ControlTalk Now : Sales, Marketing, Products and Technical Tips for HVAC and Smart Building Controls Professionals

ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast/PodCast for week ending July 31, 2016 offers a modified show, because of the excellent, but lengthy audio content. Our Podcast listeners get an extended bonus with the full interviews with industry expert and Lynxspring's VP pf Marketing, Marc Petock, and Josh Bradshaw, the global-minded technologist and technical product strategist from Silicon Valley. Both, were too important and insightful to cut, hence, the extended Podcast. Additionally, more great product information, updates, and webinars from Alerton, Schneider Electric, EnTouch, Belimo, J2 Innovations, Loytec, Douglas Lighting Control, Siemon, and NEST PRO.

ACHR News FREE Webinar — Selling the Connected Home: How to Grow Your Business July 26, 2016 2pm EST. More than simply building connected products, Nest's mission is to create a home that's thoughtful – one that takes care of itself and the people inside it. Gene LaNois, general manager of Nest's professional channel, will share his thoughts on the future of the connected home, what it means for the HVAC industry, and the important steps to becoming a smart home provider. During this webinar, attendees will: Gain an in-depth understanding of Nest products; Discover how the new "Connected Trade" removes seasonality; and Recognize how HVAC is best positioned to be the leader in this new "Connected Trade."

ControlTalk NOW first interview is with industry expert and Lynxspring's VP Marketing, Marc Petock — who takes the lid of IoT; reviews why edge devices will play an expanding role in the journey to a smart building and Lynxspring's Edge 2 Enterprise products performing edge applications; remote connection using the secured wireless cellular option is on the rise as IT departments seek to reduce network vulnerabilities amidst the increasing number of cyber security threats; Project Haystack and Haystack Connect updates; and a preview of the 2016 ControlTrends Awards in Las Vegas.

Our second guest on ControlTalk NOW is Josh Bradshaw, a global-minded technologist and technical product strategist from Silicon Valley. Josh's website worktechwork.com is a profusion of relevant technologies disrupting the world as we presently know it. Our one-of-a-kind discussion included an explanation of Blockchain; Building Robotic's rebranded COMFY. coverage of SRI International researcher Roy Kornbluh, Interviews with Bertrand Piccard, who completed the first non-stop balloon flight around the world (1999), setting world records for aviation's longest flight in both distance and duration. Interview with André Borschberg, Entrepreneur, Engineer and Explorer.

Siemon: A Unified Intellige(nt Smart Building Cabling Solution. Thanks to our friend Ted Houck, from Hepta Systems, for this video. As we look for ways to make buildings smarter and installations more affordable, Siemon provides a powerful new way to look at how we connect the devices in our Smart Buildings. Siemon ConvergeIT is a unified intelligent building (IB) cabling solution that combines Siemon's proven quality with advanced copper and fiber cabling technology to create a structured cabling system that converges critical data, voice, video and low-voltage building systems onto a single unified physical infrastructure, providing significant cost savings and sustainability over the life of the facility.

EnTouch Shines at Stromquist Contractor Day. EnTouch is a very progressive company that produces very cool thermostats and light commercial building solutions. Check out what they had to say to the Atlanta HVAC contractors at Stromquist & Company. EnTouch, Founded in 2008, is a team of energy, services and telecomm industry veterans with a history of using technology to solve real-world problems. The EnTouch 360° offers the ultimate in facilities and energy management intelligence. Our turnkey installation, energy analysis and prompt resolution can simplify the lives of your facility management team while it delivers savings to your enterprise's bottom line.

Mark Your Calendar: Easy Retrofit Solutions for Valves and Damper Actuators. Our man, Joe Carcare, Belimo retrofit master extraordinaire, will be sharing his knowledge on Wednesday, August 1 at 1 PM EST. Valves and actuators are responsible for ensuring reliable functioning hydronic and air control HVAC systems all over the world. Belimo Retrofit provides airside and waterside retrofit application solutions, with direct coupled or remote access linkages, and efficient actuators Here is the official notice, but I can tell you from experience, Joe is not to be missed. He has worked in the field, and his hands-on experience, makes him a great teacher. So, click here and register now! This might be the only class you ever need to take on retrofitting valves and dampers.

If You Like Lon… We have a Product for You. BACnet and Lon have been competing for years to win the hearts and networks of Smart Buildings and smart buildings systems integrators. Although BACnet seems to be in vogue in today's smart buildings marketplace, many swear by the Lon protocol. We caught up with a company that makes outstanding smart building controls and specializes in optimizing the Lon protocol. Loytec, might be one of the best kept secrets in the United States, but globally they are a dominate force in building automation controls. Loytec's Daryl Clasen walks us through the Loytech product portfolio that includes beautiful touch screen displays and wall sensors, and shows us how their mobile app works.

How to Reduce Your BACnet Troubleshooting Time by 100x. As I am fond of telling my three year old daughter, when she refuses to go to brush her teeth, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way." The easy way is you brush your teeth, the hard way is you brush your teeth after a time out. The hard way takes way more time and way more effort. Until Opitgo introduced their really cool new product, there was only one way to troubleshoot a BACnet problem, the hard way.

Mark Your Calendar: Lighting Control Presented by Douglas Lighting. Our Friends at Lynxspring have a very special training session on lighting control planned. Douglas Lighting Control has been around for decades, but the latest lighting control advancements have only just recently gained traction. Now, lighting is becoming a platform for other applications. It'’s creating an opportunity to provide services to the people in buildings that we couldn't even dream of years ago. These new services are going to make building space more valuable, and ideally, make the building space more effective.

Can Your Smart Thermostat Start Your Toaster and Monitor Energy Consumption? Can a thermostat really turn on a toaster and monitor energy consumption? Not that you would want to use your thermostat to start a toaster, but you could. The bigger feature is having a smart thermostat that has the on board capacity to monitor electrical consumption and loads. We have had great success doing just this with a smart thermostat we sell by EnTouch.

Smart Buildings' New Vocab Word: Muench's Corollary. J2 Innovations' very own Scott Muench was recently featured on AutomatedBuildings.com with an article about the benefits and payoffs of tagging and data modeling. With the amount of connected devices increasing every day, potential value is also increasing exponentially. The reality is that it takes a lot of effort or mouse clicks to derive value from the data in the connected world. J2 Innovations has been focusing their efforts on great software and more efficient workflows to unlock this potential.

