Smart Building Management Systems in South Florida

The benefits of installing smart building management systems in South Florida

For commercial building owners in South Florida, smart building management systems have become an absolute necessity. Smart, or intelligent building management systems as they are commonly known, provide many benefits that South Florida commercial building owners need in order to manage their buildings effectively.  They integrate the various control systems so they work together efficiently, they make sure the building environment is comfortable, and they help to keep the premises and tenants secure. Perhaps most importantly, smart building management systems in South Florida provide an additional benefit: they keep energy costs under control, even in the excessively hot and muggy conditions that exist in this region. All these benefits make intelligent building management systems the one thing that every commercial building owner in South Florida needs to incorporate.

What is an intelligent building management system?

An intelligent building management system is the control system that integrates all the electrical, mechanical, and security systems in a facility into an enhanced IT infrastructure.  Networking these control systems allows intelligent building management systems to leverage the shared information to make sure the building operates as efficiently as possible.

Why are intelligent building management systems so important in South Florida?

Temperatures in South Florida average higher than 90 degrees for the summer months, according to the latest U.S. Climate data. As the effects of climate change continue to grow, these temperatures are only going to get higher. Energy costs are already the largest single operating expense of commercial buildings. Making sure their facilities are as energy efficient as possible is the best way for South Florida building owners to keep energy costs under control.

How can intelligent building management systems lower energy costs?

In an average commercial building, as much as 30% to 40% of the facility is unoccupied at any given time. The lighting, HVAC, and cooling systems in the building remain on when occupants leave, wasting energy and driving up operating costs. Smart building management systems use motion sensors, access card readers, and passive RFID scanners to detect when tenants exit from any section of the building. Automated energy conservation features turn off the lights and cooling systems in the unoccupied areas.  By eliminating unnecessary energy use and making all the systems in the building work together as effectively as possible, intelligent building management systems can lower energy costs by as much as 30 percent.

How do intelligent building management systems create a comfortable environment?

To insure tenants have a comfortable working environment even in changeable humidity and heat conditions, South Florida smart building management systems automatically adjust ventilation and cooling output to maintain precise temperature set points. Tenants who work erratic hours or at unscheduled times can adjust HVAC settings through their tablet or smartphone so the building is at the desired temperature by the time they arrive.

What are other benefits of South Florida smart building management systems?

Security issues are a growing concern for commercial building owners in South Florida and across the country. Intelligent building management systems use the latest digital video recorders and Bluetooth cameras to provide an encompassing surveillance system. Building owners can monitor any area in their facility directly through their smartphone, tablet, or laptop.

Advanced Control Corporation has been an industry leader in providing smart building management systems in South Florida since 1987. Whether you are building a new structure or performing a retrofit on an existing building, Advanced Control Corporation will incorporate the latest intelligent building technology to design a building automation solution that exceeds your expectations.

Contact Advanced Control at 954-491-6660 to discover more ways our smart building management systems can improve building energy management in South Florida facilities!

Building Analytics for Hospitals

How building analytics for hospitals can improve operation spending and efficiency

Did you know that the latest building analytics for hospitals can vastly improve facilities’ efficiency so they realize significant energy and operational savings?  Modern hospitals rely on building automation systems to oversee operations and make sure all systems in the facility operate correctly.  These systems enable hospitals to function well on a day-to-day basis, but behind the scenes, inefficiencies and unseen maintenance issues begin accumulating. Over time, these inefficiencies can negatively affect the performance of health facilities, potentially costing them thousands of dollars in wasted energy. The latest cloud-based building analytics software accumulates data on systems’ performance, converting the information into actionable intelligence that hospitals can use to identify and correct maintenance issues, improving efficiency and lowering energy and operational costs.

Advanced Control Corporation provides hospitals with building analytics as an advanced lifecycle managed service, integrated at the cloud and web levels. Our proprietary software system, VAO, uses automated system based diagnostics to identify hidden inefficiencies and system degradations. Once it finds any problems, the system makes recommendations on how to mitigate these problems and optimize operational performance.

