Smart HVAC Technology for Service Providers

In the fast-changing HVAC and refrigeration business, you know that keeping up with the latest system innovations is vital to offering new solutions that help customers improve comfort and save money. But there is also a lot of smart HVAC technology you can use to provide exceptional and unique services that will help your business stand out.

Here are three ways to boost the value of your services and differentiate your business using some of the latest HVAC technology.

1. Offer an energy analysis using a building simulation tool

The Department of Energy’s EnergyPlus™ is a free, open-source desktop tool for simulating energy consumption and water usage in a building. It provides valuable information you can use to help customers:

• Identify ways to improve the efficiency of current HVAC and plumbing systems
• Plan for new systems that will deliver maximum efficiency in new or existing buildings

The EnergyPlus™ program allows you to simulate HVAC system responses to different temperature and humidity conditions, as well as different thermal zone configurations. For instance, you can use the features and capabilities of this smart HVAC technology to:

• Determine if an HVAC system can meet zone loads
• Calculate the correct balance of radiant and convective effects to achieve comfortable levels
• Automatically model changing conditions to track interactions between zones and HVAC systems over time
• Simulate and account for air movement between zones
• Calculate the effects of solar energy absorption, illumination, and glare from building windows

In addition to supporting standard HVAC system components, EnergyPlus lets you configure unique systems for simulation and testing. The program offers built-in control strategies to save you time when designing or configuring HVAC technology.

EnergyPlus also provides both standard and customizable reporting, including summaries and detailed output reports, for your own use or for inclusion in proposals and RFQs.

The free program runs on the leading operating systems, integrates with many other applications, and offers a choice of graphical user interfaces. In addition, the DOE updates EnergyPlus twice a year, to stay current with industry and HVAC system changes.

You can learn more or download EnergyPlus at https://energyplus.net.

2. Use new HVAC technology to provide remote system monitoring

Of course, there is no substitute for on-site inspection and preventive maintenance. That’s why it is an essential (and profitable) service offer. But remote monitoring services can fill an important gap and further assure customers that their HVAC systems are properly maintained, which in turn helps increase energy efficiency and equipment life.

The latest smart HVAC systems integrate technology such as sensors, data capture and visualization, machine learning, and the cloud to support remote capabilities including:

• Monitoring of temperature, air quality, and energy use
• Visibility into multiple systems and across different facilities
• Equipment status and data drill-down
• Identification and diagnosis of system issues
• Proactive alerts and notifications
• Remote adjustments to system settings
• Detailed maintenance log dashboards and diagnostic renderings

Now more than ever, the ability to perform remote system monitoring is a valuable service — empowering your business to:

• Check system performance, to avoid unnecessary service calls
• Detect, diagnose, and address potential issues before they become serious (and more costly) problems
• Meet customer needs and manage your time proactively rather on a reactive or emergency basis
• Arrive on site with the knowledge, parts, and team needed to make any necessary repairs
• Help to prevent system downtime

Remote monitoring can even reveal details that might not be apparent to an on-site technician during routine maintenance.

Using these new HVAC technologies, you can increase the value of your maintenance and repair services by offering customers remote options such as periodic proactive system monitoring or “on-demand” check-ups. In addition, remote monitoring technology is cost-effective, easy to install and manage, and suitable for both existing HVAC systems and new ones.

3. Enhance HVAC system performance through “digital twinning”

Another new technology that promises to enhance HVAC system simulation is known as digital twinning. It is the process of using computer modeling and data to create a digital representation of a system.

This “virtual twin” provides a digital interface to the real HVAC system, connected via the cloud. The digital twin can then be integrated with a variety of HVAC applications and used to provide services such as:

• Troubleshooting the equipment quickly and accurately
• Monitoring the system to provide more proactive maintenance and repairs
• Running simulations to optimize system configuration and performance
• Testing different scenarios for how to network multiple systems for maximum efficiency

The digital twinning process brings together different types of technology, including sensors, machine learning and artificial intelligence, dynamic simulation, and visualization tools. Not limited to HVAC technology, twinning can be used to digitally represent different equipment in a building or even across a series of buildings.

In fact, digital twinning may someday be used to design infrastructure, improve energy efficiency, and manage the operations of entire communities.

Get ready for the HVAC technology of the future right now

Today, HVAC service providers and contractors can lay the groundwork for new HVAC technology by ensuring that current smart systems are connected to the cloud. From there, it’s a short leap to system simulation, remote monitoring, and eventually, digital twinning.

This and other new HVAC technology can open the door to new services that help your customers increase energy efficiency, improve comfort, and ultimately save money — all while building your reputation as an expert in the business.

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