Intelligent Buildings' Tom Shircliff: A Smart Buildings Perspective on Realcomm|IBcon. We had a chance to catch up with one of our favorite people at the 2016 Realcomm|IBcon show, Intelligent Buildings Tom Shircliff. Tom, the co-founder of Intelligent Buildings, gives us his thoughts on the show and the new trends he is seeing in Smart Buildings. Tom gives us a must do — regarding Cyber Security to make our smart buildings safer from cyber attack. Tom also shares with us the importance of water analytics as a way to make our buildings more energy efficient and safer (yes, I did say safer).

How is Your Body Like A Smart Building? Alerton Explains. Is your body really like a smart building? I never thought about it this way before, but it makes sense. Very cool video from the folks at Alerton, who are totally committed to helping you get the best performance from your buildings. Alerton is a pioneer and an industry leader in providing building management solutions for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment for all types and sizes of buildings. Alerton can also help simplify building management by integrating fire, life safety, lighting, access management and other building systems. You'll find Alerton's proven solutions in thousands of buildings around the world, and their dealers are part a global independent dealer network, providing solid service and support that is second to none. ​

Schneider Electric Company Story: Our Technology is Everywhere. At Schneider Electric's Innovation Summit 2016, the Keynote Highlight was CEO Jean-Pascal Tricoire's explanation why Schneider Electric is the global leader in sustainable energy management and industrial automation. Schneider Electric's mission is supply the technologies which permit, drive, and catalyze the transition to make the world of energy — more electric, more digitized, more decarbonated, and more decentralized. Schneider Electric's five guiding principles: Customer Insights; Quality 1st; Simple & Easy; System View (Integratable); and Digital. Click here to find out all the information you need about Schneider Electric.

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ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast for week ending July 24, 2016 begins with Wired Magazine's Cade Metz and his coming trends interview — citing Block Chain as the next single most disruptive technology. ControlTalk NOW's special guest is Building Context.me's Therese Sullivan, followed by coverage of Tridium Niagara Migration Path Webinar dates and information; Vykon's latest software builds; DOE's Future of Air Conditioning Report; Spotlight on Siemens' Dave Rodela; ACI's Sensor Webinar; Cylance's uses Artificial Intelligence to keep ahead of hackers; and ProLon's easy VAV/VVT zoning solution.

Cade Metz – Wired Magazine – Silicon Valley 2016 Trends for Smart Buildings and Homes. Cade Netz, the key note speaker at the 2016 RealComm/ Icon conference talks about the technology trends he is seeing in Silicon Valley and how these trends will effect the landscape of technology used in Smart Buildings. Cade Metz is a WIRED senior staff writer covering Google, Facebook, artificial intelligence, bitcoin, data centers, computer chips, programming languages, and other ways the world is changing.

ControlTalk NOW special guest is Building Context's Therese Sullivan, Principal, BuildingContext.me, who gives us that unique Silicon Valley insight as she reviews 2016 Realcomm|IBcon, Social Media and Tweets with Meat, Block Chain's potential impact on the HVAC and BAS industries, and more. Therese Sullivan is a writer/technologist and marketing professional providing news and analysis for commercial building system integrators, facilities managers and real estate professionals about innovations in building automation with emphasis on data analytics, mobile apps, cloud services and wireless networking.

What is a Block Chain and What You need to Know About it. We heard the term "block chain" for the first time at the 2016 RealComm/ IBcon show. Many believe the block chains could be the most disruptive technologies yet, some compare it's impact to the fall of the Berlin Wall. As systems integrators and smart buildings professionals we need to be aware of it's existence and how it will effect our industry.

Next TridiumTalk: How your Niagara Migration Path Just got More Straightforward. Join us as we overview recent product releases and various migration path scenarios. With the introduction of Niagara AX version 3.8u1 featuring JACE® 8000 support, our next-generation hardware platform that's optimized for Niagara 4 now optimizes the features of Niagara AX.

ACI Temperature Sensor Training LIVE Tomorrow! TEMPERATURE WEBINAR, LIVE JULY 20TH You will hear from ACI's Temperature Sensor Specialist, Brant Kasbohm, and our Sales Engineering Manager, Rob Kapinos. ACIs temperature sensors, housing types, and production types will be taught by our presenter. The presentation as a whole will last 30 minutes and the session is being recorded if you aren't able to attend. A Live "Question and Answer" session with the presenter and tech support will take place at the end. Just click on this link tomorrow to watch the live event. ACI stands by its motto, "Engineering a Better Sensor Solution."

ControlTrends Keeps an Eye on 2016 Events with Ken's (Updated 7/20/2016) Calendar. While it has been an amazingly busy and productive year so far, many more events are on the horizon. ControlTrends will continue to post the event information as we receive notice or become aware of the event. Please note that the information is gathered from various sources, and the times, dates, and locations may have changed.

Siemens' Dave Rodela, Talon Trainer Extraordinaire. While Dave Rodela's official position is listed as Operations Manager at Siemens Building Technologies, working out of the Charleston, South Carolina area, the majority of us in the building automation business know Dave as another mild-mannered hero — for the outstanding training services and support he provides to the Siemens TALON Value Added Partner (VAP) channel.

DOE's Building Technologies Office — The Future of Air Conditioning for Buildings. Another great publication from the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy and Building Technology Office. The Building Technologies Digest provides a weekly roundup of the latest news, funding opportunities, reports, events, and webinars from DOE's Building Technologies Office. The Future of Air Conditioning for Buildings Report provides invaluable insight into the next generation of Air Conditioning and Air Conditioning Equipment, a $100 billion industry that consumes over 4% of the world's building site-energy.

VYKON Announcement: Previously Announced Software Builds Now Available. The previously announced VYKON AX Supervisor 3.8.111.2 and VYKON Enterprise Security 2.3.19.5 software builds are now available for download. Learn more by downloading the VYKON Enterprise Security FAQs. Sign into the Niagara Community website for access to release notes and test summary documentation. VYKON AX Supervisor 3.8.111.2 update includes: JACE® 8000 support, Java Web StarT, Windows 10 support, Auto-download of Java security policy files. VYKON Enterprise Security 2.3.19.5 update includes: Support and advantages of latest VYKON AX release, Niagara AX version 3.8u1, Enhanced database encryption, and Advanced threat level management.

