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

This week's Podcast of ControlTalk NOW is sponsored by Platinum Sponsors Delta Controls and CopperTree Analytics. CTN makes a case for the rebound of the local distributors as the Amazon Law gets more teeth and residents will pay either sales tax or use tax, but the States insist, they will have their money. Intelligent Building Tips; Target's Cyber attack update; Video of KMC's SimplyVAV; EasyIO's Madrid Conference and Mike Marston's interview take center stage; 2013 CTA PID Award Winners; DOE's Framework for Connected Equipment; and would you believe — the Water Whistleblower APP.

Delta Controls. Do it Right! Delta Controls is one of the largest independent manufacturers of building automation systems with more than 300 installers in over 80 countries. For more than 3 decades Delta Controls has offered dependable and user-friendly building control solutions to commercial, healthcare, education, leisure buildings and more. As industry leaders, our track record includes delivering the world's first fully integrated native BACnet building solution encompassing HVAC, Lighting and Access products.

For more than 30 years CopperTree's parent companies Delta Controls (one of the largest independent building controls manufacturers) and ESC (Western Canada's largest building systems integrator) have been at the forefront of creating SMART buildings. Long before 'sustainable' was a buzz word the founders were involved in energy audits and consulting; and so it was a natural extension to create CopperTree in response to the growing demand for building energy management services.

Target Estimates Data Breach at $148 Million. Read Target's Updates on Security and Technology Enhancements: The 2013 Target data breach is a permanent and important reference point in hacking history. According to the Forbes and The Associated Press news releases last week, Target has estimated their hacking losses at $148 million, minus a $38 million insurance receivable (about 11 cents a share). Still being calculated are the damages to Target's reputation, profits, and a host of lawsuits, not to mention the negative impact the breach has had on Target's expansion into Canada.

How KMC Makes VAV Control Simple: Simple to set up, with no software needed, this controller is powerful and functions equally as well as a stand-alone solution or the VAV controller of choice on a BACnet full-blown control system. The SimplyVAV series of controllers are an easy and unique approach to operating a wide variety of VAV terminal units. The integrated actuators, internal airflow sensors, and wide variety of application programs make these BACnet Application Specific controllers ideal for either new or retrofit installations.

EASYIO's Annual Conference in Madrid, Spain! Sep 15-17, 2014, World Event Agenda Update: Get ahead with EasyIO, see the latest Energy Saving Controls solutions, all leading edge and leading the way, as you would expect from EasyIO. At the same time, relax and enjoying yourselves with your friends from EasyIO. We will be joined by some great sponsors and media coverage by Controltrends from the USA. We haven't seen your submission to our event yet, but we would be delighted to meet you in Madrid. Review our updated agenda! New EasyIO VAV Initiatives; Simply VAV and Belimo MP integration on FG; Product Road Map for EasyIO; BACnet Client & Enocean Integration/Peripherals show demo; Improvements in CPT; New programming editor and a new Project based Engineering approach; Video Streaming and src embedded Web page and html5, in FG. An overview of EasyIO training plans and certification; and much more.

September RACA Interview with Mike Marston, Co-Owner of EasyIO Holdings Pte Ltd. What trends can be picked up on the global BMS market? What's new? IT is changing the BMS world, for the better. More and more IP based Controllers are now being connected to the IT Infrastructure in a Building, as the barrier of RS 485 twisted pair cable being cheaper, seems to be finally changing. IT professionals know that so much more can be achieved through Ethernet cable and IT infrastructure, such as, fast online programming, real time, and with the old ways of compile, download and 'pray'!

ControlTrends Award HighLight: The PID Award. Congratulations to Ed Merwin from Tridium and Mike Marston from Easy IO, co winners of the 2013 ControlTrends PID Award. The PID Award is an honor bestowed on an individual(s) that consistently exhibit the qualities of Professionalism, Integrity, and Dedication and voted on by the world wide ControlTrends community.

