like to propose a way of thinking that may well help you make a decision as to how to proceed".  Anto Budiardjo, President, Clasma Events Inc.
Intelligent Middleware for Intelligent Building Systems  Richards-Zeta and Frost & Sullivan Industry White Paper
FAVOURITE Water Submetering: Wireless Systems  By providing managers with real-time, automatically generated data, wireless water submetering can make monitoring, billing, and reducing water usage far easier than with traditional, manual-read submetering systems. Christina Inge, Marketing Manager, Spinwave Systems, Inc.
Enterprise Access to Building Automation Data Using BACnet and OPC Darek Kominek, MatrikonOPC
Using SCADA Systems in an HVAC Environment  Owners of larger facilities as well as multiple building owners will surely benefit from the SCADA Systems once thought of as only for industrial process control. Ronald D. Padilla, Vice President – Integration Services, Control Technologies, Inc.
Parking Garage Case Study: LonWorks® Delivers Savings On Sunset Blvd  Mike Schell, Air Test Technologies
Be The Change  This year’s ConnectivityWeek offered more than simply updates on building automation technology. It encouraged a new energy revolution.  Ken Sinclair, AutomatedBuildings.com

Columns - July 2008
Words of Wisdom  Prudent advice from the pages of Practical Controls  Steven R. Calabrese, Automated Logic Chicago
Controlling Demand Response  A building that has been designed for demand response can readily drop electric loads with little impact on the occupants. Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group
FAVOURITE The BACnet Puzzle  Why BACnet can be a puzzle to outsiders – and why it matters.  Andy McMillan, President and CEO, Teletrol Systems Inc.  & President BACnet International
Newton's Fall  Efforts to solve traditional building-grid interactions as command and control interactions will fail if they leave out the human and social factors. Toby Considine, Technology Officer, Facility Services, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

June 2008
FAVOURITE My 10 Takeaways from ConnectivityWeek in Santa Clara, California Ken Sinclair, AutomatedBuildings.com
ConnectivityWeek Show Daily  The following articles appeared in the ConnectivityWeek Show Daily newspaper, published the week of May 19, 2008.  Each article contains additional information that could not be included in the original publication due to space limitations. Frank Capuano,  Strata Resource Inc acted as manager, editor and photographer for the daily show newspaper for Clasma Events
We need a bigger boat!  Focusing just on building systems or even just controls is simply not going to cut it, the vision outlined at the first BuilConn in 2003 was too narrow.  Anto Budiardjo, President, Clasma Events Inc.
oBIX is alive and kicking…  The people who know oBIX best have been going out and doing things with oBIX. Many of these projects are large. Toby Considine, Chairman oBIX
Wireless Energy Management: Transforming the Energy Costs of the Smaller Building Christina Inge, Marketing Manager, Spinwave Systems, Inc.
Sharpening The Axe: Four Tips for your Controls Contracting Business  Al De Wachter, President, ICS Inc
Data Center Retrofit Now Able to Handle High-Density Server Applications  Contemporary Controls’ BAS Switch Handles the Traffic Without “Choking”  Debra Biela, Marketing Communications Specialist, Contemporary Controls
Lambeau Field – A Success Story  Lambeau Field Benefits from Building Automation System Interface Erin Tudjan, Sales & Marketing Coordinator, Eagle Technology, Inc.
Open Automated Demand Response Communication Standards  Six years of research, development, and demonstration have led to these standards.Girish Ghatikar, Mary Ann Piette, & Sila Kiliccote, Demand Response Research Center (DRRC), Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL)
Controls + IT + Integrate Evolve  Integrating to the World of IT  David Oshoway, President, Energetic Concepts Ltd
Verizon Communications  Cogeneration System Monitoring and Energy Management - Case Study David Crump, Marketing Communications Opto 22
BACnet Change of Value (COV) The BACnet COV system is not a mandatory part of the protocol. Each vendor decides if they want to support it.  Peter Chipkin, Partner AGP Support Group.

Columns - June 2008
Unitary Controllers Primer  Typical applications utilizing unit (zone) level control  Part 2 of 3  Steven R. Calabrese, Automated Logic Chicago
FAVOURITE Stop throwing it away – Energy Recycling  Once you start thinking about waste heat as a resource, it will lead a long way from where you started.  Toby Considine, Technology Officer, Facility Services, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Campus Automation Presents Unique Challenges  Multiple interfaces makes campus-wide optimization, data mining, and energy and operational analysis difficult.  Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group

