Smart Building Insights
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Why choose the Tridium Niagara Framework® on the path to achieving Net Zero Smart Buildings
The Energy Efficiency Challenge in Buildings:
In the UK we’re on the pathway to the most important, challenging and ambitious target we have today in Net Zero by 2050. Buildings contribute significantly to overall energy consumption, and smart building technology and the optimisation of Building Management Systems (BMS) play a pivotal role in reducing energy consumption. By utilising open communication platforms, such as the Tridium Niagara Framework®, systems are seamlessly connected into a single centralised platform, enabling building managers to enhance energy efficiency, sustainability and contribute to the broader initiative of achieving net zero. With this target approaching at a seemingly faster rate of knots, it can be difficult to pick where to start. However, working with the right Smart Building partner can unlock extensive building controls knowledge, product selection, IT development and experience to design, deliver and support award-winning Smart Building solutions.
Smart Building Technology:
Smart building technology involves the integration, and enablement of advanced IoT systems and controls to efficiently manage various aspects of a building, from lighting and heating to ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). By incorporating environmental and IoT sensors, meters, and automation in conjunction with an open, optimised BMS, the benefits multiply. A Smart Enabled BMS serves as the central nervous system, providing real-time data and automatic control of all building components for maximum efficiency.
The Goals:
One of the primary objectives of deploying smart building technology and optimising BMS systems is to reduce energy consumption. As of 2023, nearly 90% of non-domestic buildings in the UK did not have an optimised BMS. The Tridium Niagara Framework®, a versatile platform for building automation, allows for the seamless integration of diverse devices and protocols. This integration enables real-time monitoring and control, helping building managers identify energy wastage and implement corrective measures promptly.
The framework’s ability to collect and analyse data allows building managers to gain valuable insights into energy usage patterns. Armed with this information, you can make informed decisions to optimise system settings, implement energy-efficient practices, and schedule equipment usage during non-peak hours. Such proactive measures lead to significant reductions in energy consumption, as well as ensuring occupant comfort, making a substantial contribution to the net-zero agenda.
Role of the Tridium Niagara Framework®:
Niagara 4 from Tridium is at the very core of what we do here at One Sightsolutions. Niagara 4 is an ecosystem of software that spans from the edge to the cloud and is available on a variety of hardware platforms as well as for installation on PC’s & Servers.
The Tridium Niagara Framework® serves as a unifying platform that brings together disparate building systems, no matter what the protocol or connectivity media, ensuring interoperability and creating a cohesive ecosystem. Its open architecture allows for the integration of potentially unlimited devices and protocols, promoting flexibility and scalability. This adaptability is crucial in achieving energy efficiency goals as it accommodates the incorporation of emerging technologies and trends.
The platform’s ability to integrate with Internet of Things (IoT) sensors is unlocks unlimited possibilities to access new data metrics in your building. IoT sensors provide granular data on environmental conditions, occupancy patterns, and equipment performance. By leveraging this real-time data, building managers can fine-tune systems for optimal efficiency. For example, with 50% of a typical buildings energy consumption coming from lighting and HVAC systems, wireless sensors can be installed to monitor metrics such as occupancy and indoor air quality. This data is communicated with the optimised BMS via API’s, MQTT, BACnet, through a data collector, such as JACE 9000, and automatically adjusts the lighting and HVAC based on occupancy, temperature or CO2 levels, ensuring that energy is not wasted in unoccupied spaces.
The Niagara Framework’s® in-built graphic tools, or third-party dashboard packages, enable seamless visualisation on the performance of all building systems through a Single Pane of Glass (SPOG), as well as improving maintenance procedures such as alarms notifications and remote management.
Benefits:
Real-time Energy Monitoring
Visualisation through Single Pane of Glass
Automated Building Systems
Reduced Energy Consumption
Improved Maintenance Procedures
Safe Sustainable Spaces
Approach Net Zero & ESG Compliance
Increased Occupant Wellbeing & Productivity
Staying Open to New Technology
Meeting Future ESG Targets and beyond:
As the global focus on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards intensifies, businesses and building managers are under increasing pressure to align with sustainable practices. The Tridium Niagara Framework® positions itself as a forward-looking solution that allows for laser-focussed energy monitoring and analytics that contributes to the environmental sustainability of buildings.
The frameworks adaptability to leverage the power of IoT sensors, provides insights on social and occupant health metrics, such as indoor air quality, temperature, light levels and more, improving comfort and productivity levels, as well as building public credibility through efficiency certifications. In addition, providing stakeholders with all-encompassing data on their asset performance, allowing them to stay ahead of the curve with the evolving ESG requirements.
Conclusion:
In the quest for net-zero carbon emissions, the role of smart building technology and BMS optimisation cannot be overstated. In the UK, where the typical BMS is responsible for between 60-80% of total energy consumption, adopting platforms like the Tridium Niagara Framework® is a crucial step in achieving energy efficiency and reducing carbon footprints. Across our growing portfolio of projects delivered across the UK, which include Bloomberg’s London HQ, 100 Liverpool Street and The National Archives to name a few, we have seen these smart systems contribute to a 40% reduction in energy usage, as well as improving occupant health and sustainability, which come with their own credibility and revenue advantages.
By leveraging the capabilities of the Tridium Niagara Framework®, building managers can not only streamline and optimise and retrofit into existing systems but also prepare for the future with the integration of IoT sensors and other emerging technologies such as LoRaWAN. The adaptability and openness of the framework position buildings to meet and exceed evolving ESG standards, making them essential players in the collective effort to build a sustainable and environmentally responsible future. As the UK strives for net zero, smart building technology emerges as a beacon of innovation, offering a tangible path towards a greener and more sustainable built environment.
As a Master Systems Integrator and Product Distributor, it is our responsibility to understand all of the multiple, separate building systems and work to integrate each of those systems into a singular smart building solution. Our extensive Niagara and Building Controls knowledge, IT development and product selection, enables us to excel as your smart building partner.
If you would like to discuss a project with us, or learn more about the Tridium Niagara Framework, get in touch with the form below and we’ll be happy to help.