Replay of ACI's Live Temperature Training Event. If you missed the amazing Live training event from ACI on temperature sensing and sensors, no worries, we have a replay for you right here. You will hear from ACI's Temperature Sensor Specialist, Brant Kasbohm, and our Sales Engineering Manager, Rob Kapinos. ACIs temperature sensors, housing types, and production types will be taught by our presenter. The presentation as a whole will last 30 minutes and the session is being recorded if you aren't able to attend.

Cylance Offers Advanced Threat Prevention Built on Artificial Intelligence at 2016 Realcomm|IBcon. ControlTrends met up with Todd Radermacher, Regional Sales Director at Cylance, out of the San Francisco Bay Area, who specializes in Information Technology and Services. Todd tells us, "Trying to keep ahead of the bad guys is the business we're in." Cylance now offers the next generation antivirus protection — armed with artificial intelligence and mathematics (algorithms) to scientifically predict foul play — and prevent the loss of intellectual property or paying the ransom to get your seized database back.

ProLon: The Easy Way to Install a Zoning System. Stromquist & Company's Dozier Mills breakdowns the products from ProLon and shows you how to install the Prolon solution for either VAV or VVT applications. As you can see this is a very powerful and easy to install solution. ProLon is a commercial/high-end residential HVAC zoning system designed specifically for retrofit and modern day rooftops and other air handling units along with their VAV zones. ProLon's controllers are perfect for light to mid-sized commercial buildings, allowing you to group and prioritize zones to achieve the optimal performances and comfort from your equipment.

What is TESLA's Power Wall and How Will it Affect the Smart Home?Forget about the gloom and doom we hear every day, check out one of the coolest new technologies to hit the street. Elon Musk unveils the Tesla Power Wall. Needless to say this will effect the way we look at Smart Homes. The Powerwall was unveiled on April 30, 2015, with a 7 kWh Powerwall model that would retail for US$3,000 and a 10 kWh model at US$3,500. The Power wall sold out in less than a week. Musk predicted the low price would cause other storage producers to follow and there are rumblings about a version 2.

The post ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast for Week Ending July 24, 2016 appeared first on ControlTrends.

ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast for week ending July 10, 2016 gives special thanks to this week's Platinum Sponsors — EasyIO and Neptronic, as we bring two of the industry's top experts to front and center, first reviewing Ken Sinclair's Automated Buildings July theme "Performance Software Evolving with Self Machine Learning," followed by Fearless Phil Zito, owner and editor of Building Automation Monthly. Acuity acquires DG LOGIK; Automation Integrated introduces its game-changing GLIFF service via live streaming; Updated 2016 Event Calendar previews the road ahead, along with ACI's Temperature Webinar; Atlanta's Cyber Security Meet-up; a good look at Forest Rock's EnergyVision; and Functional Devices' release of a BACnet compatible UPS Kit.

New Products from Around the Globe: Forest Rock at the 2016 Niagara Summit. One of the great things about going to smart building conferences like the 2016 Niagara Summit is discovering new products from around the globe and then getting to introduce them to the ControlTrends Community. Michael Kirkland introduced us to their EnergyVision Package. This software tool automatically collects and analyzes all forms of energy consumption.

Mark Your Calendar and Get Smart About Water and Waste. Our friends at JJL can give you the 411 on Water and Waste and how to save money and energy with a very informative webinar. Friday, July 15, 2016, 12:30-2:00 p.m. EDT. Click here for more information and to reserve your spot. Water is the fastest growing utility expense. Water is the fastest growing utility expense, with long-term cost increases related to supply constraints and aging infrastructure. We'll discuss the unique set of challenges and opportunities around water use outdoors, where an estimated 50% is wasted.

Automation Integrated Live Stream Today at 12 EST. Automation Integrated (AI), winner of the 2015 ControlTrends System Integrator of the year, announces the FREE Gliff Niagara backup service. AI is a Master Systems Integrator specializing in web scale solutions. AI provides enterprise wide building automation, access control, video surveillance, API level systems integration and software development. Our markets include multi-site, retail and critical infrastructure facilities.

ControlTalk NOW first guest interview with Ken Sinclair, owner and editor of Automated Buildings, is a great gatherer of information. It takes a lot of energy and perspicacity to rally an epic monthly battle cry for our industry and continuously call forth such an exceptional litany of industry experts. Ken judiciously sorts out for us, the IoT wheat from the IoT chaff, and then translates the fast and esoteric talk of our trade into slower more comprehensive reflections that generously reward the reading time invested. This July edition is no exception. Fresh off the trails of Silicon Valley, Ken captures the spirit of innovation from the 2016 Realcomm/IBcon show and gives us much deeper insight into performance software, machine learning, and portends the coming of our digital savior (perhaps) — Artificial Intelligence.

DG LOGIK Purchased by Acuity Brands (AYI. We trust that the data visualization dashboard lights at DG Logik are all on, and blinking bright GREEN — as it was announced today that Acuity Brands (AYI) (who added Distech Controls to their Building Automation portfolio in September, 2015) acquired IoT Software Solutions Provider DGLogik. Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI) announced it has acquired 100 percent of the equity interests of DGLogik, Inc., a San Francisco Bay Area-based provider of innovative software solutions that enable and visualize the Internet of Things (IoT).

ControlTalk NOW second guest interview is with Fearless Phil Zito, owner and editor of Building Automation Monthly, whose website's motto is "You'll Leave Educated." Phil Zito has been in the smart building space since 2007 and has worked on almost every BAS system on the market. He has held roles as a service technician, operations manager, sales development engineer, and technical integration program manager. Phil runs his weekly blog and podcast around building automation and is deeply focused on exploring topics related to building automation and smart buildings. Phil has a Masters in Cyber Security, holds several IT, LEED, and Energy Manager Certifications and is a self-taught programmer.

Here is a link to a Network Fundamentals book like the ones Phil talked about on the show.