May 2008
Preview of ConnectivityWeek 2008  ConnectivityWeek 2008 has collected all of the key subjects that will draw this picture of the future world of connected devices. The tent to encompass this vision is large, very large. Anto Budiardjo, President, Clasma Events Inc.
ConnectivityWeek is the Green Summit  The message to readers is that Green is not just about LEED, and that DR is the opportunity to build a new business model that does not rely on new construction.  John J. "Jack" Mc Gowan, CEM Energy Control Inc.
Load Response as a Potential Economic Force in a Slowing Economy  Load response can deliver a significant return on investment with documented energy savings, enhanced efficiencies and information and intelligence that can be extracted from a facility to make it run even more efficiently. Peter Kelly-Detwiler, Constellation NewEnergy
Smart Grid and Smart Building solutions with the Web 2.0 Technology   A suite of Web 2.0 products and services bringing together demand-side and intermittent resources, power grid operations, and energy markets  Ali Ipakchi, Vice President, OATi
Creating a Sustainable Building Industry Future  Our industry needs to show in the new buildings we construct that achieving ultra-efficient building operation need not be a convoluted, expensive, or hit-and-miss process. Thomas Hartman, P E, The Hartman Company
Convergence 2.0  Technology Convergence is Only the Beginning  Andy McMillan, President/CEO, Teletrol Systems Inc, President, BACnet International
FAVOURITE ARTICLE Open Source  Beyond Open Systems  Anno Scholten, NovusEdge
Efficient Human Convergence for Realizing ROI  One of the most efficient ways for humans to converge when required to implement and maintain new facility and energy solutions is to have strong adaptable integrated tools and processes increasing productivity and limiting the need for any human converge.  Brian Thompson, Founder, Managing Director, SENSUS M.I.
Delivering Enterprise Energy and Facility Management through an Open Architecture  The problem today is that there is a huge capability gap between building systems, their disparate or so called “open” protocols and a scaled enterprise energy management system offering control and management of all building systems.  Edmund B. Richards, President and CEO, Richards-Zeta
Advanced Energy Management Programs Automated Demand Response (ADR). Brooke Raffetto, Richards-Zeta Building Intelligence Inc.
Building a Green America  North America strongly correlates environmental performance with financial gains, boasts of patronizing real estate with at east 3-5 percent higher occupancy rate and who do not hesitate shelling out or commanding at least 3 percent higher rental rate than traditionally.  Konkana Khaund, Research Analyst, Environment & Building Technologies, Frost & Sullivan, North America
What Exactly is "Network Integration?"  “If it's the Psychic Network why do they need a phone number?”  Robin Williams, Actor, Comedian  Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, Managing Principal, Smart Buildings
EnOcean Alliance "No Wires. No Batteries. No Limits."  The Wireless Standard for Sustainable Buildings  Graham Martin, Chairman EnOcean Alliance
Energy Saving Solutions - Building IT with OPC  There is a symbiotic relationship between the systems controlling the environment, and the people and systems contained within it. Integration of the systems is needed to fully realize optimization possibilities.  Eric Murphy, MatrikonOPC
Cisco Application eXtension Platform  OSGi Add-On as Universal Middleware for Your Applications  Thomas Forst, Business Development Manager ProSyst Software GmbH
Building automation and intelligent buildings  Using motion detection sensors or security sensors on doors you can receive an instant alert via SMS, telephone call, e-mail or SNMP trap of un-authorized access. Pictures captures by the cameras can be attached to the E-mail or an MMS message so you can instantly see who is entering your building or room without authorization. You could even automatically prevent further access.  Nicholas Barrowclough, Technical Support Manager, AKCP
How to improve the Performance of a Mesh Wireless Sensor Network?  This white paper presents Diversity Path Mesh, a technology designed to maximize the most important performance factors of wireless mesh networks, as well as their trade-off envelope. Virtual Extension Ltd - Technology White Paper
The New Face of Building Automation  Buildings are now expected to be an interactive part of their virtual community and of course the electrical grid. This new face is creating untold opportunities that we all must investigate, understand and support. Published Control Engineering Asia magazine May 2008 issue
The Rise of Virtual Services  Computer applications that integrate information more effectively are giving building managers new tools to manage their energy use.  Published Energy Management Canada magazine May 2008 issue
Brilliant Buildings  What makes a Building Brilliant? …..Surpassing Excellence that’s what!  Published ES Magazine May issue

Columns - May 2008
FAVORITE Controls Estimating 101  A beginner’s look at labor and material estimating for plan & spec projects  Steven R. Calabrese, Automated Logic Chicago
More on the Challenge of Writing the Controls Specs….   Open/standard communications protocols is probably the most important example of where a specification should contain explicit, prescriptive requirements. Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group
Service Performance, Compliance, and Business Responsiveness  Just as in the rest of business computing, open source is coming to building control systems. Open interfaces such as oBIX make open source programming effective.  Toby Considine, Technology Officer, Facility Services, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

April 2008
ASHRAE, CSI & OPC at BuilConn  The new face is strangely a combination of the past, the changing, the new, and a heavy dose of socially-driven subjects that together are turning the world of energy and buildings upside down. as ASHRAE, CSI & OPC meet at BuilConn.  Anto Budiardjo, President, Clasma Events Inc.
Getting a Handle on Web 2.0 and the New Services Development Paradigm  John R. Janowiak, President, International Engineering Consortium
Demand Response and the Energy Conservation Spirit  Integrating Demand Response into Overall Energy Efficiency on a College Campus  Steve Schaefer, Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing, EnergyConnect Inc.
Communicating To the Enterprise Isn’t Science Fiction  Far from being science fiction, providing the ability to connect building automation systems to the enterprise using OPC is very much a reality today.  Eric Murphy, BSc, PEng, MatrikonOPC
Total Facility Control  We need a better way to upgrade, enhance, and control what we have. Facility managers need a plan, a partner, and an incentive. Ron Bernstein, Executive Director, LonMark International
End-to-end solutions for business automation  A new site automation software development platform arrives on the market. Lydia Cobo, Marketing Europe, Elutions
Changing the Present Value  (Or Why the Present Value doesn’t change) Peter Chipkin, Partner AGP Support Group.
Mega Video Solutions  Systems are not just cheaper and more flexible they have opened up new opportunities. Barry Keepence, CTO, IndigoVision
FAVOURITE ARTICLE  The Future of Automated Buildings in North America  As published Climatização & Refrigeração Magazine Brazil  Ken Sinclair, Editor Owner AutomatedBuildings.com

