Joined up thinking!

Hot uncomfortable classroom

Thinking about a complicated problem in an intelligent way.

Anyone involved in the Buildings Controls Industry will, during their working lives, have been in an office, meeting room or class room and been aware of a proliferation of sensors, thermostats and switches all placed at various points within the same room.

What does this mean?

In all probability it tells us, that there hasn’t been any joined up thinking!

Each piece of control equipment will be working to their own preset agenda. Heating, cooling and ventilation controls all working independently with no interlocks between them.

In fact, it’s not untypical to have the underfloor heating on in a room, pumping out heat, while the natural ventilation louvres are open, trying to manage and control the temperature!

This just doesn’t make sense. Besides the ugly appearance of a ‘forest’ of sensing devices in one room, the challenge of interlocking each sensor and control together so they all work to achieve the desired room temperature becomes evermore difficult – not forgetting the amount of wiring and installation time to wire each device back to the controlling outstation.

Not only is this expensive, with all the individual bits of equipment, materials and installation time, it also adds to the commissioning work load, which as we all know is usually at the tail end of the contract – when time is tight and we have so much to complete and sign things over.

The solution is joined up thinking! to solve this complicated problem in an intelligent way.

i-con-GUI-&-Sensor from Clarkson ControlsClarkson Controls have come up with a solution, by designing and developing the i-con C02 room sensor and i-con graphic user interface (GUI) that together reduce the number of devices required within a room. Making use of simple 2 wire, non-polarised connection to a standard UK, KO switch box – all of which will make the lives of control engineers and installers as simple as possible.

i-con room sensors

The i-con controllers, offer all the algorithms necessary for an ‘orchestrated’ approach to room control, two cores of cable (not six) provide power and communications back to the controller.

The i-con room sensors can be wired in any formation (star, daisy chain) and still give individual data for each room back to the controller and has a simple ‘traffic light’ C02 indicator, with override buttons, which reverts back to Auto after a preset time.

They’ve also made it easier for Installers and the client to understand and use the product. (So often we hear or read that they do not understand the LCD terminology), the i-con GUI is easy to use and understand with a simple up/down, enter/back, scroll through, menu structure, all delivered via a bright OLED lit screen.

It is time for our Industry to adopt this ‘joined up thinking’ with devices like
i-con, which will fully ‘conduct the orchestra’ of room control, help achieve better client understanding and operation, and achieve even greater energy savings as well as reducing installation costs.

 

The government is getting tough on air quality in the classroom.
Under the 2017 BB101 Guidelines maximum CO₂ limits have been changed significantly to include science labs, halls and gyms to ensure children experience a healthy indoor air quality. This is where we can help you with the pre- programmed i-CON room units, making life easier – not more complex.

This summer schools should ensure that classrooms stay within the new maximum CO₂ limits to meet the new regulations.

Raising Standards in the classroom

Clarkson Controls can easily help you comply with the new BB101 regulations with their NEW UK designed i-Con Room Sensors with CO₂ level traffic light indicators, with simple override buttons for instant control of Open, Close which reverts to Auto setting after a pre-set time. All base settings are fully adjustable, and easily set.

New limits for science labs mean an alarm must alert when CO₂ > 2,800ppm, this alarm sounder and LED form an integral part of the i-Con room sensor. A State-of-the-art CO₂ active sensing element with auto calibration is at the heart of the unit.

The i-CON is easy to install, easy to setup and is available now.

Designed by control engineers for control engineers.

For more information call: 01562 730874