 Take advantage of your hospital’s data

Advanced Control’s building analytics software captures data points from all the control systems connected through the hospital’s building automation system. This includes air handling units, central plant pumps, towers, chillers, valves, and the zone and terminal units that control flow, temperature, and humidity. Every few minutes the information is sent to our cloud-based storage system, which features cross-platform data integration that tracks performance over time.

Find inefficiencies and hidden costs

The cloud-based system continuously monitors and diagnoses the hospital building’s performance,  using artificial intelligence to process the building data.  Analysis provides real-time comparison to the previous year’s energy consumption, analyzing the sequence of operation improvements and system trends, identifying discrepancies.

Identify improvements

Once the data reaches Advanced Control’s cloud-based system, our advanced analytics engine uses artificial intelligence to process the building data, continuously monitoring and diagnosing your facility’s performance. The AI analyzes the sequence of operation improvements, identifing any equipment and system faults, system trends, and energy usage. Our system instantly sends you an alarm if any immediate concerns are noted, so you can organize internal and contract resources to perform any needed repairs.

Optimize operational performance

Our VAO cloud-based building analytics software uses automated fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) and other diagnostic measures to produce ranked recommendations. Building managers can access daily reports of automated diagnostics that contain key performance data on the facility, pinpointing any irregularities and indicating out-of-range building consumption. Avoidable costs are identified, along with impacts on building comfort. Advanced Control’s expert analytics team reviews the prioritized findings and makes recommendations specific to your hospital’s requirements and operational needs.

Reduce energy expenditures

The prioritized recommendations give you an increased awareness of factors that may affect the performance of your hospital facility. The actionable intelligence provides advanced notice of needed repairs, so you can perform HVAC retrofits and other system enhancements to uncover hidden savings. You have the knowledge you need to make informed building decisions and proactively manage your hospital’s operations more efficiently.

If you are ready to start enjoying an increased level of building efficiency at your hospital, Advanced Control Corporation is here to help. Our building analytics service can improve operations at your facility whether you need building analytics for hospitals or building analytics for business. Advanced Control provides cost-effective building automation and control solutions for major commercial, institutional, and industrial clients across Florida.

Contact Advanced Control at 954-491-6660 to discover how building analytics for hospitals can improve operations at your facility today!

Energy Saving Tips for Businesses

4 tips that will help your business save energy

Are you looking for ways to save energy at your business? It seems that business owners everywhere are searching for ways to make their companies more energy efficient. Rising energy costs and the need to reduce our carbon footprint have business owners searching for ways to reduce the amount of energy they use. Since nearly 29 percent of the operating expenses of an average commercial building are spent on utilities, the drive to become more energy efficient is not surprising. Fortunately, we have some effective energy saving tips for businesses that can help you lower your energy usage by as much as 30 percent.

Energy Saving Tip #1: Install a building energy management system

According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, cooling, lighting, and ventilation account for 62 percent of electricity use in commercial buildings. As much as 30 percent of that energy use is wasted providing environmental controls in areas that are unoccupied. Business owners can eliminate this energy waste by installing building energy management systems that use building automation systems (BAS) to integrate all the electrical and mechanical systems in the building. Once the various control systems in the building are integrated, the systems work more efficiently, eliminating unnecessary energy use. Building automation can also adjust environmental controls automatically, improving the energy efficiency of the facility.

Energy Saving Tip #2: Employ lighting controls

Lighting control can reduce the amount of energy used by businesses by as much as 25%. Time and zone controls can shut lights off according to a set schedule, so your business does not have to rely on employees to remember to switch off lights when they leave for the day.

A building automation can also provide advanced lighting control using occupancy sensors. When RFID scanners, motion detectors, elevator access controls, and other occupancy sensors are placed throughout your business, the building automation system registers when occupants exit the area. Once a section of your facility is unoccupied, the building automation system automatically adjusts the environmental controls in that area, turning off lights to reduce energy usage.