Here is a link to the book Phil wrote called A Manager's Guide to Building Automation

Be sure to follow Phil on twitter @TimGZito

ControlTrends Keeps an Eye on 2016 Events with Ken's Calendar. While it has been an amazingly busy and productive year so far, many more events are on the horizon. ControlTrends will continue to post the event information as we receive notice or become aware of the event. Please note that the information is gathered from various sources, and the times, dates, and locations may have changed.

ACI PRESENTS TEMPERATURE WEBINAR, LIVE JULY 20TH, 10:00 A.M. CST. Brant Kasbohm, Temperature Sensor Specialist will conduct a brief, educational overview of ACI's Temperature Sensors including "How To" videos and product demonstrations. A "Q & A" session will conclude Brant's 30 minute presentation. Questions? Send Brant an email: [email protected]. Want more information? Click here. Automation Components, Inc. presents a series of Live Video Webinars from our Sales Engineers and Product Line Specialists! Each month, ACI will feature one of it's many product lines for 30 minutes to discuss some of the fantastic, cost effective, and reliable products ACI has to offer.

Functional Devices Takes BACnet Integration One Step Further: UPS Kit PSH550-UPS-BC – Now BACnet Compatible. Functional Devices, Inc. a leading manufacturer of high quality, contractor-friendly products since 1969,has just released their PSH550-UPS-BC, which is an Enclosed BACnet Network 550 VA UPS Backup Power Control Center that can be integrated into your BACnet network to monitor eight BACnet variables/integer values.

Greater Atlanta Cyber Security for Control Systems Meetup @ Stromquist – Aug 8 @ 6:30 PM. Doug Wylie will be speaking with us about two confirmed examples of attacks on ICS systems, with a wealth of information on each of them. Please join us to learn what took place, what can be done to prevent similar events happening in your ICS environment, and to share what you have seen as well. BOOM BOOM (OUT GO THE LIGHTS): A LOOK AT TWO CONFIRMED ATTACKS ON ICS AND HOW WE CAN PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE.

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ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast for week ending July 3, 2016 brings attention to the people-side of the Buildings Automation industry while manning the vendor shows at two of the industry largest and most significant shows: 2016 Tridium Summit and the 2016 Realcomm/IBcon. Interviews with these Industry superstars: Intellastar's Terry Casey; Johnson Controls' Dimitri Papadopoulos; Hepta Systems' Ted and Jason Houck; Page Southerland's Tim Howell; Viconics' Matt Krueger; Interactive Energy, LLC's James Burtch; along with ACI's Barry Gordon webinar and a product review of Honeywell's Lyric thermostat.

Honeywell Lyric: Redefining What a Thermostat Can Do. Honeywell keeps coming up with cool stuff. Yes, thermostats are cool, because there are different shapes, sizes, colors, and apps. But, look at this video to see how Honeywell takes the cool thermostat to the next level and makes it practical. No need to worry about coming home and finding out your pipe burst or a leak turned into a flood. The Honeywell Lyric will let you know before problems get out of hand. I wonder what else they will hang onto their residential thermostat network?

Catching Up with Intellastar's Terry Casey. Lots of great people and Smart Buildings Controls Experts at the 2016 RealComm/IBcon show. I got a chance to be the "in the field reporter" for Realcomm Conference Live, and one of the people I interviewed was Intellastar's Terry Casey. With the likes of controls superstars Terry, Steve Lynch, and Jerry, Andy, and Brian Frank, Intellastar has put together the "dream team" of the smart buildings controls industry.

Learn About the Most Current Current Sensors — Right Here, Right Now! Yes, I know it is a bit of a play on words, but Barry Gordon and the team at ACI do not play around — when it comes to making current sensors and other products for the smart buildings controls professional. ACI has started doing live video training! We announced the first one a couple of weeks ago. If you missed it, no worries, you can watch it right here, right now.

Johnson Controls' Dimitri Papadopoulos at the 2016 Niagara Summit — Facility Explorer is Better than Ever! Dimitri Papadopoulos, Senior Product Manager explains why Facility Explorer® is better than ever! To celebrate Facility Explorer's tenth anniversary, Johnson Controls released Facility Explorer 14. Featuring a cleaner, faster user experience, enhanced cybersecurity and new ways to improve user productivity. Dimitri was particularly excited about the Mobile Access Portal, which offers an excellent display on your iPad, smart phone, or laptop; serves as a great commissioning tool; and can be used as a main user interface for smaller-sized projects.

Mark Your Calendar for Digital Transformation 2016. Digital transformation is everywhere. We recently covered the 2016 Niagara Summit and Realcomm/IBcon and posted lots of videos showing how technology in the Smart Buildings and Intelligent Buildings space is evolving at a very rapid pace. And speaking of pace, this conference coming up in Portland in September looks interesting. Here is what they have to say about it: "Leaders facilitating the digital transformation within their companies converge to share best practices. This is the leading conference from digital game-changers for digital game-changers."

Ted and Jason Houck Make Big Connections at Realcomm Conference Live. Ted and Jason Houck, from Hepta Systems, do one of the coolest demo's I have ever seen, and they do it on a live stream at the 2016 Realcomm/IBcon Conference Live. Hepta Control Systems has won numerous awards, including being voted co-winner of the ControlTrends Awards Systems Integrator of the Year Award. They are a leader in integrated building automation and security controls. Hepta provide single driver seat solutions for energy efficiency, security, and tenant comfort systems. Watch this video to see what makes Hepta so special.

Enlightened Consulting Engineers at the 2016 Niagara Summit — Part 1. The man, the myth, the legend, Ken Smyers and I are constantly talking about the need for a new breed of consulting engineer for the Smart Buildings Controls industry. Cut and paste specifications are no longer acceptable. This new breed of engineer can be found at smart building conferences like the Niagara Summit and Realcomm/IBcon. They know that open is not just something you do to a can of beer on a hot summer's day.

Matt Krueger and the Viconics VT8000 Series at the 2016 Niagara Summit. Matt Krueger is an integral member of the Viconics technologies sales team with a passion for providing excellent customer support. Matt does an outstanding 411 presentation of the VT8000 series controller, which provides a very cost-effective alternative to direct digital controls to control roof top units, heat pumps, and indoor air quality applications — dramatically reducing project delivery cost at the installation and commissioning phases.