Columns - April 2008
Typical Controllers in DDC  Understand the differences in controller types and applications  Part 1 of 3 Steven R. Calabrese, Automated Logic Chicago
Rent Seeking is Crippling Building System Markets  Rent seeking is defined as when an individual, organization, or firm seeks to make money by manipulating control of the economic environment rather than by making a profit through trade and production of value.  Toby Considine, Technology Officer, Facility Services, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Writing the Controls Specs…. One of life’s great challenges  In reality the design of the controls system really starts with the selections made for the mechanical and electrical systems and a good understanding of how the building will be operated. Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group

March 2008
FAVOURITE ARTICLE  Pushing Green into the Black  Self-powered Wireless Controls Build Financial Cases for Green Buildings Robert Eckery, Marcom Manager, EnOcean, Inc.
How Energy Revolution Affects You!  As in previous revolutions, social change will be significant, impacting everything from our daily lives to commerce and politics.  Anto Budiardjo, President, Clasma Events Inc.
The Number One Thing That Will Grow Your Business in 2008  The time for Energy Engineered Systems (EES) is now because the traditional construction process is broken and it is hard to deliver value without EES.  Jack Mc Gowan, CEM, Energy Control Inc.
FAVOURITE ARTICLE  The Coming Flood of Energy Reporting, Building Sensors and System Meters  In order to meet the challenge of energy management within buildings, maintain and increase the performance and asset value, buildings systems will need to dramatically increase devices that can sense, monitor, measure and manage energy loads and consumption, and weave that data into management reports that provide actionable information.  Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, Managing Principal, Smart Buildings
Oops! I Missed a Point  Use your existing Ethernet infrastructure and save money, time, and aggravation.  Joe Stasiek, Sales Manager, Contemporary Controls
BACnet and Interoperability  A coming of age  Rocky Moore, Marketing Lead, American Auto-Matrix
Simply the Best User Interface  The telephone continues to hold claim to the most convenient user interface. Ron Poskevich, General Manager, Lumisys
Innovative touch screen technology for BAS The graphics have to be a little bigger and links, like sequence of operations callouts, require larger navigation links. Dan McCarty, Quality Automation Graphics
An intelligent energy demand management system   ....that automatically predicts, regulates, and lowers peak demand for industries without compromising the operation of connected equipment.  John Reed, Media Relations, Powerit Solutions, Inc.
Build Green and Stay Green with OPC  To fully achieve efficiency and stay Green for the long run, building systems need to be monitored and maintained. If it can be measured, it can be managed and OPC supplies the means to do both. Eric Murphy, BSc, PEng, MatrikonOPC
Helping China Grow a Greener Future  China's Ministry of Construction (MOC) estimates that China will double its current building stock by 2020. The vast majority of these projects are large—commercial office buildings between 100,000 and 150,000 m2 and residential developments that span more than 500,000 m2 of construction area. Mike Williams C.Eng. FCMA, MCIBSE, MSyI, Managing Director, Founder CDC - Central Data Control
Design and Implementation of an Open, Interoperable Automated Demand Response Infrastructure  This article provides an overview of the AutoDR field tests and implementation activities from 2003-2007 and focuses on the concept for and lessons from the development and field-testing of an open, interoperable communications infrastructure to support automating DR.  Mary Ann Piette, Sila Kiliccote, and Girish Ghatikar Demand Response Research Center – Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Spokane International Airport Eliminates Paper Process  Spokane International mainly had problems tracking maintenance information. The main concern in the maintenance department was tracking labor hours spent maintaining airport equipment.  Eagle Technology, Inc.
LEED provides creditability to Smart Building Automation  Smart building encompasses the integration of all of the systems in the building, this additional level of commissioning should be a requirement to ensure the benefits of integrated building technology systems, and in the process, pick up one LEED credit.  Ken Sinclair, Editor Owner AutomatedBuildings.com

Columns - March 2008
FAVOURITE COLUMN  SOB - the Service Oriented Building  My passion is web services interfaces to the engineered world to let embedded systems be full participants in the enterprise. Toby Considine, Technology Officer, Facility Services, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
How Safety Devices (Should?) Affect System Components  Simple, albeit important, rules of thumb regarding equipment failsafe modes.  Steven R. Calabrese, Automated Logic Chicago
Green Intelligent Buildings – a Brief History  The original concept of Energy Management, which later became Building Automation, started in earnest as a result of the OPEC oil embargo in 1973.  Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group

February 2008
FAVOURITE ARTICLE  The Energy Revolution is Here!  Let’s understand something: The Energy Revolution is happening around us, it is starting right now, not by this author, not by Al Gore, not by environmentalists, but by the realities of the changing energy paradigm.  Anto Budiardjo, President, Clasma Events Inc.
The Virtual Building Operations Center  How to Implement (VBOC) without a FMS change-out.  George B. Huettel, PE, President, Cyrus Technologies, Inc. 
REALIGNING Where People, Space, Time and Energy Interact  Enabling integration between enterprise software and building systems is only part of the solution. Data presentation, reporting, security, and adherence to current IT standards are the other keys.  John Greenwell, President, CEPORT, LLC
The Multi-Vendor Integrator  The culture of multi-vendor integration is the future.  Julian Smith, Control Network Services, Inc.
Life Cycle Costing Calculator  The Continental Automated Building Association (CABA) and RSMeans*, a Reed Construction Data company, announce the release of their online, interactive, Life Cycle Costing (LCC) calculator for the commercial industry.   Thomas (Thom) Keel, Member CABA Intelligent & Integrated Building Council, Chair Life Cycle Costing Task Force
Convergence & Controls - Grid Intelligence We can learn a lot from the United States’ GridWise — a movement that is re-shaping the American Power Industry. Ken Sinclair, Editor Owner AutomatedBuildings.com

