Internet of things (IoT) and power over ethernet (PoE) devices and systems have captured the imagination of many in the design and construction industries. This technology holds the potential for improved building operations and performance, lower utility costs, and movement towards reliability centered maintenance (RCM) through the capture and analysis of data from these devices. While some first movers have implemented IoT and PoE systems, their broader adoption has been limited due to first cost constraints.
First costs in building infrastructure systems
First costs are always a concern in construction and provide a continual barrier to implementation of new technologies. For building infrastructure systems, there are two related primary barriers to implementation of IoT and PoE devices and systems.
First, design of lighting, HVAC, water heating, security, fire/life safety, audio/visual systems and controls, information/business networks, and telecom systems are handled in their respective silos.
Second, power for each of these systems and their associated components is delivered via the traditional means of alternating current (AC), which precludes running power and telecommunications/network wiring through the same buss or common pathway. Today, power is isolated from other wiring systems in the building, as required by the National Electrical Code (NEC) for safety reasons.
How Digital Electricity™(DE) works
With DE, a technology patented by Voltserver, we can reduce the costs to deliver power to PoE, IoT, and network devices. DE allows power to be transmitted as data packets, on small gauge, twisted pair wiring, which significantly simplifies and lowers the first cost of installation for the aforementioned systems. We can now create a power and communications backbone to which all of these systems can be connected, allowing us to realize the benefits of big data in the built environment.
A real-world intelligent hotel project
A developer implemented this communications backbone at the Sinclair Marriott, in Fort Worth, Tx, in partnership with Voltserver, Somfy, and other manufacturers of IoT and PoE devices and systems to create an intelligent hotel.
Here’s what they were able to achieve:
- Twenty-five percent lower first costs
- Lower utility costs
- Enhanced guest room automation
- More data to improve operations and increase property managements capabilities
- Greater degree of sustainability
Lower electric infrastructure cost and optimized building performance
DE is a break-through technology that allows us to reduce first costs while enabling the promise of IoT and PoE devices and systems that provides owners and facilities managers with all of the benefits that come from big data for their buildings – lower utility and operating expenses with optimized performance.