Enlightened Consulting Engineers Part 2 — James M. Burtch at the 2016 Niagara Summit. ControlTrends had the opportunity to interview James M. Burtch, a young, up-and-coming Energy Sustainability Consultant. Actually, it's James M. Burtch, C.R.M., C.D.S.M., C.B.C.P., C.L.E.P., C.E.M., and Honeywell EEO Certified. As evidenced by the host of certification designations following his name, Jim has dedicated much of his professional career pursuing and obtaining the professional expertise that enables him to write enlightened building automation systems specifications that ensure owners gets what they want and that the contractors meet the specification.

>Honeywell's Larry Andriunas at the 2016 Niagara Summit. We had a chance to catch up with one of our favorite people at the 2016 Niagara Summit Product Showcase. Honeywell's Larry Andriunas is the "Controls guy..Controls Guy". Larry grew up working with his father's HVAC and integrator business. Larry knows first hand how important quality products and great customer support are to systems integrators. Larry, winner of the 2015 ControlTrends PID Award, helps Honeywell stay on top of their Smart Buildings control game. Larry gives us the 411 on Niagara 4 and how Honeywell is making the most of this new version of Niagara.

Click here to subscribe to the Podcast in ITunes.

The post ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast for Week Ending July 3, 2016 appeared first on ControlTrends.

ControlTalk NOW for week ending June 26, 2016 takes a deeper dive into Realcomm/IBcon 2016 with Marc Petock joining us as co-host. Our first special guest was Intelligent Buildings' Co-founder, Intelligent Buildings, Tom Shircliff, who shares his insight into some of the new technologies displayed at the show — soon to impact the industry, and the increased emphasis on water. Cyber security must be elevated to an organization's highest priority, and physical measures, often overlooked, are of extreme importance to an effective cyber security program.

Our next guest was Jeff Houpt, President and CEO at Automation Integrated, LLC, (AI) one of the premiere Master Systems Integrators in the country. The age of Analytics is upon us, in the very real sense, because analytics are the currency of the future that will provide so much value to the property managers. AI is launching Blue Forge its latest IoT application, which will change the analytic landscape.

Our next guest was Shaun Klann, Executive Vice President, ‎Intelligent Buildings. Shaun clarified that the least expensive tenant to acquire is an existing tenant, and that by extended environmental control to occupants will enhance and improve their user experience.

The post Control Talk Now — The Smart Buildings Video Cast and Podcast Live From Silicon Valley appeared first on ControlTrends.

ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast for week ending June 19, 2016 continues its coverage of the 2016 Niagara Summit with interviews from Vendors Showcase featuring Blue Ridge Technology's Bill Dunkleberger, Tridium's Emily Weisenesale, DGLogik's Arthur Alter, OME Engineering's Rick Warner, Contemporary Controlss George Thomas, KMC's Richard Newberry, Lynxspring's Chris Ryan, and MRSoluciones' Alfredo Melnik and Carlos Roman. Don't miss ACI's Barry "Flash" Gordon inaugural training event and DOE's investment of $10 Million towards Efficient Lighting Research and Development.

Free Training from ACI This Wednesday. Our friend Barry " Flash" Gordon will be sharing his knowledge about ACI current sensors and switches. This is the first in a series of monthly training sessions from the control pros at ACI, so be sure to check it out. Mark your calendar for Wednesday (6/15) morning at 9 a.m. CST. Just click on this link on the 15th.

Energy Department Invests More than $10 Million in Efficient Lighting Research and Development. Building on the new commitments to the Global Lighting Challenge announced last week during the Clean Energy Ministerial, the Energy Department is announcing funding for nine research and development projects that will support solid-state lighting (SSL) core technology research, product development, and manufacturing research and development.

Tridium's Emily Weisensale Shines the Spotlight on Tridium's Niagara Marketplace. Emily Weisensale, Product Manager for the Niagara Marketplace, updates the ControlTrends Community on the growth of Tridium's newest innovation — the Niagara Marketplace — a groundbreaking website that connects businesses looking to harness the power of the Internet of Things (IoT), with the experts who make it happen.

BlueRidge Technologies Lights Up The Niagara Summit Product Showcase with a New Product. We caught up with our friend Bill Dunkleberger from Blue Ridge Technologies at the 2016 Vendor Showcase. Bill and his team provide a very powerful and easy to use lighting solution. Blue Ridge has developed an approach called Unified Lighting Control. Unified Lighting Control completes the BAS, incorporating lighting and HVAC controls on the same network. This network consolidation eliminates surplus hardware required for stand-alone and gateway lighting control.

Arthur Alter Previews DGLogik's Project Assist 2.0: Making the Invisible Visible — Affordably. So what are you going to do with all that data that you can pump out of Niagara N4? How are you going to get it in a format that is easy to see, easy to understand, easy to normalize, easy to install, and easy to customize, at a cost that is easy on the budget? The "Men in Black" aka the DGLogik team have the products and answers to these questions, and they were out in full force at the 2016 Niagara Product Showcase. Take a look at their updated Project Assist 2.0.

Rick Warner "Insights from the Innovator" at the 2016 Niagara Summit. Always a ControlTrends favorite and provider of industry innovation and insight, Rick Warner, PE, LEED BC&D, CEM, DCEP, CXA, EBCP, President & Owner of OME Engineering, aka, The Innovator, shares a few of his takeaways from the 2016 Niagara Summit.

Contemporary Controls Distributor News, June 2016 — The BASautomation Force is Growing! George Thomas and the team at Contemporary Controls have developed one of the most powerful, open Building Automation Systems available in the BAS world — and with its continued investments in next-gen production, technical support, and marketing collateral, Contemporary Controls will keep growing its North American and global markets.

KMC Converges on the 2016 Niagara Summit. What do Dell and Intel have in common? Among other things they both are partners with KMC and the New Commander Smart Buildings Control System that is designed to win the "Race to the Small Space." The Race to the Small Space is a term Kenny and I coined to describe the building automation control solutions, that companies, like KMC, are designing to provide affordable energy management and controls solutions for the over 5 million buildings in the United States that do not have energy management control systems.