Energy Saving Tip #3: Use temperature controls

Using the scheduling features of building automation systems, building owners can lower the amount of energy their HVAC system uses by programming the equipment to turn on and off at set times during the day or week. Occupancy sensors can refine temperature control further, making it more effective and responsive.

Energy Saving Tip #4: Monitor Power Usage and Utilities

The sophisticated building automation software used by Advanced Control’s building energy management systems can help businesses rein in out of control energy usage by ensuring the building operates at peak efficiency.  Our systems employ the latest utility monitoring dashboards and advanced energy management software to track and optimize energy use. Sub-metering capabilities can help buildings with more than one tenant track and monitor energy usage on an individual level.

If you are ready to start saving energy at your building, the knowledgeable technicians at Advanced Control Corporation can  customize an energy management solution that incorporates temperature control, lighting control, and power monitoring to reduce your energy usage and start you on the path to higher building energy efficiency. Contact Advanced at 954-491-6660 to discover all the benefits our intelligent building systems have to offer!

Commercial Lighting Control Systems

The benefits of commercial lighting control systems

Commercial lighting control systems can significantly lower operating costs for building owners, improve the building’s working environment, and enhance the security of the facility and tenants. Commercial lighting control systems are rapidly evolving, gaining capabilities that can greatly benefit building owners. Automated home lighting systems are one of the most popular home purchases this year, eagerly sought by homeowners who want to lower costs and make their homes more efficient. Commercial lighting control systems are available that are far more advanced than these home systems. Using a sophisticated network of sensors, occupancy controls, and automated systems, these modern lighting control systems can greatly enhance the energy efficiency and security of facilities of all sizes.

Energy efficiency and commercial lighting control systems

Lighting accounts for almost half of the energy used in commercial buildings, a whopping 40 percent, according to the US Energy Department. An estimated 30 percent of that energy is wasted on lighting areas that are unoccupied. Commercial lighting control systems can help reduce the amount of energy wasted on unnecessary lighting usage, greatly improving the energy efficiency of buildings.

The most advanced commercial lighting control systems work as part of a comprehensive building automation system. The lighting control system relies on motion sensors, RFID scanners, and other occupancy sensors that are installed throughout the facility to keep track of whether an area is in use at any given time.  Once the sensors verify that an area is unoccupied, time and zone controls are used to turn off the lights in the areas of your building that are empty, eliminating a major source of wasted energy.

Security and commercial lighting control systems

Stand-alone lighting control systems can provide affordable loss prevention protection for remote facilities. Light sensors can turn on lights when areas become dim, so doorways, windows, and other areas of vulnerability are illuminated. Motion sensors that use smart technology can detect when objects or individuals enter an area, and turn on lights and/or alarms to chase off intruders. Sensitivity controls can be adjusted as needed.

Advances in commercial lighting control systems

The latest commercial lighting systems can all be controlled remotely over the Internet.  Building owners can use smartphones, tablets, or laptops to take remote command of their lighting controls, adjusting occupancy, scheduling, dimming, and other controls at any time, from any location that has Internet access. Commercial buildings that have multiple tenants can include tenant override technology in their lighting control systems that allow tenants to use their smartphones to override the lighting, HVAC, and temperature controls that have been set. This is particularly useful with tenants who keep atypical business hours, so they can arrive at a building that is well-lit and comfortable no matter what schedule they keep.

The latest commercial lighting control systems include innovations like optional Fast Ethernet-based control that harnesses the openness of a building’s existing Ethernet backbone, sharing data between controllers at blindingly fast speeds. Enhanced options are available for larger industrial and commercial facilities, including ready access to panel status and configuration screens via an integral web server, alarm notification services, and more.

Commercial lighting control system installation

As the leader in South Florida lighting control system companies, Advanced Control Corporation has reduced the operating costs of thousands of facilities of all sizes, from small, single building systems to networked facilities in multiple locations. Call Advanced at 954-491-6660 so our knowledgeable technicians can install a commercial lighting control system that will start you on the path to lower energy bills and higher efficiency today!

Energy Efficient Building

What makes a energy efficient building?

