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Home > Solutions > Energy Retrofit Programs
 Spinwave Systems provides cost effective, non-intrusive wireless solutions for successful energy retrofit projects:

  • Easy to install wireless sensors provide you with base-line information on how natural resources are used and on how comfortable your current indoor climate is

  • Sensor data lets you evaluate if and how established energy conservation procedures for heating/cooling/ventilation/lighting/water are being followed

  • Sensor data helps you assess the performance of your mechanical building equipment

  • You cannot optimize what you cannot measure. Deploy additional wireless sensors quickly with minimal installation costs to better and more efficiently control your building.

  • Continuously monitor the performance of your energy retrofit project to ensure the desired return on investment and keep you building at peak performance.

Overview

The thousands of commercial buildings in the U.S. present a tremendous opportunity for energy savings. Successful energy retrofit programs take a comprehensive approach to building systems plus operations and maintenance practices to improve energy efficiency, comfort and productivity.

A comprehensive energy program follows a proven step-by-step process and is based on accumulated building performance data.

Installed building automation systems often do not provide the required sensor points for a comprehensive energy and comfort audit and improved control. The installation of additional wired sensors to obtain the necessary information is usually cost prohibitive.

Wireless sensor networks offer a cost-effective, non-intrusive means of installing the required sensors and obtaining the necessary building performance data.

Solution

Spinwave’s wireless mesh sensor networks provide a non-intrusive, easy-to-install solution for performing a building energy and comfort audit. The low overall installed cost of a Spinwave wireless mesh sensor network makes it easy to justify the use of more data points in order to better understand and control energy consumption in buildings while maintaining best possible occupant comfort levels. Wireless sensor data, monitored and collected after an energy retrofit, ensures that expected results are met and that planned return on investment is achieved. As buildings drift to lower performance levels over time, continuous performance monitoring and tuning is required to protect your investment.

 

Example

 

Products

Wireless Sensors
Available in a variety of form factors (e.g. zone, outdoor, duct) and for measuring different environmental variables (e.g. temperature, humidity, electricity/gas/water, voltage.) Spinwave's wireless sensor data is used at the beginning of energy retrofit projects to conduct a non-intrusive energy and comfort audit. After potential energy retrofit targets have been identified wireless sensors can be easily integrated into existing building management systems to fine tune and maintain control strategies for peak performance.

Mesh Repeaters/Routers
Significantly extend the range and resilience of wireless sensor networks. Using repeaters, even sensors in remote locations can be wirelessly connected. Repeaters are also a good solution to establish wireless links through "tough" building materials like concrete.

Interface Options
Wireless access points for Modbus TCP, Modbus RTU, LON, BACnet IP, and BAcnet MS/TP make it easy to integrate with a variety of Control Systems:

  • Building Automation Systems (BAS)
  • Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC)
  • Distributed Control Systems (DDC)
  • Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Systems (SCADA)

The Direct I/O Interface is ideal for applications where the Control System does not provide open protocol connectivity. Meter pulses are wirelessly mapped to analog outputs. To make wireless meter readings available to a Control System, I/O Interface outputs are simply wired to controller inputs. In this case the controller would accumulate the meter pulses.

The ASCII Protocol Interface allows for easy serial protocol integration of utility meters with proprietary embedded devices and PCs. Utility data is provided via the interface’s RS-485 or USB port and easy to parse text messages.

Monitoring Software
Spinwave's Monitoring Software is a Windows software application with an easy-to-use graphical user interface. The product can be used as a simple remote monitoring solution if the wireless sensor network is not integrated with a control system (e.g. during an enery and comfort audit). The software receives wireless sensor readings through a USB interface from an wireless receiver, displays current sensor values and logs readings periodically to a file. The application notifies appropriate personnel through an email message as soon as sensor values exceed a pre-defined threshold. Historical and current sensor values can be automatically uploaded to a web server for centralized monitoring of remote locations. Log data can be easily imported into EXCEL to perform advanced data analysis and reporting.

Deployment Tool
The Site Survey Tool allows users to easily test the RF link quality and signal strength at desired meter locations prior to installation.
 

  
   
     
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