Columns - February 2008
RTU Zoning Systems  Getting more out of your single zone constant volume rooftop units  Steven R. Calabrese, Automated Logic Chicago
FAVOURITE COLUMN  How Automated Are Our Green Buildings?  The new draft “LEED for Healthcare” document is not poised to add any new warmth to our hearts.  A close look at this document (or any LEED rating system for that matter) reveals very little direct reference to the use of building automation.  In fact the term “building automation” appears to be used only once in the entire document!   Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group

January 2008
FAVOURITE ARTICLE Eight Predictions for Smart Buildings in 2008  “Never make predictions, especially about the future.”  Casey Stengel Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, Managing Principal, Smart Buildings
Buildings at the Epicenter… Don’t miss B2G in New York  John J. "Jack" Mc Gowan, CEM, Energy Control Inc.
Opportunities to learn Smart Buildings and the Smart Grid at AHR  As part of the AHR Educational panels there will be two free sessions that are must attend sessions for anyone who wants to learn more.  John J. "Jack" Mc Gowan, CEM, Energy Control Inc.
New Year, New Beginnings  “We don’t plan to fail, but often fail to plan”.  Paul Ehrlich & Ira Goldschmidt, Building Intelligence Group
4 Questions To Ask & 4 Tasks for 2008  They are in essence one question, “how does this industry move forward into the 21st century”.  Anto Budiardjo, President, Clasma Events Inc.
FAVOURITE ARTICLE Out-of-the-Box Energy Monitoring  Earning LEED Innovation in Design Credit  Dan McCarty Quality Automation Graphics 
Using CO2 Feed-Back Control To Stop Costly Over Ventilation Ironically, outdoor air introduction to buildings is one of the few major energy consuming features of a building that is typically not measured or controlled on a real-time basis. Mike Schell, AirTest Technologies Inc.
Join the Interoperability Crusade  Please hear this message as a call for arms and join us in the crusade to improve integration and enable an ever-smarter electricity system.  Steve Widergren, Administrator, GridWise Architecture Council
IP Innovation: Clock, Paging and Messaging Systems  Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, Managing Principal, Smart Buildings
Controls Facilitate Lighting System Maintenance at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport  Watt Stopper/LeGrand Case Study
Building Automation Reflections and Projections  Ken Sinclair, Editor Owner of AutomatedBuildings.com provides a reflected review of a very exciting year in the Building Automation Industry as well as some crystal ball gazing into what to expect for 2008. Ken Sinclair, Editor Owner AutomatedBuildings.com

Column - January 2008
Short on I/O? Try This Out!  Tricks of the trade, time-tested and industry-accepted  Steven R. Calabrese, Automated Logic Chicago

December 2007
GridWise, Demand Response and a Green AHR  Those who want to learn more about these automation opportunities with the electric grid should be at the AHR ASHRAE conference in New York this January 2008. John J. "Jack" Mc Gowan, CEM, Energy Control Inc.
FAVOURITE ARTICLE  How Do Smart Buildings Make A Building Green?  Smart buildings make green buildings greener, and green buildings make smart buildings smarter.  Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, Managing Principal, Smart Buildings
B2G Summit  January 21, 2008 – New York, NY  Anto Budiardjo, President, Clasma Events Inc.
Greenbuild is the Future  Enlightened builders and engineers must prove that energy savings are not just another green building tool, but the "big hammer," both economically and environmentally. Denis Du Bois, Editor, Energy Priorities Magazine
Go Big, or Go Home!  Using large format LCD’s allows the corporation to display entire building systems on one centralized monitor, and eliminates the need for multiple smaller monitors. Dan McCarty Quality Automation Graphics 
Sydney Opera House  Information Control for the Full Asset Lifecycle  Aconex Online Document Management
Are you ready for 3D?  When it comes to developing 3D graphics, most controls companies do not have the resources or software tools to design high level graphics.  Dan McCarty Quality Automation Graphics
Grid-Interop Rocks Industry Silos  Systems integrators, business managers, and policy-makers from electric, manufacturing, commercial building, and home automation industries discover common ground for advancing a smarter electricity system.  Steve Widergren, Administrator, GridWise Architecture Council
Wiring and Air Handling Under Raised Floors  A raised floor space is a plenum only if it was specifically fabricated to transport environmental air. Jim Landolina, Wiremold/Legrand
Integrating OPC into Building Automation  The Latest Trend  MatrikonOPC - White Paper
If These Walls Could Talk  Communicating Building Information Across the Enterprise with OPC and BACnet MatrikonOPC - White Paper
Control Panel Upgrade Provides Dramatic Improvement  Lighting Control Panel Upgrade Watt Stopper/LeGrand Case Study
What You Need to Know About GridWise  GridWise improves electric power grid coordination and the refrigeration industry will benefit from it.  Ken Sinclair, Editor Owner AutomatedBuildings.com
Last Building Automation Column  This Building Automation column has provided me with an industry soapbox to rant on, scolding and generally cajoling the industry while plagiarizing the content of the bevy of authors from our online magazine AutomatedBuildings.com. Ken Sinclair, Editor Owner AutomatedBuildings.com

Column - December 2007
Wiring For Combustion Air  Prove the presence of the combustion air source before allowing the boiler plant to operate  Steven R. Calabrese, Automated Logic Chicago

