H2O Degree's Enterprise-Wide Thermostat Control System Helps Affordable & Student Housing Property Owners Take Charge of Energy Costs
INTRODUCTION
Unlike most commercial and market-rate apartment owners who bill tenants for their energy use, the owners of affordable and student housing properties are typically responsible for all utility costs. As a result, affordable/student housing owners are motivated to improve energy efficiency since they reap the direct benefits of conservation.
This article describes the benefits of employing H2O Degree’s enterprise-wide thermostat control system compromising networked, programmable thermostats and wireless control devices. It shows how this system allows affordable and student housing property owners/managers to take control of their buildings’ heating and air conditioning by choosing temperature set-points, establishing time of day setbacks, viewing real-time temperature inside the units, and even programming alarms to alert them of energy-wasting issues.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY: EVERY DEGREE COUNTS
Energy conservation in multi-unit buildings can offset heating and cooling costs by 10-20% — so even a one-degree thermostat change can save approximately 2% on a building’s energy bill. By controlling heating and air conditioning throughout a multi-unit property, H2O Degree’s thermostat control system offers an effective solution for improved energy efficiency.
As depicted in the example diagram in Figure 1, the system utilizes a wireless network device (gateway) within the facility to transmit and gather data from each thermostat. The gateway connects to a cloud-based server that requires a unique username and password for users to access the cloud-based online portal and mobile app for monitoring and thermostat control features. The thermostat data is gathered and transmitted to a cloud-based server via a wireless gateway. The wireless network can provide two-way communication to collect the data and communicate to the individual thermostats throughout the property via H2O Degree’s wireless mesh architecture, which is well-suited for multi-housing facilities.
In an affordable/student housing scenario, the data in the cloud server is accessible by building management from any computer or mobile device. Within each apartment (and common spaces within the facility), control of the heat and air conditioning system is monitored and controlled using a wireless thermostat and, in some applications, accessory devices, as described below.
THERMOSTAT CONTROL
H2O Degree’s T-1000 Smart Thermostat (Figure 2) enables owners to program and control heating and air conditioning systems in multi-tenant buildings either on-site or remotely. The T-1000 collects a wide range of HVAC data by communicating wirelessly over H2O Degree’s secure 2.4 GHz network (described above) for remote visualization and local control of conventional heating/cooling (forced air), heat pumps and hydronic heating. A direct replacement for many 24 VAC thermostats, the T-1000 is compact (4.5” x 4.5” x 1” D), simple to install and easy to program.
Utilizing a user-friendly dashboard (Figure 3), owners and property managers can view temperature readings from thermostats installed throughout the building and adjust them either individually or all at once.
Through the H2O Degree web portal, for example, they can control temperature set-points, establish time-of-day setbacks, view the temperature inside the units, and alert them of potential maintenance issues. Owners can better manage their utility costs in occupied spaces as well as establish a program to reduce vacant utility costs.
In addition to control capabilities, a key benefit for property managers is the T-1000’s ability to detect temperature anomalies and alert them to the improper use of space heaters, open doors/windows or other safety issues. For example, the inside heating for an apartment unit can be set at a high of 73 degrees for cold days. If the T-1000 senses that the indoor air temperature is 80 degrees, and the outdoor temperature feed shows winter conditions such as 30 degrees, the thermostat can be programmed to send an alert to the property manager to investigate the unusually high heat and address the issue.
Another helpful function mode is the T-1000 “vacant” setting. Maintenance personnel often need to adjust the cooling or heating while working in unoccupied apartments. Upon leaving, they might forget to turn off the air conditioning, for example. In this case, the T-1000 — which the owner/manager has previously put in “vacant” mode — will automatically default back to the energy-conserving set-point. In student housing applications, facility management leverages this feature to assign settings for winter, spring and summer break modes to reduce energy usage when students are off-campus.
The T-1000 Smart Thermostat’s temperature data can also be used to provide owners/managers with a maintenance reporting package based on temperature settings versus actual temperature. This reporting data lets them diagnose any HVAC equipment failures and track heating and cooling in each apartment, which, in turn, helps them quickly identify issues that drive up energy costs.
The T-1000 Smart Thermostat benefits building owners and managers by giving them the ability to:
1. View and control thermostats individually, or in groups, using the following features:
- Temperature Set-Points
- Thermostat-Set-Backs
- Demand Response
- Vacant Mode
2. Diagnose the functionality of heating and cooling equipment.
3. Track heating and cooling energy in every apartment.
4. Identify issues that drive up HVAC costs.
Figure 3. Online dashboard allows owners/property managers to control wireless thermostats installed throughout the building. Tenants can manage temperatures within their specific unit based on set-point temperature ranges specified by property management.
WIRELESS SYSTEM COMPONENTS-BASEBOARD ELECTRIC/HYDRONIC HEATING
In many situations, the wireless thermostat is the only hardware required within the building to control heating. However, in installations employing baseboard electric or hydronic heating, a relay module provides an effective labor-reducing solution. The H2O Degree W54455-MIN is a relay module with integrated relay and current detector packaged in an industry-standard enclosure. This wireless network line-powered node is capable of monitoring a load current up to 15A.
Figure 4. Typical connection of the W54455-MIN relay module operating a baseboard heater.
A typical connection for the W54455-MIN relay module is shown in Figure 4. The module is available in either 120 VAC or 208-240 VAC configurations and features three small LEDs that help verify device status: Power, Link and Relay Status.
REMOTE VIEWING & CONTROL
H2O Degree’s enterprise-wide thermostat control system offers building management simple and convenient dashboard displays to access real-time data downloaded from the H2O Degree cloud-based server.
The graph in Figure 8 shows air conditioner usage from early summer to early fall. The display also shows the actual usage on a day-by-day basis for the prior seven days. (In commercial and market-rate billing structure scenarios, the information can be made available for tenant review.)
CONCLUSION
H2O Degree is a well-known, leading provider of wireless utility submetering solutions. With over 230,000 metering points installed throughout the country in multi-unit buildings and complexes, its enterprise-wide thermostat control system — including programmable thermostats, wireless components and remote display capabilities — allows building owners to take charge of common energy-wasting issues like air conditioning being left “on” in unoccupied units. The wireless control system is especially helpful in affordable and student housing property applications where property owners are responsible for their buildings’ energy utility costs.