March 12th, 2010
I use many different lighting control systems depending on the needs of the client, their budget, and various technical reasons.
A few years ago we did our first California Title 24 lighting system and the lighting control system had some problems with a specific compact fluorescent bulb when more than 5 were on a single load channel.
Like several similar loads, they were not dimmable, which gave me the idea for having a high channel count relay module. This would allow “scenes” by turning on and off sets of lights as part of the normal dimmable loads.
Point is, light bulbs are changing. Most current dimmers will not work with the new LED bulbs because the wattage is so low it’s below the bottom of their range.
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Posted in Lighting & Lighting Controls | No Comments »
March 11th, 2010
Performance contracting is the practice of selling and installing a system for a client, then receiving a percentage of the savings as revenue over the life of the system.
The PC firms I’ve worked with typically consist of 50% lawyers, 25% Venture Capital providers, and 25% engineers. An indication of how complex the business can be.
Most of the complexity comes from the fact that the property owner has direct control over their use of the system which makes it complicated to measure “savings” from the baseline.
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Posted in Business, Energy & Demand Management, Project Management | No Comments »
March 11th, 2010
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.
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