November 2007
Getting a Handle on Energy Usage  Successful energy retrofit programs take a comprehensive approach to building systems as well as operational and maintenance practices to improve energy efficiency, comfort and productivity. Spinwave Systems, Inc.
The role of video analytics in the automated buildings market  There are now systems on the market that offer a plug-and-play solution that the average automation contractor, designer and security installer can successfully deploy and that don’t cost a tremendous amount of money. Roni Kass, Founder and CEO, ioimage
Truth About Megapixel  This is the third in a series of three articles separating fact from fiction with regard to the fast-growing megapixel camera technology. - Megapixel Network Cameras, Can They Really Save Bandwidth and Storage?  Paul Bodell, Officer, Vice President Sales & Marketing, IQinVision
FAVOURITE ARTICLE Integrated Design Associates, Inc.   Design headquarters is among the first to achieve net-zero energy  Johnson Controls, Case Study
FAVOURITE ARTICLE Ferreira “31 Tannery Project”  First Net Zero Electric commercial building in the U.S. A Post Occupancy Review, Observations & Lessons Learned  Edward H. Brzezowski, P.E. – LEED AP,  Director of Engineering, Ferreira Group
Demand Response and the Path to a Sustainable Energy Future  How the future unfolds, and our ability to pass on a sustainable planet to future generations, is based in large part on our success with shifting to more sustainable energy practices today. Clement J. Palevich, Constellation Sustainable Energy Solutions
Two Critical Steps Toward Sustainability  (That we need to take now!)  Thomas Hartman, P E The Hartman Company
Standing Room Only at DR-Expo The requests from sponsors, speakers and attendees alike were for DR-Expo to be held at least twice a year in the U.S.  Anto Budiardjo, President, Clasma Events Inc.
Can You Hear Me Now?  Cell Coverage in Buildings  Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, Managing Principal, Smart Buildings
Found in Phoenix  The conference focused on opportunities created by connections between topics that used to seem totally disparate: The national electricity distribution infrastructure and my building’s bottom line? My BAS and environmental responsibility? Enterprise management and national security? Huh?  Robert Beverly, Editor, Engineered Systems.
Building the Intelligent Bridge to Sustainability  Intelligence-based solutions can be used to deliver buildings which meet the requirements of the 21st Century, while optimising their environmental performance. Alison Nicholl, Programme Manager ibexcellence, Business Analyst i&i limited
Energy & Power  We all have to be conscious of the fundamentals of energy and only we have the power to conserve.  Ron Bernstein, Executive Director, LonMark International
Harnessing the 4 Cs  Convergence, connectivity, controls and conservation can guide us towards a more profitable, vibrant industrial future.  It's time for new thinking on energy management. Ken Sinclair, Editor Owner AutomatedBuildings.com
Stumbling Towards Sustainability  It’s clear that in the last year our clients and society in general has moved much further in their expectations for sustainable buildings than our industry has moved in ability to effectively implement them. Ken Sinclair, Editor Owner AutomatedBuildings.com

Column - November 2007
Terms & Terminologies – Avoiding Confusion 
A closer look at some of the words and phrases that we sometimes take for granted  Steven R. Calabrese, Automated Logic Chicago

October 2007
FAVOURITE ARTICLE  The Killer App is Here  A killer app is defined as being a product or service that is so useful that people will buy particular piece(s) of computer hardware and/or an operating system simply to gain access to the application, one that is so valuable that it transcends any concerns, risks or need to learn something new.  Anto Budiardjo, President, Clasma Events Inc.
9 Tips  On How To Obtain The Best Value In System Cabling  Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, Managing Principal, Smart Buildings
Redefining Wireless for Building Systems  ......is it rather “no-new-wires”? The Viconics Sales Team
Turning The Vision of Buildings 2.0 Into Reality  The vision of the Buildings 2.0 white paper states, we "must define tangible tools for Buildings 2.0 to evolve" and it is with this in mind that he communicates this experience.  Bradley Hemphill Pr.Eng B.Sc.Eng, Electrical Engineering Solutions
Connecting ARCNETÒ to Ethernet Infrastructures - Case Study  Contemporary Controls’ AI-SRVR is the Solution for Distance Issues in Multi-Building Installations  Debra Biela, Marketing Communications Specialist, Contemporary Controls
Pressure Independent Valves  - Case Study  Pressure Independent Valves Make Cost Effective Alternative to Reverse Return System for US Census Bureau  Lisa Hickey, BELIMO Americas
Truth About Megapixel  This is the second in a series of three articles separating fact from fiction with regard to the fast-growing megapixel camera technology. - Megapixel Network Cameras, Can They Really Save Bandwidth and Storage?  Paul Bodell, Officer, Vice President Sales & Marketing, IQinVision
Johnson Controls Metasys Enhancement Prevents Building Disasters  Complete One Step Backup for a JCI Metasys Operator Workstation (OWS) and Network Control Module (NCM) using the new MetaBAK™ product insures reliability. David Hagemann, Custom Computer Systems
The Soft Side of Automation  Integrating Window Shades into Automation Systems  David Parrett, Electronic Solutions, Inc. a Hunter Douglas Company
Turning Buzz into Bucks  Now is the time to get involved; learn what the buzz is all about and better understand the opportunities being presented to you with demand response.  Ken Sinclair, Editor Owner AutomatedBuildings.com

Column - October 2007
Electric Duct Heaters – Application & Control 
Avoid application errors and controllability issues when designing EDH control systems  Steven R. Calabrese, Automated Logic Chicago

