As a Mechanical Engineering major in college I was given a summer intern position in the HVAC/R department at Merck for their main research campus. A family friend, Doug Pluciennik, was a Director there and knew my interest and skills in robotics and computers. He recommended I apply and said “I know this is not exciting stuff but I think it is an excellent career choice–there will always be a need for air conditioning and the industry has learned how important DDC (Direct Digital Control) is to gaining efficiency.”
He was right about that, and based on all the accolades, positive reviews, and promotions I received over the next 9 years at Merck, I happily exceeded his expectations. With my combination of computer and mechanical skills I fell right in.
Merck, like many research facilities, has diverse facility needs ranging from simple office buildings to complex laboratories. Energy savings, occupant safety, product quality, and occupant comfort are critical and must all be achieved simultaneously.
The only way to achieve all these requirements is by using adaptive automation controls. These systems use sensors to detect conditions in the building and equipment and adjust valves, dampers, and motors to make immediate corrections to changing conditions caused by weather, occupants, and other systems in the buildings. The automation control systems also provide the alarm reporting, trending, and remote troubleshooting via operator interfaces–further reducing operation costs and improving up-time.
Any good mechanical contractor and design engineer knows the automation guy can save their butt when it comes time to commission a new system. While the CAD tools are amazing these days, it’s nearly impossible to design a perfect mechanical system. The control system compensates for any irregularities and variances in the environment and when designed with enough smarts, can control even the most complex mechanical systems for perfect results.
Nearly every function in modern cars have computer-controlled loops, from endpoint switches on the windows to braking and combustion controls. Even lighting dimmers have temperature control loops that reduce the power if they are overheating to avoid damage
So why hasn’t the residential HVAC market learned this?
Simple. Product manufacturers make money when they can produce an inexpensive product and sell lots of them at a high margin with little support costs.
Selling and implementing advanced control systems requires a significant amount of experience and skills that, as I’ve found through my own success in this industry, are very hard to find.
Compound the scarcity of talent and the relatively low ROI per project in common residential projects and you’ll have better luck finding an honest politician.
The good news is that these advanced automation systems can be deployed in any home with just a little extra effort and cooperative contractors. I say “cooperative contractors” because they have to resist the desire to push cheap, high-margin, one-size-fits-none solutions from the manufacturers into your home.
If you want long-term results, follow the Performance Contracting incentive model. This is where a portion of the vendor revenues are tied to the actual measured savings over time. This is now possible at the luxury residential level thanks to the low cost of monitoring systems and inexpensive internet access.
In summary, unless you live in an environment that is perfectly stable and consistent [dream on], correctly designed automation controls are the only way to achieve top efficiency and performance even with poorly designed or inefficient mechanical systems.
