Schneider Electric and Panasonic have announced an integrated HVAC equipment and building management solution that they say ‘brings new levels of HVAC control and energy efficiency to today’s commercial buildings’.
Both companies have developed a new interface wireless solution which enables direct serial communication between Schneider Electric’s building management system and room controllers, with Panasonic’s variable refrigerant flow (VRF)-based HVAC systems via the ZigBee wireless communication standard. Schneider Electric said: “This integration allows building owners and managers to view all their core building systems, including HVAC equipment, lighting, security, power, and electrical distribution, any time and anywhere, via a single interface, and delivers actionable insights to reduce energy consumption and drive savings.”
“Creating interoperability between major energy-consuming systems such as HVAC equipment with building control systems allows facility managers to simplify their operations, better optimise the efficiency of their buildings, and reduce energy costs,” said Laurent Bataille, Executive VicePresident, EcoBuilding Division, Schneider Electric. “By partnering with Panasonic, we’re able to provide complete building management from the device level to the cloud, regardless of building type, size, or age.”
The joint Schneider Electric/ Panasonic solution can be installed wirelessly or wired.
The solution ‘takes full advantage of innovative plug-and-play technology which simplifies system configurations for extensive VRF systems’, or it can be installed as a part of a standalone system.