September 2007
An Open Letter to the Clinton Climate Initiative  It isn’t just a few who want this Initiative to succeed. All of society wants it to succeed and is watching us to see if we can work together well and hard enough to be certain it will!   Thomas Hartman, P E, The Hartman Company
Commissioning Forever   “The system of nature, of which man is a part, tends to be self-balancing, self-adjusting, self-cleansing. Not so with technology.” E.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful  Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, Managing Principal, Sinopoli and Associates
FAVOURITE ARTICLE Four steps to make money from DR  Understand - Internalize - Plan - Execute  Anto Budiardjo, President, Clasma Events Inc.
Energy… how do you turn Buzz into Business? The simple answer to that question is that automation is the “enabling technology” for demand response.  John J. "Jack" Mc Gowan, CEM, Energy Control Inc.
FAVOURITE ARTICLE Weather On Demand  A New Way for Building Automation to Leverage Real-time Weather Information  Roy Kok, VP Sales and Marketing, Kepware Technologies
Demand Response Case Study Trojan Battery invested over $500,000 for summer demand response and their utility reimbursed them. Now Trojan gets lower rates that are saving the company thousands on its electric bill every month. Denis DuBois, Editor, Energy Priorities
FAVOURITE ARTICLE Are you ready for changing 21st Century energy markets?  Energy resources will continue to become increasingly scarce, however, their scarcity and attendant price escalation drives technological improvements in building, operating and maintaining the facilities that use those resources. Peter M. Schwartz, Principal, Peter Schwartz & Associates, LLC
Why Building Automation Should Be More Like Football  Good players win games. Can your building “win” with the system that’s currently installed? If not, take advantage of every opportunity to upgrade outdated systems.  Tim Kensok, Director of Business Development, AirAdvice, Inc.
Designing a Daylight Harvesting System (Part 2 of 2)  It is a rule in lighting control that the higher the number of control zones in a space, the more flexibility and control accuracy will be gained, at the expense of cost and more sophisticated commissioning.  Craig DiLouie, Principal, ZING Communications, Inc. & Communications Director Lighting Controls Association
Truth About Megapixel This is the first in a series of three articles separating fact from fiction with regard to the fast-growing megapixel camera technology.  Paul Bodell, Officer, Vice President Sales & Marketing, IQinVision
FAVOURITE ARTICLE Parking Lot Gets Smart with ZigBee  The automation process requires placing ”smart” detection sensors next to the parking spaces throughout the parking lot.   Alex Leonov, Marketing Manager, MeshNetics
Delivering Sustainability   Sustainability is a complex issue and Intelligent Building technologies are a large part of the solution.  Paul Ehrlich PE, President, Building Intelligence Group LLC
Demand Response: Information Is Power  Patrick Mazza, Research Director, Climate Solutions
The "BUZZ" about ADR  So what’s all the BUZZ about Automated Demand Response (ADR)?  Ed Richards, President and CEO, Richards-Zeta Building Intelligence, Inc
Rapidly Changing Fundamentals of Demand Response  Today’s demand response products are more finely honed instruments that give decision makers the tools to design and implement a proactive energy strategy that helps manage risk every hour of the day. Peter Kelly-Detwiler, Senior Director of Energy Technology Services, Constellation NewEnergy
NewEnergy Alliance^SM   The Alliance will help empower and create immediate revenue opportunities for all who wish to directly participate in demand response with their products, services and technologies. Leighton Wolffe, Principal, Wolffe Technology Consultants
Multi-Site Demand Response Technology Moves Into the Retail Space  Using a multi-site demand response program to control utility costs will be particularly effective if the design of the buildings take into account the need to accommodate this strategy.  Bob Coppenhaver, Director Product Management and Marketing, Novar
Automated Demand Response and BACnet® Buildings that have BACnet-based building control systems are particularly well positioned to participate in DR programs. Jim Butler, CTO, Cimetrics Inc.
Next Generation Demand Response  the Readily Available Green Energy Solution  Steve Schaefer, Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing, EnergyConnect Inc.
Graphical User Interfaces  When web design and building automation graphical user interfaces converge…Alper Uzmezler, Systems Integrator, Building Automation Systems Services
Opportunity Overload?  “The opportunities surrounding Demand Response (DR) cannot be underestimated. These opportunities are available today for building system contractors, integrators and owners.”  Ken Sinclair, Editor Owner AutomatedBuildings.com

Column - September 2007
Pressure Transmitters – Selection & Placement
Understand the concepts behind sizing and locating static and differential pressure transmitters Steven R. Calabrese, Automated Logic Chicago