August DOE Release: A Framework for Characterizing Connected Equipment. For those of the ControlTrends Community following the most recent DOE referee guidance concerning the direction and pace of technological innovation in the Smart Grid industry, which includes "the dynamic management of residential and commercial building end-use loads," brought about by the increasing connectivity available within the residential and commercial space, and/or the ability to control the equipment externally/remotely, this August 2014, DOE, EERE, Building Technologies Program report, articulates and illustrates, very succinctly, the intelligent minutiae being used to unfold the inevitable universality and implementation of the Smart Grid.

Water Whistleblower APP — Meet EveryDrop – A Water Conservation Platform. Light Litter is Next! We are still wondering how long it will take for Light Litter to become a serious matter of national importance, and by what means could we begin to remedy it — not only because it's a terrible waste of energy and money (tax money, mostly), but also because it's completely fixable. Public patience with wasting water, at least in LA, has expired and led to the first known APP to blow the whistle on water abusers. The negative idea of blowing the whistle on thy neighbor is another one of those duller-edge sides of the sword that results from trying to fix collective apathy.

The post ControlTalk Now for the Week Ending August 17, 2014 appeared first on ControlTrends.

HVAC and Building Automation Controls Experts Ken Smyers and Eric Stromquist break down the HVAC, Smart Building and HVAC Control News Of The Week. This episode includes why LED Lighting might not be your best choice.

This week's ControlTalk NOW gives notice of the upcoming HVAC and DDC classes at the new Stromquist Atlanta facility; More highlights of 2013 ControlTrends Awards Winners; More DOE Stimulus money; More excitement builds as Belimo's new facility opens in October; Contemporary Controls and KMC Controls come on as Platinum Sponsors; Marc Petock's Cyber Security update; and Therese Sullivan poses the question, does IoT or OT, hold the pole position?

Stromquist Atlanta Upcoming Classes: The following classes are held at Stromquist at 4620 Atlanta Rd, Atlanta, GA and begin at 7:30 a.m. unless otherwise noted. Prices include training material and certificate of completion, plus continental breakfast and full lunch. For more information contact [email protected]. To register, click the Class Registration tab at the top of the page. Chiller Workshop – August 20-21 focuses on basic operations, maintenance and troubleshooting of chilled water systems. Topics will include basic refrigeration cycle of water chillers; design and overall op-eration of chilled water systems; and more.

ControlTrends Awards Highlight— The 2013 HVAC Controls Vendor of the Year: Congratulations to Johnson Controls winner of the 2013 ControlTrends HVAC Controls Vendor of The Year. Johnson Controls was selected by the world wide ControlTrends Community to receive the 2013 HVAC Vendor of the Year honor. Johnson Controls is about creating Comfortable Environments! Message from JCI: Every one of our HVAC controls is created with one thought in mind – to keep people comfortable.

Belimo is Moving! Place Your September Orders by Aug 1st — Aug 15th, 2014 and get 60-Day Payment Terms! Belimo Americas headquarters will move to a new energy-efficient facility located at 33 Turner Road, Danbury, Connecticut. Place your September orders by August 1st through August 15th, 2014 and we will provide you 60-day payment terms to encourage early ordering. To maintain delivery schedules during the move, production lines will relocate in stages from September 8 through 30.

ControlTrends Awards Highligh — The 2013 Building Application of The Year: Congratulations to DG Logik for winning the 2013 Building Application of the Year. DG Logik's graphics and analytics package, DG Lux, is used by building automation controls professionals and end users across the globe. DGLogik, Inc., provides innovative IoT software solutions that enable and visualize the (IoT) Internet of Things. DGLogik products illustrate the internet of things by allowing users to easily interact data from diverse IoT devices and building automation controls devices that allow owners to better manage cost and energy efficiency.

Energy Department Invests $6 Million to Increase Building Energy Code Compliance Rates: The Building Technologies Office (BTO) has awarded $6 million to fund projects that will: Measure current residential energy code compliance rate using a methodology that provides statewide results with 90% reliability; Implement an education, training, and outreach program designed to increase residential building energy code compliance; and Measure the post-program residential building energy code compliance rate using the same methodology employed in the pre-program study.