Nearly every commercial building owner claims his or her building uses energy efficiently, which leads to the question: what does it really mean to have an energy efficient building? At the simplest level, an energy efficient building is one that eliminates energy waste and uses resources in a sustainable manner.

Facilities that are designed specifically so that every component is sustainable and maximizes energy usage fit the ideal energy efficient building definition, but even owners of older buildings can improve the way their structures use energy.  By retrofitting their facilities to meet green building principles, building owners can cause their facilities to use energy more effectively, decreasing their consumption of fossil fuels and reducing their environmental impact, while creating indoor environments that are more responsive, comfortable, and secure.

Why is having an energy efficient building important?

Now that we’re seeing the effects of climate change almost every night on the news, energy efficiency is taking center stage in most discussions about commercial buildings. Commercial buildings account for approximately 20 percent of the energy used in the United States. Most of this energy is produced by burning fossil fuels, which releases greenhouse gas emissions, pollutes our planet, and contributes to climate change. Experts estimate that as much as 30 percent of the energy used in commercial buildings is consumed unnecessarily. Tenants and corporate clients understand the need to preserve natural resources and minimize our carbon footprint, and they are looking to do business with companies that share their concerns.

How to create an energy efficient building

Designing a commercial building according to green building principles, where the site, materials, and all components are sustainable is the best way to create an energy efficient building. If you have an existing structure, there are certain steps you can take to retrofit your existing structures to help them use energy more efficiently. These measures enable owners of existing to enjoy the benefits of green building principles, creating facilities that are more sustainable, less expensive to operate, and have increased appeal for current and prospective tenants. 

• Install an energy management solution To operate as efficiently as possible, commercial buildings need to have an energy management solution in place. Advanced Control Corporation can install an energy solution that includes a powerful building automation system that will use occupancy sensors, scheduling, and automation to adjust environmental conditions according to occupancy. Since 30 to 40 percent of the average commercial building is unoccupied at any given time, having an energy management solution turn off lights, heating/ HVAC, and other energy use in unused sectors can improve the energy efficiency of your commercial buildings by as much as 30 percent.
• Engage utility monitoring to optimize and track energy usage Utility and power monitoring can rein in out of control utilities and ensure your building operates as efficiently as possible. The knowledgeable support staff at Advanced Control Corporation can show your personnel how to use the latest utility monitoring dashboards and advanced energy management software to track and optimize energy use. If you have multiple tenants in your building, sub-metering can help you track and measure each tenant’s individual energy consumption.

If you are interested in enjoying the benefits of an energy efficient building, Advanced Control Corporation can help. Whether you are designing a new facility or renovating an existing structure, our knowledgeable experts can design the ideal energy management solution to maximize your building’s energy efficiency and minimize your carbon footprint. Contact Advanced Control at 954-491-6660 to get started on the path to greater energy efficiency today!

Office Building Security Systems

Maintain a secure building environment for your tenants with our office building security systems

The security challenges that office buildings present have become increasingly complex in recent years. In order to provide a secure office environment for tenants, building owners must concern themselves with information security as well as physical security. Modern office buildings rely on computerized building automation systems that control virtually all the critical systems within the facility.The increased use of open protocols has made building automation systems easier to manage and integrate, but it has also rendered building computer networks more vulnerable to hackers and outside threats. In order to protect the people, equipment, and data on their premises, building owners need to incorporate the latest surveillance, access control, and intrusion detection technologies into their building automation systems. By addressing all the possible areas of security vulnerability, owners can create comprehensive office building security systems that blanket their facilities in protection.

Advance Control Corporation specializes in creating sophisticated, scalable commercial building security systems that move beyond basic security technology. We understand that the “one size fits all” mentality falls short when it comes to office building security, because the needs of different industries vary so widely. Our security experts can help you select the specific protection components you need to meet your needs, creating a customized security automation solution that you can monitor in real time on the premises or access remotely from anywhere that has internet connectivity. The security automation solution you choose for your office building can contain any or all of the following security system components:

Access Control

Access control is a critical security component, whether you have tenants from multiple companies sharing space in your office building or a single business inhabiting your entire facility. Building access control software works with card readers, RFID scanners, and other occupancy controls such as biometric scans to restrict access to resources and specified areas in your building to approved personnel. This security measure can protect your tenants’ property and data and reduce instances of employee theft.

