Energy Upgrade Without Re-cabling: Power Monitoring Live in 2 Days, 10× Faster Communication
To advance building energy efficiency, a public agency collaborated with ICP DAS to implement a smart energy management system. By integrating existing solar power generation equipment, the education center was transformed into a demonstration site and a key platform for showcasing and promoting energy efficiency solutions.
Power consumption in residential and commercial buildings is mainly from HVAC and lighting systems. Without altering existing wiring, ICP DAS assisted the public agency in rapidly upgrading the aging building into a smart low-carbon facility integrating energy generation, monitoring, and control through communication integration technologies. The solution improved control communication performance by nearly tenfold and established a replicable approach for future green building projects.
Key Challenges
1. Lack of Comprehensive Power Monitoring:
- Individual equipment power usage and overall energy consumption cannot be monitored in real time, making it difficult to develop effective energy-saving strategies.
2. Inefficient Lighting Management:
- The existing lighting system supports two-way control, but the feature is not effectively utilized.
- Without scheduling capability, manual inspections are required, leading to inefficient management and unnecessary energy consumption.
3. Lack of Centralized HVAC Management:
- The 77 ceiling-mounted air conditioning units across the building can only be controlled individually via a single HMI panel or remote control. The lack of remote or centralized control results in extended operating hours and unnecessary energy consumption.
4. Solar Energy Data Not Integrated:
- Power generation data is not integrated into the system, resulting in limited visibility into both energy consumption and solar generation, making it difficult to evaluate overall energy generation performance.
ICP DAS Smart Retrofit Solution
ICP DAS integrates energy efficiency and energy generation systems to enable real-time power monitoring across different zones, providing a basis for precise energy-saving measures. Centralized control for lighting and HVAC further improves overall energy efficiency.
Each subsystem is independently deployed to maintain flexibility and scalability. Power monitoring is implemented using a PMC Power Meter Concentrator paired with PM Series Smart Power Meters. Lighting control is managed by a WISE IIoT Edge Controller integrated with remote I/O modules to enable centralized control and scheduling. HVAC systems are remotely monitored and centrally controlled through an MDC-714i Modbus Data Concentrator and communication cards.
Solar power generation data is also integrated into the system. The EMS platform provides centralized monitoring of power usage, generation, and equipment status, giving building managers a real-time overview of overall energy conditions and enabling smarter, more efficient building management.
1. Power Monitoring System
A total of 16 PM-3133 3-phase Smart Power Meters were deployed throughout the building to capture total energy consumption, each floor’s HVAC and lighting usage, as well as solar power generation data. Paired with the PMC-5231 Power Meter Concentrator, which features computing capabilities, the power monitoring system was deployed in just two days without affecting existing equipment or operations, enabling a rapid start to energy efficiency management.
Facility managers can access the PMC’s built-in web interface through a web browser to monitor energy usage in real time and view historical and live trend charts, energy efficiency (PUE), voltage, power, and other key data. Without requiring additional software or manual data collection, the system establishes comprehensive power monitoring and management to support energy-saving strategies and energy performance evaluation.
The site was already equipped with a power meter and split-core current transformers (CTs) to measure the building’s total electricity consumption. By directly adding a PM-3133 Smart Power Meter to the existing system, total power consumption data could be easily acquired. This significantly reduced installation complexity and costs, enabling aging buildings to be quickly upgraded into smart energy management facilities.
2. Lighting Control System
The site was equipped with a P-brand two-way control system but lacked scheduling capability and centralized management. As a result, manual inspections were still required, limiting overall management efficiency.
ICP DAS integrated the existing lighting system into a smart energy management architecture without replacing lighting fixtures or impacting existing interior finishes, enabling centralized monitoring and automated lighting control.
A WISE-5231 Edge Controller and eight M-7065D Remote I/O Modules were deployed to integrate lighting systems across four floors and connect them to the EMS platform via Ethernet.
Facility managers can preset schedules for office hours, meetings, and nighttime periods, enabling automated zone-based lighting control even after staff leave or when spaces are unoccupied.