Therese Sullivan Asks — How do You Spell IoT Smart Building Analytics? All the Big IT companies are running campaigns touting their role in the coming Internet of Things (IoT) computing era. A common vision is that software, particularly mobile apps, will reign supreme over embedded systems-on-a-chip, sensors, wireless communications and other components making more of the physical world digitally addressable. But, it is building automation and control firms – sometimes called OT, or operations technology companies – that have had to slog through decades of navigating relationships with big equipment makers to tap silo-ed data and do the necessary integration.

Contemporary Controls — Your Ideal Partner for Applying Network Technology to Automation Projects: ControlTrends is delighted to announce that Contemporary Controls will be a Platinum Sponsor for the 2014 ControlTrends Awards at the 2015 AHR Show in Chicago. Contemporary Controls is a leading manufacturer of Industrial, Building, and Commercial Automation Components; Communication and Network Devices; and Building Automation Controllers. George Thomas and Contemporary Controls are ready to assist with your next project!

KMC Controls is on the Move! Joins 2014 ControlTrends Awards as Platinum Sponsors: ControlTrends thanks KMC Controls for their 2014 ControlTrends Awards Platinum Sponsorship! A little bit about KMC: Since 1969, KMC Controls has been helping facilities achieve higher levels of indoor environmental quality and energy efficiency by automating and controlling building systems. KMC innovations include pneumatic and electronic control devices for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) applications; a complete line of fully programmable digital hardware and intuitive software for local and remote web-based facility management.

Executive Briefing — Cybersecurity — Points That Need to be Part of the Conversation: By Marc Petock, Vice President, Marketing, Lynxspring, Inc. Today's connected business world means there are thousands of entry points in and out of companies. The truth is that network security does not work as well as we thought. Hacks, breaches, vulnerabilities, threats we can't ignore them. They are undesired events. Cyber threats are changing constantly. Threats are targeted, and they continue to get even more targeted. It used to be a virus was thrown out there and whomever it hit, it hit.

ControlTalk NOW will continue to provide a weekly episode featuring the people, products, and the News of the Week shaping our world of controls, building automation, and the HVAC industry.

The post ControlTalk Now for the Week Ending August 10, 2014 appeared first on ControlTrends.

This week's ControlTalk NOW reveals the progress of important trends affecting the status quo of our industry beginning with the growing Project Haystack community and their 501-(c)(6) status; DGLux5 is out of the Box; Belimo retrofits your next project; hugs inside Bank of America, more OME Facility Solutions, click and mortar changes in the distribution business; interview with Siemens' Adnan Akbari; DOE dollars are flowing; COMFY media; and a must watch ControlTalk 2.0 and Johnson Controls Tech Talk session with Chris Lane and Matt Krieger.

John Petze Delivers Project-Haystack 501-(c) (6) Status Announcement at IBcon 2014: John Petze, a leading spokesperson for Project-Haystack, the open source initiative focused on developing semantic modeling conventions and taxonomies for smart device data today, announced the formation of a 501-C6 Corporation made possible by its founding members: Airmaster, J2 Innovations, Lynxspring, Siemens, SkyFoundry, Wattstopper, and Yardi.

Therese Sullivan Reviews DGLux5 Training – Hop Aboard the Future Express: It's easy to bat around the term "Internet of Things." But until you're in a room full of interface designers trying to make the implied thousands and thousands of connections visible and manageable—you don't appreciate what it means. I came to this realization while attending the 3-day DGLux5 Introductory training course last week near San Francisco. It's also now clear why the DGLogik brand mascot is a futuristic space-traveler: the DGLux5 users in that room were well on their way to defining how building operations will be accomplished tomorrow.