Elevator Access Control In multi-tenant office buildings, controlling access to individual floors can eliminate critical areas of vulnerability. Incorporating elevator access control into your security automation solution in your commercial building can help protect your tenants’ privacy, reduce instances of undesirable traffic, and eliminate building damage from vandalism.

CCTV Surveillance

CCTV and digital video surveillance solutions allow you to monitor all areas of your commercial building so you can address security problems as soon they begin to develop. Using a combination of CCTV camera types, including fixed, pan/tilt/zoom, and thermal imaging cameras in conjunction with CCTV digital video recording technology, you can provide security for your entire facility without having to hire guards to maintain a physical presence. Video analytics can be used to heighten surveillance protection in security sensitive areas. 

By implementing a comprehensive office building security system that incorporates access control, digital video surveillance, and the latest intrusion detection technology, Advanced Control Corporation can help commercial building owners protect the physical, logical, and digital resources in their facilities.

Since 1987, the security experts at Advanced Control Corporation have helped thousands of local building owners protect their facilities with customized security automation solutions. Contact Advanced Control at 954-491-6660 to discover the peace of mind that comes from having one of our comprehensive office building security systems protecting your premises and tenants from harm!

Miami Air Quality Management

Monitor and keep air quality control at optimal levels with Miami air quality management

As a business owner or manager you know the importance of streamlining your business management operation to control and monitor every aspect of your building’s systems. Air quality control and management has become a primary concern in the operation of office buildings and their outside areas. To best serve your tenants, employees, and other building occupants with comfortable and safe air quality, an effective air quality management system must be installed.

An effective air quality system will protect all building occupants from:

1. Dust
2. Pollutants and toxins
3. Mold spores
4. Offensive odors
5. CO2 levels

Authorized personnel will be able to manage and control air ventilation, circulation, humidity, cooling and heating at comfortable and healthy levels. Your building’s occupants receive the benefit of working in a healthy environment when pollutants and mold spores are deterred from entering the workplace. Air comfort levels can be controlled and monitored along with humidity. Workers feel comfortable and refreshed, and have fewer sick days that result in a loss of productivity. CO2 levels can be controlled through a demand control ventilation system, along with heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC).

Advanced Control Corporation has helped many Miami businesses install and update their air quality management system. We are experts at determining what your system requires and where it is most needed. Your system utilizes sensors to modulate fresh outdoor air intake through your ventilation system to ensure that stale air, odors and CO2 levels remain safe. Air quality control systems can be monitored and timed to a specific schedule that regulates operations during the weekend, holidays, nighttime and Daylight Savings time, whatever you prefer. You have complete control over the operations of the system. If your building currently houses a building automation system, a new air quality control system can be integrated into it. This leaves all monitoring, data collection and operations at one command center location, and you can also operate the system from a phone app or online at another location.

CO and NO2 gases can also be monitored and controlled in parking garages, loading docks or wherever it is deemed necessary. Indoor control of CO2, through your HVAC system, has been shown to reduce energy consumption resulting in lower energy costs. Indoor air quality will be affected and regulated based upon the building’s occupant population. CO2 production varies depending on how much a person’s respiration produces, which is based upon their diet and health. Longer duration time and high levels of activity per person within your building will produce more CO2 emissions. Ventilation control system sensors can determine the level of CO2 gases and allow for a re-flow air intake response to occur when levels get too high. Your building will never contain too much CO2 emissions, providing all occupants with safe, healthy indoor air quality.

Air quality planning is an important step in regulating a healthy indoor environment. Air pollution comes from a variety of sources that include:

1. People
2. Transportation emissions
3. Chemicals and other pollutants
4. Industry emissions
5. Fossil fuel energy consumption
6. Airports and harbor activities
7. Particulates and ozone
8. Fires and smoke

Air quality management is a precaution that prevents serious injury from pollution. The air we breathe affects our health and our life. Pollutants can adversely affect our throat, lungs and heart. Health problems increase when air pollution increases, as shown by doctor’s visits, minor illnesses, hospital admissions, disease and death.

