HVAC Control in the New Millennium.pdf - HVAC.Amickracing

HVAC Control in the New MillenniumA standard protocol for building control can have great benefits.Standard protocols for open systems allow interoperability of differentsystems. Some benefits of open protocols cannot be realized withoutindustry standard protocols.A standard protocol provides vendor independence since it allowsthe interoperability of different vendors’ systems and components.Interoperability allows competition which tends to regulate cost andprices. It is always best to make use of existing standards to the greatestextent possible. Most vendors and suppliers know that interoperabilitystandards are important.Integrating equipment and controls from different companies tocreate a reliable control system has been one of the toughest tasks inbuilding automation. Non-homogeneous systems increasingly need toshare information and it is important to interconnect more easily.HVAC controls are available for many open systems. The shiftfrom proprietary to open control systems is similar to the shift that occurredfrom proprietary mini-computers to generic, IBM-standard personalcomputers based on open specifications.In the computer industry before 1980, it was a vertical market sinceeach vendor provided all of the major components of the system. Oncea specific vendor was selected by the customer, service, future additionsand changes to the system were generally available only from that vendor.The customer was locked in.Today, computers are sold through the mail. The market is nolonger vertical. It is horizontal. Customers can mix and match if theydesire. They have choice and flexibility. The computer industry couldnot have shifted without a set of rules. Hewlett Packard laser printerscan communicate with Intel chips and are directed by Microsoft operatingsystems.The absence of a set of rules kept the market vertical. As the rulesevolved, a new organization took shape. This shift provided new rolesfor computer manufacturers. Some continued to build complete systemsand still do. Over time, others focused on what they did best. The industrywas essentially transformed, with a proliferation of new products.The building control industry is beginning to follow this pattern.Industry sectors like actuation are developing with companies such asBelimo and others specializing in this area. Performance contracting isanother growing specialty.An example of an open system occurs in computer-aided design©2001 by The Fairmont Press, Inc. All rights reserved.