Smart Building Story: Bank of America Plaza Atlanta — Atlanta's Architectural Masterpiece: This ControlTrends' Smart Building Story takes an in-depth look at the Bank of America Plaza Atlanta — Atlanta's Architectural Masterpiece and the remarkable open systems success delivered by the Stromquist Company and John Smith, Honeywell WEBs-AX Systems Integrator with Mallory & Evans Service. Parkway Realty's Alan Winfrey explains the course of action taken and the reason why they chose Honeywell when their existing controls system reached its end-of-life and needed the best open-systems upgrade available — one that offered the owners and tenants the greatest value and most flexible solution.

The Innovator meets the Optimizer

Belimo Free Webinar Today at 11:00AM EST: Introduction to Retrofitting Globe Valves Introduction to Retrofitting Globe Valves: In this free Belimo webinar, you will gain an understanding of how to retrofit globe valves. The New Generation Globe Valve Actuators incorporate not only strength, but flexibility too. Engineered to suit a broad range of HVAC applications, these new actuators and retrofit linkages are highly adaptable making selection, installation and service hassle-free.

Siemens Features Advantage Navigator at IBCON 2014 — and goes CTA Platinum! Adnan Akbari, Senior Manager Strategic Marketing, at Siemens Industry, was genuinely excited about Advantage Navigator, the energy management system performance platform that Siemens featured at the IBcon 2014. Advantage Navigator offers a number of energy analytics that take existing Siemens technologies and services to the next level by giving Siemens customers distinct business advantages — making costs easier to predict and delivering key insights into the total energy and operational performance of their buildings — locally, or worldwide.

Energy Department Invests $6 Million to Support Commercial Building Efficiency: The Energy Department's Building Technologies Office (BTO) today announced up to $6 million in funding to deploy and demonstrate four emerging energy-saving technologies in commercial buildings across the country. These projects will help businesses cut energy costs through improved efficiency, while also reducing carbon pollution. Last year, commercial buildings consumed about 20 percent of all energy used in the United States at an estimated cost of nearly $180 billion, and are responsible for 18 percent of total U.S. carbon emissions.

Can't Get Enough of this COMFY Stuff: Where Social Media meets Building Automation Controls As a member of the System Intelligence Redefined panel, Lindsay Baker, VP, Research & Marketing, at Building Robotics, addresses the attendees of the 2014 IBcon Smart HVAC Track with High Tech, High Touch technology from Building Robotics that drives participatory comfort attainment and energy savings. The ultimate compliment to any existing BMS BACnet system, COMFY takes VAV Zone Control to the next level.

Johnson Controls Tech Talk with Chris Lane and Matt Krieger — the Power of FX Appliance Unveiled. Welcome to ControlTalk 2.0 and Johnson Controls Tech Talk with Chris Lane, FX Senior Product Manager along with technical support guru and Product Manager, Matt Krieger, who gives us a very comprehensive hands-on demonstration on one of the best end-to-end DDC solutions in the HVAC Industry that keeps getting better, the Johnson Controls FX Appliance. The FX Appliance is loaded with integration expertise and does a lot of heavy lifting behind the software curtains.

ControlTalk NOW will continue to provide a weekly episode featuring the people, products, and the News of the Week shaping our world of controls, building automation, and the HVAC industry.

The post ControlTalk Now for the Week Ending July 27, 2014 appeared first on ControlTrends.

Welcome back to ControlTalk NOW. This week's edition features interviews and articles with Mike Welch, Control Network Solutions who provides insight to the success (and still untapped potential) of DALI Lighting and the "Up-skilling" of the traditional systems integrator; Ken Sinclair, Automatedbuildings.com explains the origin and evolution of the oBIX Standard; Brian Turner,Controlco, reviews the limits and possibilities of wireless technologies; and OME Facility Solutions', Rick Werner discusses a variety of relevant industry issues. Enjoy.

"Statement on Target Data Breach" Released by Fazio Mechanical. ControlTrends thanks Paul Burke, VP, M&M Controls out of Timonium, MD for passing along Fazio Mechanical's Official Statement on the Target Data Breach. Fazio Mechanical wasn't monitoring any of Target's facilities remotely; rather, the data connection exclusively for (Target's) electronic billing, contract submission and project management.

