What is Building Automation?
Building automation is the automatic control, regulation, monitoring and optimization of functionalities such as lighting, shading, heating/cooling, audio, security, and other technical building equipment in one intelligent system. The focus is on comfort, safety, and energy efficiency – whether the system is used in office buildings, restaurants, hotels or other industrial or commercial properties. The term “smart building” refers to automation solutions for commercial and public non-residential buildings. When referring to private apartments or houses, on the other hand, “smart home” was established as the key term.
Why Building Automation?
For investors, operators as well as users of buildings, an investment in building automation is worthwhile.
Main advantages of automation solutions in buildings
Safety
protecting
people and buildings
Efficiency
optimizing resources and operating costs
Comfort
accommodating users,
operators and occupants
The additional effort or costs for intelligent building technology (1-2% of the construction costs) are usually amortized in a few years thanks to high potential savings. This makes it a worthwhile investment for investors.
Sustainable and resource-saving construction is in great demand on the real estate market. Thus, sustainability certificates such as LEED or Green Business Bureau can be applied for smart buildings in the U.S., just as in many countries around the world. These certificates have a more secure value even in uncertain times.
Fields of Application of Building Automation
A building automation system can be used in many different projects, ranging from residential buildings to breweries. Discover here the different fields of application of a building control system:
Commercial
The National Lottery Netherlands was named the most sustainable building in the world thanks to brand automation solution.
Prefab House
Many prefabricated house manufacturers offer our technology as standard in their projects.
Special Applications
Thanks to the combination of reliable hardware and powerful software, CG Smart Home is suitable for any type of project.
Residential
Increase the value and attractiveness of residential projects and protect the building from damage.
Hospitality
Create impressionable experiences and more comfort for your guests in your hotel or gastronomy business
Commercial
The National Lottery Netherlands was named the most sustainable building in the world thanks to Loxone’s automation solution.
Energy Efficiency
In the US, the building industry is responsible for 40% of the overall primary energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, if the US want to meet national energy and environmental challenges, it is essential to focus more on reducing the energy use in buildings of all types. If building automation is applied to commercial building projects, energy consumption can be decreased by up to 50% through CG Smart Home’s needs-based controls and smart energy management.
How Much Energy Does Building Automation Save?
Building automation is a so-called cross-sectional technology: it networks different systems and installations in a smart building or smart home. Networking enables different levels of automation.
This, in turn, provides many opportunities for improved efficiency in buildings. The U.S. Department of Energy is confident that by 2030, energy consumption in buildings could be cut more than 20% by using technologies known to be cost effective today. If if research goals are met, the energy use could even decrease by more than 35%, though, much higher savings are technically possible.
How Does Building Automation Work?
Measurement, control, and regulation technology (MCR technology) plays a central role in building automation. Measurement and control technology refers to the hardware, such as sensors, actuators, the brain of the installation – the Miniserver – and the Air-, Link- and Tree technologies for communication of all components in the field and in the control cabinet. With CG Smart Home, the powerful software is additionally a unique selling point of building automation. Both the programming and the visualization of the building technology can be realized intuitively and easily.
