EcoMeshNet. The Private Multi-Services Radio Data Acquisition System for Collecting Building Performance Information

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1 1(5) EcoeshNet The Private ulti-services Radio Data Acquisition System for Collecting Building Performance Information Introduction EcoeshNet is the latest development in the portfolio of data acquisition possibilities available in the Workplace Footprint Tracker (WFT) from Building Sustainability Ltd (BSL). EcoeshNet is based on the Connode radio mesh network, which already is extensively used by BSL to communicate with smart electrical meters from Aidon Oy. It has been tested successfully at Heathrow Airport and it is used by the University of Cambridge, London South Bank University, College Schools, and a host of commercial organisations. The Connode network has been extended with -bus compatible terminals, which connect to -bus enabled meters and to any pulse enabled meter via a Pulse-to--bus converter. This solution makes it cost effective to connect any existing meter to the WFT and when required install new smart meters. The self configuring radio mesh network is ideal for retrofitting in buildings and local areas because very little new cabling is required and the install cost minimized. Each radio mesh network (micronet) can contain up to 100 terminals (nodes) and communicates via its own GPRS/3G link with the cloud based WFT, thus making the application of the WFT independent of the availability of any fixed Internet network and circumventing any firewalls. EcoeshNet makes it easy and economical to extend the energy management of buildings to comprise not only electrical energy but also gas, oil, district heating/cooling, water, and any renewable energy source.

2 2(5) Advantages The Carbon Trust says in their energy management tutorial (ctg054): Effective energy management requires formal systems to be in place for data collection and analysis, and the reporting of progress and performance to a number of internal and external stakeholders and Understanding energy performance and its effective reporting relies on the availability of good data and sound analysis. This requires an effective energy metering, monitoring and targeting (&T) system that enables the easy production of suitable reports based on reliable information. While a small business may do with only the utility bills and data from the utility meters as the basis for energy management, most medium and large businesses require a more detailed picture of where the energy is spent. For effective energy management in small businesses please see BSL document "Small Business Energy onitoring Tool". The Carbon Trust further explains: &T will give an Energy anager: timely, relevant information on energy use the ability to investigate the energy performance of buildings and processes the ability to take action to rectify exceptions in performance and to improve energy performance over time energy reports to support accountability for energy use the ability to verify savings made following project implementation. The EcoeshNet when applied together with the Workplace Footprint Tracker (WFT) provides exactly this and the long term supervision of the performance of the buildings and the assets too. Any important data can be collected and stored without limitations. The use of radio communication makes installation and commissioning easy and cost effective and it is ideal for retrofitting. Very little cabling work is required and there is no need to have fixed Internet access and no need to connect to any corporate network, thus avoiding problems with security and firewalls. eters and communication terminals can be located anywhere in the building i.e. where the distribution boards and the plants are, without the penalty of increased install costs. Now you don't need to devote your time to ensuring that building performance data is available - put in EcoeshNet from BSL and you will spend all your time making improvements to your building No messy SI cards to manage (only one per micronet and that is managed by BSL), no cabling, just great data! Radio is used on two levels, the first one is the local micronet (the meshnet) based on the license free IS 1 band (869 Hz) and the second level is the ubiquitous GS/GPRS/3G network, which connects all micronets with the centrally located WFT server. EcoeshNet provides the easy application of advanced smart meters from Aidon Oy, a standardised -bus interface for connection of -bus enabled meters, optional wireless -bus support, and the connectivity of any pulse enabled meter through a pulse-to--bus 1 Industrial, Scientific, and edical radio band