HVAC Superstars on The Red Carpet at the 2013 ControlTrends Awards: Thanks to Stromquist & Company's, Bill jones, for putting this video together. Our Mr. Jones, was working hard at the ControlTrends Awards to make sure the rest of the world got to see how the HVAC Stars shine.

Watch Bob Light off a Maxon Burner…….Boom!!! Stromquist & Company's Bob Koch demonstrates in a very effective simulation how a typical commercial burner operates, using real and fully functioning parts and pieces (quite professionally, we might add) that create the safest burner environment possible and assure that there is NO BIG BOOM! Bob walks through every aspect of the combustion train, from the main gas pressure and Maxitrol appliance regulators,to the Antunes high-low gas pressure switches, to the MAXON double block and bleed gas safety shutoff valves, to the Honeywell UV scanner and RM7800 series flame safeguard controller with its display module used for start-up and trouble-shooting. Great job Bob!

Lynxspring Adds to JENEsysONE Controller Portfolio with New JO-PC3-MC Controller: February 20, 2014 Lee's Summit, MO – Lynxspring, a premier developer and provider of open platform control solutions for building automation, energy management, cyber security and edge-to-enterprise integration today announced the market availability of the availability of the JENEsysONE JO-PC3-MC controller. JENEsysONE is part of Lynxspring's portfolio of JENEsys® branded internet based automation technology and edge to enterprise solutions for Building Automation, Energy Management, Cyber Security, Equipment Control and Specialty Applications.

2013 ControlTrends Awards Highlight: Honeywell wins Building Automation System of The Year Sean Johnson interviews Honeywell's Tom Rosback after Tom received the coveted 2013 ControlTrends Awards Building Automation System of the Year on behalf of Honeywell at the BB King Blues Club. Congratulations to Honeywell!

Ken Sinclair, Building Automation's Emeritus Extraordinare, Shares Deep Insight on ControlTalk NOW: Thanks once again to Ken Sinclair for appearing on this week's ControlTalk Now. This video is the just 12 minute segment of Ken's part of the show. Please watch — and share this video with others, so that our industry may better understand and appreciate what Ken Sinclair, and his wife Jane and automatedbuildings.com has done, and continues to do, for our industry.

Johnson Controls Reaches Out to All Distributors: MERCURY THERMOSTAT COLLECTION: Subject: MERCURY THERMOSTAT COLLECTION. Johnson Controls requests your support to establish a collection point at all your business locations for waste mercury containing thermostats. Dear Distributor: Johnson Controls requests your support to establish a collection point at all your business locations for waste mercury containing thermostats. All states require the proper handling of waste mercury containing thermostats in accordance with state and federal "universal wastes" regulations in order to streamline their collection and transport. Furthermore, many states have gone beyond the federal requirements and are requiring thermostat manufacturers to implement collection programs.

Niagara Summit 2014 Powered By Possibilities! Did We Mention it's in Vegas? This is one event Niagara users can't miss. In Vegas, baby! Tracks: Business // Applications // Developer // Technology Trends. What can you expect from the Niagara Summit? Amazing keynotes from industry leaders and experts. Relevant and helpful brainstorming sessions. Valuable networking opportunities. Thoughtful discussions about next-generation solutions for automation infrastructure technology. Did we mention it's in Vegas? REGISTER NOW!

Chattanooga has the World's Only "Innovation Accelerator" — GIGTANK and Next-Gen Businesses. February 24, 2014: DOE believes an "All of the Above" Energy strategy must be pursued with an "All of the Above" Innovation Strategy. As we have demonstrated through our investments in fundamental research and development, ambitious deployments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and public-driven activities like the American Energy Data Challenge, we are committed to supporting public and private innovation to build a smarter, cleaner and more resilient grid.

WattStopper Introduces Their NEW Wireless RF Occupancy Sensors & Switches: WattStopper is pleased to announce the launch of their new Wireless RF Occupancy Sensors and Switches, available individually or in kits. The following marketing tools and resources are available: Flyer, WattStopper.com, and Press Release.