Your company’s indoor air quality management system is an important component of your business operation. Advanced Control Corporation can establish a system that will best serve your building’s needs. We offer some of the most advanced technologies in air quality systems throughout Florida, and it would be our pleasure to help you install the most efficient, cost-effective system in your building. To learn more about air quality control and monitoring, contact Advanced Control Corporation today at 954-491-6660.

South Florida Intelligent Building Trends of 2016

Take a look back at South Florida Intelligent Building Trends of 2016

South Florida has had an active year in the Intelligent Building sector of industry. New trends and innovations in the field saw a growing interest in 2016. Intelligent building design’s purpose is to create more efficient, energy saving, cost-effective structures that benefit both their company and the surrounding environment. Going “green” has been one of the popular trends that have taken hold in many communities across South Florida. It isn’t about building bigger or taller, it’s about building smarter.

There is a growing trend for building integrated automation systems within structures that helps you monitor and control every aspect of your systems operations. You will be able to maximize efficiency, productivity and performance while reducing waste and excess energy usage. An integrated automation system helps you maintain the integrity of each component of operation, enabling you to regulate every sub-system to operate at its peak performance level. Your system will monitor and control many areas of your operation including:

• Air quality control and monitoring
• Utility monitoring
• Security monitoring

The benefits of intelligent building will have a positive impact on the land, coast, air, and water of South Florida improving the environment for healthier living. An air quality control system in your building allows you to direct all operations that involve safer indoor air quality inside your building, and also outdoor areas. Some of the considerations that your system will manage are:

• Air ventilation and circulation
• Dust and other pollutants
• Mold spores
• CO2 emissions
• Heating, cooling and humidity

Great advances have been made in utility monitoring systems for retail and commercial buildings. Advanced Control Corporation can help you build an intelligent building management system that will enable you to monitor and control energy consumption within your budget. Your utility monitoring system will monitor energy usage and identify problems, enabling your to correct inefficiencies where needed. New innovative technology allows you to collect data from real time as it is being retrieved through sub-metering dashboards within the system.

Energy conservation is a growing global concern that has been integrated into intelligent building design trends. By implementing an energy conservation project into your intelligent building design, you will be able to maximize energy usage while lowering energy costs. Energy conservation systems can be customized to meet your business needs and are also flexible enough to adapt and change to meet new criteria or adapt to new technological advances. Your system will be able to adapt to future unexpected challenges in energy conservation.

Other new and exciting trends that entered the intelligent building market in 2016 include:

• Energy-asset buildings through the energy cloud
• Building adaptation to climate change policy
• Optimized HVAC
• On-site energy resources
• Data-driven energy management
• Lighting re-invention
• Hardware and software analytics for buildings
• Grid-integrated buildings
• Intelligent building water management systems
• Developing smart cities with intelligent buildings
• Outsourced energy management
• Cyber security innovation

Newer developments are changing intelligent building systems into optimal performance, conservation intended, and cost effective dynamic centers of operation. Technological advances are being made in data-acquisition devices and IT and traditional building automation systems that will create a new, improved menu of business operations. Cloud computing will expand in intelligent building trends because they are secure, scalable and open platforms that are sustainable to current operations and continuing trends.

South Florida’s intelligent building trends reflect vast and wide open room to improve every area of building operations and energy conservation. Trends cover much more ground than what has been discussed here and continue to grow as research and development continues. City and State policies are changing with a demand for more intelligent building solutions to conserve energy and the environment. Advanced Control Corporation is an industry leader in South Florida helping hundreds of companies adapt to the intelligent building market. If you are one of those companies that need to upgrade your systems to an energy efficient, cost-effective intelligent operation, we are the company that can implement the necessary changes.

You can start moving your business into future by following intelligent building trends by contacting Advanced Control Corporation today at 954-491-6660.