Niagara Around the World: Alfredo Melnik and Carlos Roman from Mexico City. Smart Building and Building Automation Controls is taking off in Mexico. With the Building Automation and Smart Buildings Controls Market projected to reach upward of 55 Billion dollars by 2020, Mexico is poised to play a prominent role in this growth. In fact, Mexico's most populous city, has been selected for the Ciudad Creativa Digital (CCD) smart-city development project, and is just one of the many Smart Building/ Smart City/ Smart Home initiatives in

Founder and president George Thomas demonstrates Contemporary Control's updates product portfolio that he and his team make for the systems integrators across the globe. Contemporary Controls designs and manufactures the system building blocks for networking, integrating, and controlling automation processes where performance and reliability are critical. Contemporary Controls' products are built upon open technologies such as ARCNET®, BACnet®, Controller Area Network (CAN), Ethernet, Modbus®, Niagara Framework®, Sedona Framework, and are typically found in building and industrial automation industries.

Richard McElhinney Presents Airmasters' Plant Pro at 2016 Niagara Summit. We caught up with Richard McElhinney from Airmasters. Richard gives an in-depth demo of Plant Pro's alluring and efficient chiller plant optimization controller. Richard McElhinney is a leading systems integrator from "down under" and our "unofficial official" ControlTrends correspondent. A veteran of many campaigns, Richard is a valuable source of information on the trends impacting building automation and the future of Smart Buildings.

Lynxspring's Chris Ryan Flexes Integration Knowledge at the 2016 Niagara Summit. While the potential for using data to improve energy and operational efficiencies is significant, the difficulty of organizing and understanding the data can be challenging. One of the challenges of working with data is it can be very hard to organize and use across different applications. It is stored in different formats, has inconsistent naming conventions and lacks information to describe what it means.

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ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast for week ending June 12, 2016 features a rather deep and dark Cyber Security update from Fred Gordy, and an enlightening interview with Automated Buildings' Ken Sinclair discussing his June edition; next, a look at new technology with Cisco's Digital Ceiling and Optigo Networks' solution to eliminate BACnet complexity; Lynxspring and SkyFoundry offer a combo webinar on Data and Analytics; Functional Devices released a pre-enclosed panel; and don't miss out on Neptronic's special product sample offering — available through ControlTrends!

Cyber Security Expert Fred Gordy Waives the Cyber Security Caution Flag! Censys Device Search Engine Picking Up Exposed Niagara 4 — Wake Up! Thanks once again to Intelligent Buildings' Director of Cyber Security, Fred Gordy, who keeps the global ControlTrends Community and systems integrators current with his Cyber Security updates. Fred is calling for the widest dissemination of this information possible, and for responsible parties, at every level to take immediate actions to eliminate their exposure and safeguard their building against eminent attack. Fred Gordy: "I did a cursory search using Censys device search engine of building control systems and the first systems to pop up were Niagara 4 systems."

Cisco's Digital Ceiling WILL Change the Way You Do Smart Building Controls. Building Automation Systems Integrators, meet your new BAS partner — Cisco. That's right, Cisco. Cisco just might be your new front end, and the ceiling in the building you are working in, right now, might be your new junction box to the future. The lighting world is evolving from the analog world to the digital world and soon, those lights connected to the network, not just for a data path, but also for power, will have temperature, occupancy, and daylight harvesting sensors in them — that will finally bridge the gap between building automation and connected lighting control.

ControlTalk NOW Interview with Ken Sinclair, owner and editor of Automated Buildings. Always an informative experience, Ken Sinclair reviews Automated Buildings' June theme of Measured Variables; Health, Wellbeing, & Productivity. More insight into HVAC by engineers and HVAC by Behavioral Experts that are driving the $3-$30-$300 metrics, and the realization that the most promising potential value lies in building wellness that leads to greater productivity, greater tenant retention, and less absenteeism. Also, understanding the benefit differences between digital ceilings versus the 24 VDC ceiling (Edison wins the current war after all, though Tesla has scheduled a return bout) and much more!

30 Minutes with Lynxspring Webinar Series — Data and Analytics by Lynxspring and SkyFoundry. 30 Minutes with Lynxspring Webinar Series Presents: Data and Analytics. The next "30 Minutes with Lynxspring," our monthly webinar series featuring Lynxspring subject-matter experts and special guests, is scheduled for Wednesday, June 15th at 12:00 PM CDT. This month's installment looks at Data and Analytics. Data and analytics are changing the way companies in EVERY industry do business and manage business. And yes, it is changing ours — it's changing the way buildings and facilities are managed and operated.

Optigo — The New Way to Cut through BACnet Complexity. As IoT continues to intersect with the Smart Buildings Controls Industry, more and more new players are showing up in our space with proven solutions that will work well in our applications. Ken and I had the chance to connect with just such a company, Optigo Networks. We had the privilege of speaking with their CEO Pook-Ping Yao. We were very impressed with Ping and his product solutions. Check out the video below to see the elegance and efficiency of the of the Optigo Connect network solution.

A Special Offer From Neptronic at the 2016 Niagara Summit. We had a chance to catch up with Biagio Delorenzio and Luis Melgares from Neptronic at the 2016 Niagara Summit. Great stuff from our innovative friends in Canada. As you can see in the video, the TUCB is a very flexible universal wall mount controller with built-in temperature sensor and scheduler. The unit is designed for simple and accurate control of a heat pump or other heating/cooling equipment. Its field configurable algorithms enable versatile implementation of required control sequences. but what is even more impressive is the new TRLG 24. The TRLG 24 takes al that is good about the TUCB and adds an on board humidity and CO2 sensor.

Functional Devices — Innovation at the Panel Level. Nick Walker at the 2016 Niagara Summit Vendor Show. Functional Devices — Innovation at the Panel Level 2016 Niagara Summit Vendor Show. Nick Walker, Strategic Account Manager for Functional Devices walks the ControlTrends Community through the new MHP pre-enclosed enclosure series that features a 100 VA (or (2) 100 VA) transformers along with with a convenience outlet and a polymetal or perforated back drop. Functional Devices products are a contractors' best friend — offering savings in installation time and money for all of your building automation projects.

The post ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast for Week Ending June 12, 2016 appeared first on ControlTrends.

ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending June 5, 2016 provides a full range of HVAC and Building Automation events and information, beginning with the Roger Rebennack Experience, followed by industry updates, and interviews with SysMik’s Patrick McCurdy, BASSG’s Alper Üzmezler, sensorFact’s Matt Horton, ACI’s Mya Holzemer, Belimo Training, KMC Controls training, J2 Innovation’s FIN 4.0, Ken Sinclair’s Automated Buildings, June edition, EasyIO’s new FW14 and product road map, Brad White’s Trillion Dollar Opportunity, and Eagle Technology’s CMMS solution.

Honeywell’s Roger Rebennack Experience — held over the Memorial Holiday weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway — where over 80 Honeywell customers from all parts of North America joined Roger, Honeywell, and 350,000 racing fans for the spectacular 100th Anniversary Run of the Indy 500. This 3-day extravaganza is unrivaled, mixing the thrill of the greatest race of the year with two concerts, the Indy 500 museum, celebrities, and life-long memories. Contact your Honeywell distributor or representative today and get your engines started for next year’s Roger Rebennack Experience at the incomparable Indy 500. Special thanks to Jackson Controls for their generous assistance in helping to host this fabulous event!

SysMik — Standing at the Forefront of Technology and Innovation — Delivering Control Products for Infrastructure, Buildings, and Energy. ControlTrends had the opportunity to interview one of the most impressive manufacturers at the 2016 Niagara Summit Vendor Showcase, SysMik GmbH. An established leader of control products for over 25 years, SysMik stands at the forefront of technology and innovation. Based in Germany, SysMik products are carefully designed by their experienced engineering team and manufactured under highest quality standards.

Free Belimo Training: Sizing and Selecting Control Valves Made Easy. Learn from the Control Pros at Belimo. Danielle Breece, Product Specialist, Sales Tools: SelectPro – Sizing and Selection Made Easy. In this 30 minute webinar, you will learn about the newly enhanced SelectPro version 3.2. SelectPro allows you to quickly and accurately size and select valves, actuators, and replacement solutions. New features for this tool include: updated valve module interface, new quote generator export option & reference documents tab, the ability to save contact profiles and more! Join Danielle on Wednesday, June 8 at 1:00 EDT.

Breaking News FIN 4.0 is Here! A very cool and powerful version of FIN has hit the streets. Check out FIN 4.0 and see just how the complete BAS/BOS Framework from J2 leverages tagging and data modeling. How it implements responsive web design and a mobile first focus utilizes browser based tools and embracing the HTML5 standard, allowing full application suite functionality across all devices Fin makes it faster, easier, and better than ever before. Click here to find out more.

Get to the Edge with the New Controller from BASSG.he original “Young Gun”, Alper Üzmezler, managing partner and chief innovator at BASSG Graphics, shows us BASSG’s new Edge controller at the 2016 Niagara Summit Product showcase. This powerful little controller packs a big punch. Among other things it includes: Visualytik (HTML5 drag and drop visualization engine with block programming), EAC Engine (Optimization engine in which it will consume live, historical and analytics data and write to real-time controls), Analytics Engine, and a Sedona Realtime control engine.

Ken Sinclair’s Automated Buildings June Theme — Measured Variables: Health, Wellbeing, & Productivity. Automated Buildings’ Ken Sinclair’s June theme delivers well-explained reasons why we need to re-zero our IoT aim towards the bigger target area: “There is a “3-30-300” rule of thumb that organizations typically spend approximately $3 per square foot per year for utilities, $30 for rent, and $300 for payroll. While these figures are just archetypes, they are useful in providing an order of magnitude between the three areas of expenditure.” Seems simple enough. The growing contextualization within the space, allows for greater productivity within the space, and our driven effort to emphasize and realize greater energy savings, while not misguided, is only the tip of the value iceberg.

EasyIO’s New FW 14 Controller and Product Road Map! EasyIO — Coming to a Building Near You! The product hits from EasyIO keep coming! Magic Mike Marston (aka, Mad Mike Marston) released this EasyIO product road map featuring the FW14 Controller, with live Wiresheets, BACnet, and P2P over WiFi, to update the ControlTrends Community on what EasyIO has in store for the remainder of 2016. And see below for what’s coming in 2017! Additionally, EasyIO will be releasing these new software features for 2016: Adapter Widgets, Dashboard, Support for Amazon Echo, and Support for Blynk (Android & IPhone).

ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast and Podcast for week ending June 5, 2016 provides a full range of HVAC and Building Automation events and information, beginning with the Roger Rebennack Experience, followed by industry updates, and interviews with SysMik's Patrick McCurdy, BASSG's Alper Üzmezler, sensorFact's Matt Horton, ACI's Mya Holzemer, Belimo Training, KMC Controls training, J2 Innovation's FIN 4.0, Ken Sinclair's Automated Buildings, June edition, EasyIO's new FW14 and product road map, Brad White's Trillion Dollar Opportunity, and Eagle Technology's CMMS solution.

Honeywell's Roger Rebennack Experience — held over the Memorial Holiday weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway — where over 80 Honeywell customers from all parts of North America joined Roger, Honeywell, and 350,000 racing fans for the spectacular 100th Anniversary Run of the Indy 500. This 3-day extravaganza is unrivaled, mixing the thrill of the greatest race of the year with two concerts, the Indy 500 museum, celebrities, and life-long memories. Contact your Honeywell distributor or representative today and get your engines started for next year's Roger Rebennack Experience at the incomparable Indy 500. Special thanks to Jackson Controls for their generous assistance in helping to host this fabulous event!

SysMik — Standing at the Forefront of Technology and Innovation — Delivering Control Products for Infrastructure, Buildings, and Energy. ControlTrends had the opportunity to interview one of the most impressive manufacturers at the 2016 Niagara Summit Vendor Showcase, SysMik GmbH. An established leader of control products for over 25 years, SysMik stands at the forefront of technology and innovation. Based in Germany, SysMik products are carefully designed by their experienced engineering team and manufactured under highest quality standards.