August 2007
Lighting Control  Integrate without the Risk of Failure Ron Poskevich, General Manager, Lumisys
Designing a Daylight Harvesting System:  Part One  Daylighting is the use of daylight as a primary source of general illumination in a space. Craig DiLouie, Principal, ZING Communications, Inc. & Communications Director Lighting Controls Association
DALI is Here & Here To Stay  DALI – (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface) has been around for several years. Phillip Hodge, Business Development Manager, Building Technology Integration Control & Engineering
FAVOURITE ARTICLE  Seven Habits of a Highly Profitable Controls Company  We have two basic choices in how we do things: be reactive to things that happen around us, or proactive to ensure things happen as we want them to.  Anto Budiardjo, President, Clasma Events Inc.
Bytes and Bricks: Leaving Data and Money on the Table  “Technological change is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal.” - Albert Einstein  Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, Managing Principal, Sinopoli and Associates
Our Industry's Violent DisAgreement  And How to Move Forward Toward a More Efficient Future Thomas Hartman, P E, The Hartman Company
GridWise The Right Place At An Exceptional Time  With GridWise, IT interoperability will lead to ap’s that start with DR as a basic curtailment (turning electric loads off) program, but then to expand a truly intelligent building functionality that reshapes the load curve by leveraging automation.  John J. "Jack" Mc Gowan, CEM, Energy Control Inc.
Buildings 2.0 Energy and the Grid  Buildings 2.0 is an initiative that cares for the scarce resources we have on planet Earth. Anto Budiardjo, President, Clasma Events Inc.
FAVOURITE ARTICLE  HVAC Control Systems Market   to Reach $12.7 Billion  Jared Malarsky, Research Analyst, ARC Advisory Group
Making Money with BAS Mash-ups  The term mash-up refers to a new breed of web-based applications. Ken Sinclair, Editor Owner AutomatedBuildings.com

Column - August 2007
Rooftop Unit Economizer – Operation & Control 
Perform the economizer functions of a packaged rooftop unit using digital control  Steven R. Calabrese, Automated Logic Chicago

July 2007
FAVOURITE ARTICLE  The Top 10 List For Successfully Integrating Building Systems  “I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. “ - Michael Jordan, Six NBA Championships, Five Times NBA MVP   Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, Managing Principal, Sinopoli and Associates
Sustainable Buildings  Are Industry Groups The Solution or the Problem? Thomas Hartman, P E, The Hartman Company
FAVOURITE ARTICLE  Wireless Control and Automation Made Practical -- Finally  While automobiles may get all the bad headlines, energy-guzzling buildings account for a whopping 39% of all energy consumption in the U.S., according to the Departments of Energy (DOE) and Transportation (DOT); far above the 27% used by transportation.  Mark Walters, Chairman, Z-Wave Alliance
DR-Expo™  Delivering Demand Response Information & Solutions Today!  Anto Budiardjo, President & CEO of Clasma Events Inc.
FAVOURITE ARTICLE  BAS Graphics - Past, Now, and Future  The BAS industry has changed rapidly in the last 5 years. The main improvements have been on connectivity between protocols and the information transfer to the internet Alper Uzmezler Systems Integrator Building Automation Systems Services
NRG Systems Energy Savings  The building is one of only a handful of manufacturing facilities to earn a LEED Gold certification. Joy Null, Director Of Public Relations, Watt Stopper/Legrand
Connectivity + Convergence + Confluence = Change  Connectivity concepts such as the smart grid, the greening of buildings with better connections to everything, coupled with connections to powerful web services plus the notion of Buildings 2.0 are all creating new directions and markets for our industry. Ken Sinclair, Editor Owner AutomatedBuildings.com

Column - July 2007
RTU Operation Via Conventional & Digital Controls  Control a packaged rooftop unit with a thermostat, or digitally via a building automation system  Steven R. Calabrese, Automated Logic Chicago

June 2007
Making Energy Efficiency Accountable  Right now there is no off-the-shelf delivery process in place to develop truly effective energy efficiency improvements with long term performance assurance. Thomas Hartman, P E, The Hartman Company
Smart Parking Garages?  “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us” Winston Churchill Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, Managing Principal, Sinopoli and Associates
“Confluence, Convergence, Confusion….Kaboom“  The need to create standards for delivering automated building systems information realtime to first responders en route to an incident.  Allan M. Olbur, Vice President, In-Store Merchandising Solutions, Inc.
FAVOURITE ARTICLE  Truly Brilliant Buildings  The primary principle is to ensure that you collect and store data once when it is generated and then re-use it throughout the lifecycle of the facility.  Deke Smith, AIA, Executive Director, buildingSMART^® Alliance National Institute of Building Sciences
Energy Efficiency in the Power Grid  The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that increasing energy efficiency could reduce national energy use by 10% or more in 2010, and as much as 20% in 2020, with net economic benefits for consumers and businesses as a result.  White Paper ABB Inc.
The Connectivity Daily  These contributions provided a balance of industry information that appealed to all conference attendees, whether their focus was BuilConn, M2M, GridWise Expo or the ZigBee Expo.  Frank Capuano, Strata Resource Inc
New Advances in Digital Display Technology  With all of the variation in system capabilities and in the potential for problems within the DDS marketplace, it’s not surprising to find some resistance to the installation of DDS from Building Managers. Wayne Moir, President, Adshift Inc.
Getting Grid Wise at GridWeek  A $900 billion market opportunity was identified for the industry to make the national grid smart and wise with interactive connectivity. Ken Sinclair, Editor Owner AutomatedBuildings.com

Column - June 2007

Interlocking of AHU Safety Devices  Design and fabricate a control panel specifically for the safety device interlocking. Steven R. Calabrese, Automated Logic Chicago

