Everyone is thinking about energy management these days. Who can blame them?

With energy costs soaring, implementing some form of energy use reduction is fast
becoming essential. But for those managing smaller buildings, installing an energy
management system can be hard to rationalize in terms of up-front costs. The return on
investment ith a traditional system may take years to realize, so, often, energy
management falls by the ayside. !n addition, concerns about business disruption during
an installation feed resistance by building oners toards implementing an E"#. The
perception remains that E"# is too comple$ and costly for small buildings, and oners
may be reluctant to commit to it.
With ireless energy management, hoever, saving energy costs can become a reality-
not sometime, but this fiscal %uarter. Wireless systems offer a group of advantages that
make installation feasible in a far ider range of buildings than is the case ith
traditional hard-ired systems.
The overhelming ma&ority of commercial buildings in use today are smaller buildings'
()* of commercial buildings in the +nited #tates are beteen ,,--- and (,--- s%uare
feet. Even in sectors here average s%uare footage tends to be higher, median building
sizes are still fairly small' the median size of +# educational facilities is .,--- s%uare
feet, hile lodging facilities average a ,/,(-- s%uare foot median size. #maller
commercial spaces thus represent the single largest building automation and energy
retrofit market.
Wireless energy management systems, consisting of fle$ible configurations of sensors,
controls, and submetering devices, solve many of the issues that hold facilities managers
and oners back from installing an E"#'
Affordability' Wireless is significantly more affordable to install than a hard-ired
solution. !t eliminates the hours of labor needed to pull miles of ire, often reducing
costs to a %uarter of hat a hard-ired installation ould run.
Speed and Convenience: With higher ease of installation come not only loered
costs, but also reduced to no dontimes for building occupants0 daily operations.
!nstallations can go forard ithout having to move people out of their offices or
rooms. They can also be completed in a very timely manner. !ndeed, many
installations can be done ithin a fe days, so energy management can be
implemented ithin eeks of getting the go-ahead to proceed.
Flexibility: With the groth of ireless technology over the past several years,
applications can no fit a ide range of buildings and business goals. The
strongest feature of ireless mesh netorking in an energy management
application is its scalability' a fe sensing devices and a single control module can
be installed in a small retail store, or hundreds of nodes and scores of controls can
be used throughout a college campus. #ystems can also be installed on a trial
basis in part of a building, so if management ants to test out a system before
committing to a full installation, ireless makes it fully possible to start small.
1dditional devices can be added to the trial installation at any time and ill
integrate seamlessly ith the e$isting components.
Reliability: 1dvances in technology, including #pinave0s patent-pending 1)
fre%uency agility 2available in the 1) product line3, and long battery life, mean that
ireless mesh functions dependably, in structures of all sizes. "esh netorking0s
noted ability to self-form and self-heal further enhances this reliability. Wireless
mesh has performed reliably in virtually every type of commercial building,
including hotels, restaurants, transportation facilities, commercial offices, health
care facilities, and historic structures.
"ost energy management systems being planned today are retrofits4 ireless is the
technology that often makes these installations possible. !nstalling a ired energy
management system is fre%uently prohibitive in terms of costs, as ell as disruption to
business. 5o one has the time to inconvenience their staff for e$tended periods of time
hile ires are run throughout a multi-story building. The dontime is &ust not practical.
1nd for some installations, it0s simply impossible. There is no ay to shut don parts of an
assisted living facility hile retrofits take place, for e$ample. 6onstruction materials
themselves often mandate the use of a ireless solution. 7ver 8-* of hotels in the +# are
constructed of concrete, for instance, making ired products very difficult to install.
Wireless sensors and controls make energy management installations feasible in a number
of buildings here nothing else ould be possible.
1s ireless technology becomes more idely adopted, the potential e$ists to dramatically
reduce the energy consumption of commercial buildings. #maller buildings can no be a
part of this transformation, as ireless technology0s fle$ibility and affordability make energy
management more possible on an unprecedented level.
1bout #pinave #ystems0 Wireless Energy "anagement
#pinave #ystems0 ireless energy management system has been specifically designed to
be scalable to many different size buildings, from relatively small commercial facilities to
large industrial and residential properties.
The netork features a large possible mesh size' up to .( full function devices plus
,(- reduced function devices.
Broser-based remote configuration and maintenance for convenient real-time
monitoring and remote system control.
#elf-forming netork is easy to start up.
!ntegrates to open protocol automation systems via "odbus 9T+ and "odbus T6:
#elf-healing mesh makes the netork outstandingly reliable.
#pinave0s energy management products consist of'
Wireless Controls: Wireless !;7 modules are available ith / analog inputs;/ relay
outputs, 8 analog inputs;8 analog outputs, 8 analog inputs;,) relay outputs, and )/
analog inputs. The ireless !;7 modules are connected through #pinave<s
ireless gateay to open protocol automation systems via "odbus.
Wireless Thermostat Controller: The ireless thermostat controller is a drop-in
replacement for almost any e$isting non-communicating thermostat. 1 full-function
ireless mesh device ith integrated radio, it can be configured to control heat
pump systems, and gas;oil systems ith add-on cooling.
Wireless Sensors: Wireless temperature and relative humidity sensors are battery-
poered, ith an available optional poer supply. They are available ith or
ithout =6> and button array4 ith internal or e$ternal sensor. =6>;button versions
support the display of all measured variables, set-point ad&ustment 2temperature
and relative humidity3, override, and offer / programmable buttons. 1dditionally the
=6>;button versions have an integrated site survey tool function. !n this mode, the
display ill sho the 9? link %uality at the sensor<s position.
Wireless Gateway: 6onsists of a radio module ith integrated antenna and a =inu$-
based embedded gateay. The gateay features an embedded Web server for
broser-based ireless mesh netork configuration, commissioning, and
maintenance. @ou can configure the energy management system ith &ust a Web
broser.
Wireless Modbs RT! Radio: The radio features a "odbus 9T+ port, hich allos
users to irelessly enable e$isting "odbus devices, including'
o:oer meters
o#ensors
o6ontrollers
oAB16 e%uipment
The "odbus radio enables the use of a broad number of devices in a ireless automation
or energy management system. 1dding the "odbus radio to e$isting device installations
greatly e$pands control capabilities. !ncreases functionality, and allos the collection of
more building and energy usage data