7th January 2015
After working alongside the College for many years to help to educate the engineers of tomorrow, Schneider Electric was chosen to install a new Building Energy Management System – SmartStruxure solution – which was designed to monitor, measure and optimise the performance of the Energy Centre throughout its lifecycle.
After working alongside South Devon College for many years, helping to educate the engineers of tomorrow, Schneider Electric recently partnered with the organisation once more, during the construction of its South West Energy Centre.
In light of changing government legislation and the need for the UK to ‘go green’; South Devon College created the Energy Centre as a base from which to teach skills in the renewable energy and sustainable construction sectors. The centre offers courses on everything from learning about the Green Deal and Solar PV installation, to classes on the 17th Edition IEE Wiring Regulations; designed to equip local businesses, tradespeople and construction and energy professionals with invaluable knowledge they can use to grow their businesses. Further to this, the Energy Centre also gives support to those inventing new energy efficient, sustainable products and solutions by offering space and expertise at the College for the developers to use.
Taking this support one step further, as part of the centre, small units are available for rent to businesses that are producing solutions for the energy and sustainability sector. For example, Eco-Trade International is based at the Energy Centre. The company supplies lighting to commercial buildings, helping businesses to reduce their electricity costs and carbon footprint for lighting.
With the aim of creating a centre of excellence, it was imperative that the College itself was as energy efficient as possible. Therefore the college chose to partner with Schneider Electric to install a Building Energy Management System (BEMS) that would enable the organisation to effectively monitor its energy usage and gain deeper insight into how the building functions.
The BEMS that was installed at South Devon College is based on the new BMS platform from Schneider Electric, SmartStruxure™ solution. The new solution enables the college to monitor, measure and optimise the performance of the Energy Centre throughout its lifecycle – saving energy, as well as money. SmartStruxure solution facilitates the exchange and analysis of data from energy, heating and natural ventilation and fire safety systems installed in the building, offering end-users a holistic overview of the Energy Centre.
SmartStruxure natively supports every major communication standard in building management, including TCP/IP, LonWorks, BACnet, Modbus, Ethernet and Web Services. This multi-lingual approach gives the college the ability to connect any equipment to the BEMS, as well as the power to gather and analyse data to maximise operational efficiency.
Specifically, the BEMS system installed the in Energy Centre controls a biomass boiler – the building’s primary heat source, which is supported with a gas boiler in case additional heating is required. Heat is only delivered to the required point of use via demand based software algorithms and the main heat sources are then monitored for their energy consumption. Further supplementing this system, the college’s hot water is provided by solar thermal energy and is backed up by the main heating circuit, with the energy input from the solar thermal also monitored.
Further to this, all of the centre’s main utilities are monitored via a combination of pulse input for gas and water meters, with the electric meters feeding directly into the BEMS via a Modbus connection.
Adding to the building’s overall efficiency, the ‘Breathing Buildings’ natural ventilation system is monitored via an open protocol communications interface, with all of the data gathered then displayed on the BEMS schematic pages. The building’s energy information is then showcased via the new StruxureWare Building Operation Workstation software. Customised workspaces, concise graphics, out-of-the-box functionality and a robust online community means that StruxureWare’s operability has proved to be exceptionally easy to use for those working within the Energy Centre.
The system also supports a web interface, WebStation, which can be accessed from any handheld device or computer on the college network. By using this method of access, the college can securely navigate their building management interface view graphics, reports, trend charts and also manage alarms via a standard web browser. This information can also then be displayed in a classroom environment on the college’s interactive whiteboards, further adding to the student’s learning.
Following further consultation with the college, Schneider Electric also developed a bespoke energy screen display, which highlights the key energy efficiency features of the building. A plasma screen us mounted in the centre’s boiler-house, enabling those who are training at the centre to gain deeper insight into how the building is functioning. This further adds to the in-centre building – a mock structure that is used as a training tool to educate learners on solar installation, plumbing and wiring, as well as a plethora of other energy efficient solutions.
Patrick McNevin, director of the South West Energy Centre, comments: “Since opening the centre in early September last year, there has been nothing but positive feedback from our visitors. As a result, our reputation as a thought-leader in energy efficiency is quickly developing, marking us out as a key place to visit to see all of the latest technology in action.
“The interactive BEMS has also vastly enhanced the student’s learning experience and created fantastic new learning zones, where they can see the system working in real time. We have also given our visitors access to the plant room, so that they can see the energy saving systems and BEMS control panels in action.
“Working with Schneider Electric has enabled us to create a cutting edge learning environment; the ideal setting for teaching green-minded engineers and building managers of tomorrow.”
Simon Hopkins, sales account executive, from Schneider Electric, adds: “Schneider Electric has a long history of working alongside South Devon College, helping to develop the ways in which we teach young people about energy usage and its impact on the environment.
“By working alongside the team at the college on the new Energy Centre, we have been able to put these teachings into practice and illustrate the amazing impact that new technology can have on energy consumption. We hope that by demonstrating just what SmartStruxure solution is capable of, we will be able to showcase the numerous benefits that come with creating a truly smart building.”
For more information on Schneider Electric’s solutions, please visit www.schneider-electric.com/uk.
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