Free Belimo Training: Sizing and Selecting Control Valves Made Easy. Learn from the Control Pros at Belimo. Danielle Breece, Product Specialist, Sales Tools: SelectPro – Sizing and Selection Made Easy. In this 30 minute webinar, you will learn about the newly enhanced SelectPro version 3.2. SelectPro allows you to quickly and accurately size and select valves, actuators, and replacement solutions. New features for this tool include: updated valve module interface, new quote generator export option & reference documents tab, the ability to save contact profiles and more! Join Danielle on Wednesday, June 8 at 1:00 EDT.

Breaking News FIN 4.0 is Here! A very cool and powerful version of FIN has hit the streets. Check out FIN 4.0 and see just how the complete BAS/BOS Framework from J2 leverages tagging and data modeling. How it implements responsive web design and a mobile first focus utilizes browser based tools and embracing the HTML5 standard, allowing full application suite functionality across all devices Fin makes it faster, easier, and better than ever before. Click here to find out more.

Get to the Edge with the New Controller from BASSG.he original "Young Gun", Alper Üzmezler, managing partner and chief innovator at BASSG Graphics, shows us BASSG's new Edge controller at the 2016 Niagara Summit Product showcase. This powerful little controller packs a big punch. Among other things it includes: Visualytik (HTML5 drag and drop visualization engine with block programming), EAC Engine (Optimization engine in which it will consume live, historical and analytics data and write to real-time controls), Analytics Engine, and a Sedona Realtime control engine.

Ken Sinclair's Automated Buildings June Theme — Measured Variables: Health, Wellbeing, & Productivity. Automated Buildings' Ken Sinclair's June theme delivers well-explained reasons why we need to re-zero our IoT aim towards the bigger target area: "There is a "3-30-300" rule of thumb that organizations typically spend approximately $3 per square foot per year for utilities, $30 for rent, and $300 for payroll. While these figures are just archetypes, they are useful in providing an order of magnitude between the three areas of expenditure." Seems simple enough. The growing contextualization within the space, allows for greater productivity within the space, and our driven effort to emphasize and realize greater energy savings, while not misguided, is only the tip of the value iceberg.

EasyIO's New FW 14 Controller and Product Road Map! EasyIO — Coming to a Building Near You! The product hits from EasyIO keep coming! Magic Mike Marston (aka, Mad Mike Marston) released this EasyIO product road map featuring the FW14 Controller, with live Wiresheets, BACnet, and P2P over WiFi, to update the ControlTrends Community on what EasyIO has in store for the remainder of 2016. And see below for what's coming in 2017! Additionally, EasyIO will be releasing these new software features for 2016: Adapter Widgets, Dashboard, Support for Amazon Echo, and Support for Blynk (Android & IPhone).

KMC Controls Training Class. On June 20-24, 2016 KMC Controls in New Paris, IN will hold a KMC Connect with TotalControl training class. The objective of this 5-day course is to provide instruction on the installation, integration, and operation of KMC Connect and TotalControl software. KMC Connect will provide configuration and operator workstation options for Building Automation Systems using KMC Conquest hardware (and earlier versions) in a BACnet environment. TotalControl provides an enterprise level connectivity and Internet accessible facility management resource for customers.

Brad White, SES Consulting's "The Trillion Dollar Opportunity in Transforming Existing Buildings." The $3/$30/$300 sq ft rule was the predominant theme in the June, 2016 edition of Ken Sinclair's Automated Buildings. Brad White, SES Consulting, offers yet another compelling economic case for directing more of our efforts to the $300 variable in the equation. A 5% improvement in productivity represents a tremendous savings, while making employees more comfortable and our buildings better. Truly, an emerging trend as IoT delivers more relevant contextualization into the Building Renaissance and the Smart, Connected, and Intelligent Building formula.

Take Control of your Manufacturing Maintenance with Proteus MMX CMMS (Comprehensive Maintenance Management Software) Solution. Proteus MMX is a web-hosted maintenance management software solution which integrates asset management, maintenance management, inventory, labor and purchasing functions for improved scheduling, cost reduction, resource planning and more. This powerful solution has mobile capabilities for users who want to access CMMS software anytime, from any location. SIGN-UP FOR LIVE WEBINAR June 8th @ 10am CT.

sensorFact's Matt Horton at the 2016 Niagara Summit: Data Acquisition Solutions for Your Building Control Sensors. Making its debut appearance at 2016 Niagara Vendor Product Showcase, sensorFact is a cloud based data acquisition and storage service for sensor data. It allows you to send sensor data from your location, through our pointCollex technology or directly to their pointCollex API, to your account in sensorFact. Once there, you can name, organize, tag, monitor, and choose which sensors whose data you want to store long-term. Further, your sensor data is available for you to share or integrate with other systems.

ACI's Sales Engineer, Mya Holzemer at the 2016 Niagara Summit Vendor Showcase. Mya Holzemer, Sales Engineer at Automation Components, Inc., reviewed some of ACI's new contractor-friendly products designed to deliver a better sensor solution that shortens the installation time, as well as eases the effort necessary for installation. New products featured the sensor enclosure with a hinged cover that eliminates the need ofr screws, and the WPR2 wet-wet, differential pressure transmitter, that reduces the amount of copper needed and eliminates the manifold valve assembly. Visit ACI's product and training videos for more information!

The post ControlTalk NOW — Smart Buildings VideoCast for Week Ending June 5, 2016 appeared first on ControlTrends.

Another apex moment in the Smart Buildings Controls Renaissance movement, where over 1300 of the world's top developers, programmers, building owners, engineers and executives have joined Nino DiCosmo and the Tridium staff to participate in forums, presentations and breakout sessions that will set the precedence and pace in the realm of smart, intelligent, and connected buildings. Over 300 developer partners participated in the future of Niagara 4 at the Boot Camp session. The evening Welcome Reception was kicked off in true Mardi Gras fashion with a police-escort led parade ending at the fabulous Champions Square.

Nino DiCosmo, President and General Manager, opened DAY 2 by delivering a compelling Keynote message on just how deep the technology disruption goes and his vision of the Niagara Communities' opportunities to fully leverage technology, achieve operational excellence, and develop new revenue streams. John Sublett, Chief Technology Officer, was next up, commenting "We will be integrating the key technologies for you — that's the power of an open system" and Pranay Prakash, Vice President, Product Marketing, followed with "Edge and cloud technologies will completely change the IoT game and we want to lead this transformation."

See all the highlights at ControlTrends.com