3 3(5) converter. The WFT can also be extended with data loggers and connections to most BS's 2 via the Internet to collect energy related data. Characteristics The use of the 869 Hz IS band provides good local coverage and distances between terminals to over 400 m are possible. The distance between terminals can be up to 1800 m at free line of sight. Indoor coverage is extremely good too and terminals (meters) can be located anywhere in the building. The network is a mesh, which means that data propagate fully automatically from the source (the Aidon meter or -bus aster) to the destination (the GPRS aster) via any available terminal. When needed additional (relay) nodes can be installed to improve coverage and data propagation. The maximum radio power is only 50 mw, which is 20 times lower than normal mobile phones or the leakage from a micro wave oven. The EcoeshNet is compliant to all relevant European standards viz. EN (radio), EN (EC 3 ), EN (LVD 4 ) The aster, which is one of the terminals in the micronet, sends via GPRS/3G all data to the central network control server of the EcoeshNet. The EcoeshNet allows communication in both directions and control messages can be sent to the terminals as well as firmware updates. The -bus terminals can be mixed with Aidon electricity meters in the same mesh network. A requirement for compatibility with the -bus meter is that the mesh network - bus module is programmed to read the actual registers in the -bus device (the meter). This may require testing when new types of meters shall be connected. To connect any type of meter with pulse output to the -bus modules of the mesh network converters from pulse to -bus are used. Such converters are available in the market from many vendors, although BSL has standardized on a dual input converter - PadPuls 2 - from Relay GmbH. The pulse output from most meters is usually quite standardized and the converter will normally work with any type of energy meter provided there are less than 14 pulses per second. Up to 600 pulse enabled meters can be connected to a micronet and the number of micronets is practically unlimited. The -bus Standard Terminal (a meshnet node) and the -bus aster Terminal (a meshnet node with GPRS/3G interface) are stand-alone devices in their own housing and require access to 230V AC. This power will also drive the -bus interface of the connected meter or the PadPuls 2 through the -bus. PadPuls 2 also has a back-up battery which steps in in case of power break on the -bus and makes the PadPuls 2 unit to continue counting pulses during power outages. This reduces the risk of losing data from non-electricity meters during electricity power breaks. When power is back the WFT will collect the data that has been gathered during the break. 2 Building anagement Systems 3 Electro agnetic Compatibility 4 Low Voltage Directive

4 4(5) Standard Terminals can also be part of the mesh network for electricity meters. This will be the usual case in buildings with a few water, gas, and/or heat meters but with many electrical meters. The -bus follows the EN standard and the terminals have been tested with - bus compatible heat meters from Kamstrup and Itron ( Kamstrup ultical 401, Kamstrup ultical 402, Itron CF Echo II) and it is therefore recommended to use -bus compatible water and gas meters from those vendors. However, any meter with an -bus interface according to the EN standard should work, but may require some re-programming of the -bus terminal to access the actual counting registers used in the meter. It is possible to connect up to 3 -bus meters (e.g. 2 water and 1 gas meter) to a Terminal (Standard or aster) on the 2-wire -bus. The reason for this limitation is the size of the power unit of the Terminal, which is dimensioned for this maximum number of -bus devices. The maximum power consumption of the Standard Terminal is ~4 W and the aster Terminal ~7 W. Typical consumption is ~1 W. Please note that on the -bus, the meter or the PadPuls 2 are slaves, while the Terminal is an -bus aster, even though it may be a mesh network slave. A PadPuls 2 converter is one -bus device, which means that 3 PadPuls 2 units can be connected to a Terminal and thus up to 6 meters with pulse output can be accomodated. The distance between the Terminal and any -bus device can be up to 350 m (even up to 1000 m) according to the following description from the -bus manual: "A two-wire standard telephone cable (N*2*0.8 mm) is used as the transmission medium for the -Bus. The maximum distance between a slave and the repeater is 350 m; this length corresponds to a cable resistance of up to 29 ohm. This distance applies for the standard configuration having Baud rates between 300 and 9600 Baud, and a maximum of 250 slaves. The maximum distance can be increased by limiting the Baud rate and using fewer slaves, but the bus voltage in the Space state must at no point in a segment fall below 12 V, because of the remote powering of the slaves. In the standard configuration the total cable length should not exceed 1000 m, in order to meet the requirement of a maximum cable capacitance of 180 nf." The distance between a pulse output meter and the PadPuls 2 should not exceed 10 m cable length. The same type of cable as for the -bus can be used. EcoeshNet System Architecture The example below shows different types of meters connected to a EcoeshNet data collection network. Each micronet can have up to 100 terminals and one of them is a aster (Gateway) that communicates over GPRS/3G with the central server(s) of the WFT. There is no practical limit on the number of micronets that can be connected to the WFT. eters have green colour and one of them is an Aidon electricity meter with integrated meshnet terminal. The example network has 5 terminals, one is the Aidon integrated terminal, four are -bus asters (blue) and one of them is also the meshnet aster which uses GPRS/3G to communicate with the WFT. All 5 terminals are part of the meshnet and

5 5(5) communicate with any of the others as required to transmit data to and from the meshnet aster. Two meters () have -bus interface and are directly connected to an -bus aster. The other meters () in the drawing are pulse enabled and connected to -bus asters via Pulse-to--bus converters (P/), which are yellow. EcoeshNet Data Acquisition Solution Example P/ eshnet -bus aster eshnet -bus aster P/ P/ eshnet Aidon eter Connode eshnet (icronet) eshnet -bus aster P/ P/ eshnet GPRS/3G Gateway -bus aster P/ GPRS/3G