building controls
Building controls are controls that are used in buildings to manage its heating, ventilation and lighting. A well-designed system of controls will ensure that building services are used efficiently without compromising the internal environment for staff and customers. It is estimated that 90% of all building control systems are inadequate, costing industry and commerce over £500 million a year in additional energy costs.
There are three main categories of building controls. These are:
- Time controls
- Occupancy controls
- Condition controls
Time controls ensure services are only operated when required. Examples include controls that ensure that heating is switched on and off automatically to match a buildings occupancy levels. Optimum time controls are a more sophisticated heating time switch that learns how quickly a building reaches its optimum temperature and will switch the heating on just in time to reach this temperature at the start of occupation.
Occupancy controls adjust the delivery of services like lighting according to occupancy patterns. Presence or movement detectors will switch services on and off when people are present. Examples include passive infra red (PIR) lighting controls and ultrasonic and microwave detectors that are able to pick up small degrees of movement.
Condition controls use internal conditions such as temperature, humidity and daylight levels to manage a buildings environment. Temperature sensors such as room thermostats are widely used to ensure heating and ventilation systems only come on according to predetermined temperature settings. This will vary according to the purpose of the building. For example a warehouse will a lower temperature setting than an office. Daylight controls are used to control both internal and external lighting. These controls will take account of natural daylight levels in buildings and will switch lighting on/off accordingly.
Our site assessments will show you the potential impact of either a basic or more sophisticated control regime for your business in conjunction with other energy efficiency technologies.