May 2007
The Consensus Conundrum  To be successful in your contribution to this industry at this critical time, more than anything else these good ideas you develop need an effective champion – you!  Thomas Hartman, P E, The Hartman Company
BAS University Establishes Industry Education Resource  From the interested novice to the hardened professional, BAS University offers information field professionals and engineers can rely on for reference on a daily basis. David G. Evans, Computrols
CMMS - Managing Facilities as a Business  If your job hasn’t changed in the last two years, be prepared to change or be replaced. It’s lead or get out of the way.  Harry Kohal, Director of Sales and Marketing, Eagle Technology, Inc.
FAVOURITE ARTICLE The Largest Enterprise Energy Management Deployment in North America  Once completed, Simon will have the ability to understand and manage thousands of control points from an energy potential perspective as well as integrate real time results of any point to match the business strategy of maximizing comfort and performance while minimizing energy costs.  Case Study   Brooke Richards, Richards-Zeta Building Intelligence, Inc.
Demand Response, an Urgent and Significant Opportunity  Demand Response (DR) is without doubt the golden opportunity for building systems integrators and contractors.  Anto Budiardjo, President & CEO, Clasma Events Inc.
Implementation Issues of Open Networks   One can specify and procure an open system, but the system needs to be properly installed, configured and documented to produce the “open” benefits.  Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, Managing Principal, Sinopoli and Associates
Integration of Dynamic Facades with other Building Systems  Recent studies have shown that appropriate fenestration/shading design and control, linked with simultaneous control of electric lighting and HVAC components, could significantly reduce peak cooling load and energy consumption for lighting and cooling, while maintaining good thermal and lighting indoor conditions.  Thanos Tzempelikos, M.A.Sc., Ph.D. Solar Buildings Research Network, Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University
BAS – What do customers want?  Customers for BAS… who they are? How can we determine customers basing on their interests in building automation systems?  Andrey Golovin, Executive Director, Russian BACnet Group
News Maker of the Year  Jack McGowan, CEM, President & CEO, Energy Control Inc, GridWise Architecutre Council Chairman  Ken Sinclair, AutomatedBuildings.com
Beyond BACnet  Grid integrators will work with BACnet data to make it a seamless part of their grid and or enterprise management products.  Ken Sinclair, AutomatedBuildings.com
Thinking Out Loud in an Industry of Change  We all need to think out loud to quickly guide our industry to the next level and set plans for the future.  Ken Sinclair, AutomatedBuildings.com

April 2007
Buildings 2.0  Buildings 2.0 is a vision that intricately intertwines buildings with Internet technologies. It is a vision that the future of buildings is one which is controlled, managed and connected to the Internet, in a way that goes far beyond simply placing a web server to the control system or in the use of IP.  Anto Budiardjo, President & CEO, Clasma Events Inc.
What does it Really Take to be an Intelligent Building?  To get our industry to meet its commitment to owners, occupants and the rapidly evolving energy and environmental performance expectations of our society, we need the connectivity we incorporate into intelligent buildings to add valuable function. Thomas Hartman, P E, The Hartman Company
Smart Building to Smart Grid Success Stories at GridWeek John J. "Jack" Mc Gowan, CEM, Energy Control Inc.
Capex Happiness: Squeezing the Redundancy Out of the Construction Budget  Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, Managing Principal, Sinopoli and Associates
Is purchasing costing you plenty?  The hidden overhead cost of the equipment ordering process Al De Wachter, President, ICS Inc
Thought and Reflections on the Status of our Industry  Several meetings held in the winter of 2006 and in conjunction with the AHR exposition provided some valuable and interesting insights into what our industry values and potentially some guidance or steps to follow to transform our industry. Thomas J. Lohner, P.E., Vice President, TENG Solutions
FAVOURITE ARTICLE Intelligent Buildings Roadmap  “The industry needs to get together to integrate or at least educate all of the people that are involved. The owner cannot integrate the industry, the architect cannot integrate the industry, the industry must integrate itself and take the lead…”  Paul Ehrlich PE, President, Building Intelligence Group LLC
Achieving Energy Savings with Building Automation Systems  Unfortunately, just installing a BAS is often not enough to guarantee energy savings, Kristin Kamm, Sr. Associate Research, E SOURCE
Using Your HVAC System to Improve IAQ  Recognizing the Importance of Controlling Key Airflow Rates David S. Dougan, President EBTRON, Inc.
The Next Generation in Thermal Analysis for Reliability, Constant Thermal Monitoring Bob Kern, Product Manager. Power Service Concepts ExerTherm

March 2007
Information Is Power  Delivering Systems and Equipment Awareness With 3D Digital Sensing  Harbor Research, Inc. White Paper
FAVOURITE ARTICLE Certification for Designers and Installers: The Industry’s Path Forward for Credibility Jim Sinopoli PE, RCDD, Managing Principal, Sinopoli and Associates
Automated Demand Response and America’s Energy Future  John J. "Jack" Mc Gowan, CEM, Energy Control Inc.
Streamlining your Controls Submittal Package How many times can you afford to do the job? Al De Wachter, President, ICS Inc
BACnet Releases Access Control Standards  ASHRAE BACnet Standing Standards Project Committee SSPC-135 formally approved for publication for public review a set of proposals which add Physical Access Control capability to the existing standards for Building Automation and Control. ASHRAE BACnet Standing Standards Project Committee SSPC-135
Broadcaster uses Digital Signage Technology  Televisa received the directive from Mexico’s Wal-Mart to place display screens throughout each of their 300 department stores, exposing the multimedia advertising to a monthly audience of 50 million people. David Wiseman, Senior Marketing Writer, Minicom Advanced Systems
AHR 2007 Addresses Issues with Building Automation Systems Jared Malarsky, Research Analyst, ARC Advisory Group
Boilers That Can Take the Pressure Thanks to Setra transducers. Setra Systems, Inc Case Study
The Automated Buildings Industry is ready, willing, and able to bring real GridWise solutions to GridWeek in Washington DC Ken Sinclair AutomatedBuildings.com
Get GridWise at GridWeek Washington DC - April 23-26, 2007 Ken Sinclair AutomatedBuildings.com