What is Building Integration?

Integration involves connecting the various building systems through a common control interface. This ensures that separate systems do not conflict with each other, but inform each other and work cooperatively. In a typical building, heating and cooling, lighting and security all operate independently, wasting energy and increasing maintenance. An integrated system can continuously monitor the building’s systems to identify areas of concern, identify opportunities for improvement and system optimization and ensure that savings attained through investment are sustained.

How do we use it?

We use Building Integration to improve how our systems work together. For example, the first arriving occupant can disarm the alarm, which will wake the lighting and mechanical systems from their standby (night time) modes. The connected energy metering system then tracks that consumption change, and notifies us if consumption is higher than expected.

How does it make us more sustainable?

Integration allows us to operate our building at peak efficiency by engaging only what systems are necessary at any given time. This can have a dramatic effect on energy and maintenance costs. For example, our heat pump can be controlled based on what time of day it is, how expensive electricity is, if there are people in the building as well as if heat is needed in occupied spaces.