ControlTalk NOW's first guest, Mike Welch from Control Network Solutions (CNS), Global Suppliers of Smart Products and Solutions for Intelligent Buildings since 1996. Mike is bona fide expert and industry leader in Digital Addressable Lighting Interface. CNS is a Niagara AX® Developer, Tridium and Honeywell Partner. It has a successful track record of creating both client specific and off the shelf web based solutions to the SMART buildings control environment world. They are based upon open standards network communication protocols and compatible with the "Internet of Things" (IoT) and demands for "big data" cloud based analytics. CNS is the creator of the world's first web DALI intelligent lighting control solution called elitedali and EnOcean Ethernet wireless/batteryless device network solution called CNS-Enocean.

Johnson Controls' Chris Lane Wins at The 2013 ControlTrends Awards: Congratulations to Chris Lane from Johnson Controls. Chris was Co-winner of the 2013 ControlTrends Best Technical Support Person of The Year. This is quite an honor as Chris was chosen by the world-wide ControlTrends community for his dedication and excellence

Rick Warner Shares His Knowledge on ControlTalk: A special thanks to the very knowledgeable and informative Rick Warner from OME Facility Solutions. Ken and Eric talk to Rick about a variety of relevant topics, from the systems integrator of the future, to the must read book on innovation, to how to find and hire the right talent to be successful in today's competitive building automation, and the DDC controls market. Rick is one of the brightest minds in our industry and we are very grateful for his willingness to share his expertise and insight.

Limits and Possibilities of Wireless Technologies: Exploring this trend with a critical eye Wireless Technologies: Limits In this new digital age, wireless technologies can't help but sound sexy. Where would you be now if you had to plug your computer into an Ethernet cord every time you wanted to watch a movie on Netflix? But while there are extremely useful consumer applications for wireless technologies, building automation systems are not always one of them.

Tim's Tech Tips: Understanding Chiller Surge: "Just the Facts ma'am." No, it's not Joe Friday from the 70's television series Dragnet, it's Stromquist & Company's Tim Chamblee. Tim in addition to being a super star salesman for Stromquist & Company is one of the best trainers in the country.

2013 ControlTrends Awards HighLight: Congratulations to Ed Merwin from Tridium and Mike Marston from Easy IO, co winners of the 2013 ControlTrends PID Award. The PID Award is an honor bestowed on an individual(s) that consistently exhibit the qualities of Professionalism, Integrity, and Dedication by the world wide ControlTrends community. Great job Ed and Mike!

ControlTrends Award Highlight: On The Red Carpet With EASY IO:Check out Mike Marston and the team from Easy IO as they walk the Red Carpet at the 2013 ControlTrends Awards at BB King's Club in New York City. Congratulations to Ed Merwin from Tridium and Mike Marston from Easy IO, co winners of the 2013 ControlTrends PID Award. The PID Award is an honor bestowed on an individual(s) that consistently exhibit the qualities of Professionalism, Integrity, and Dedication by the world wide ControlTrends community.

oBIX Redux, ControlTalk NOW's second guest is AB's Ken Sinclair, who traces the Life Cycle and Refresh Cycle of a XML Standard: It was in January 2002, that automatedbuildings.com first sensed the tremors conveying both the direction and impact (Information Model: The Key to Integration) of the coming IT-quake that the internet and Web Services would have on the building automation industry. AutomatedBuilding's rich archives contain the evolving history of a standard that begins with the Open Letter, and the first oBIX chairman, Paul Ehrlich's interview and continues on to present times, with the 30-day Public Review and oBIX's 1.1 refresh cycle and automatedbuildings.com's contributing editor, Toby Considine's oBIX, Smart TVs, and Commercial Buildings. Make sure you read! "oBIX & Project Haystack — Understanding where each fits."

ControlTalk NOW will continue to provide a weekly episode featuring the people, products, and the News of the Week shaping our world of controls, building automation, and the HVAC industry.

The post ControlTalk NOW for Week Ending March 1, 2014 appeared first on ControlTrends.