This approach ensures lighting operates only when required, eliminates the need for manual inspections, allows rapid system deployment, and effectively reduces electricity consumption and operating costs.
Original Architecture: The lighting power passes through the switch, enters the two-way switching control system, and then reaches the light fixtures.
ICP DAS Solution: M-7065D Remote I/O Modules are installed in the control cabinet. Lighting power is routed through the M-7065D before returning to the existing two-way switching control system and then reaching the light fixtures. This allows scheduled, remote, and centralized lighting control without modifying the existing wiring.
3. HVAC Control System
A total of 77 ceiling-mounted indoor units were installed across public areas, offices, and meeting rooms. These units could only be operated individually, either via a single HMI in the corridor or with remote controls, and lacked centralized or remote management.
As a result, the air conditioners often ran for long periods in unoccupied spaces, wasting energy and making timely detection of abnormalities difficult.
The D-brand HVAC system uses a proprietary communication protocol. The vendor provides communication boards that convert this protocol to Modbus, enabling access to data from the two HMI ports.
The building’s 77 indoor units account for 770 Modbus points, including operating status, start/stop, fan speed, airflow direction, and more. Due to Modbus command length limitations, operators may experience noticeable control delays and longer response times.
ICP DAS therefore deployed the MDC-714i Modbus Data Concentrator, connecting the two communication boards via its COM ports. The module aggregates scattered data and maps it to contiguous addresses, significantly reducing the read/write load on the upper-level system.
Field tests demonstrated a significant improvement: without data aggregation, a single write command took 10–20 seconds, whereas after using the MDC-714i, the same operation required only 1–2 seconds, greatly improving system communication efficiency.
Data aggregation and communication optimization not only improve control performance but also provide greater flexibility for future system expansion and integration, making smart HVAC management faster, more reliable, and easier to manage.
DL-100TM485S Industrial Sensors were installed in the rooftop terrace and the telecommunications room to measure temperature and humidity. The sensors’ measurements are integrated into the management platform to serve as a basis for regulating air conditioning operations.
For example, when outdoor temperatures are low, the system automatically adjusts air conditioning operation to prevent excessive cooling or prolonged operating hours, further reducing energy consumption and maintenance costs.
4. Solar Power Generation System
Solar panels were installed in the first-floor parking area and the fourth-floor terrace, supplying power to EV charging stations. However, management staff could not monitor power generation or equipment operating status in real time, making it difficult to accurately evaluate energy generation performance.
Due to inverter placement and wiring constraints across two floors, data is first aggregated through an I-7514U Wiring Hub and then integrated by the WISE-5231 Edge Controller.
In addition to collecting lighting data, the WISE controller also monitors inverter operational data, including daily voltage, current, and cumulative power generation. All data is centrally displayed on the EMS platform, enabling management staff to gain real-time visibility into energy generation performance and enhancing management efficiency.
Comprehensive EMS Platform
ICP DAS partnered with a third-party developer to develop an energy management platform integrating HVAC, lighting, solar power, and environmental data into a centralized monitoring and visualization system. The platform enables control room personnel to remotely monitor building equipment and overall energy conditions. Key features include:
- Real-time access to electricity consumption and power generation data, with historical trend charts for visualization
- Comprehensive energy consumption database supporting energy efficiency analysis
- Centralized start/stop control, scheduling, status monitoring, and automated control for HVAC and lighting equipment
- Solar power generation and energy storage efficiency monitoring to understand operating conditions
- Environmental monitoring for rooftop and server room areas (temperature/humidity)
- Configurable LINE group alerts that provide instant notifications to relevant personnel for rapid issue response
Tangible Benefits
- High Integration and Scalability
The ICP DAS PMMS (Power Monitoring & Management System) supports a wide range of smart power meters and power meter concentrators. It integrates with PMC’s built-in web interface, SCADA systems, IoTstar Cloud Management Software for cross-site applications, and third-party energy management systems, enabling data visualization. The system supports phased deployment, allowing flexible expansion to meet the diverse needs of different sites and management teams. - Accurate Real-Time Data Monitoring
By visualizing power information and solar power generation data, management staff can monitor equipment status and energy usage across all floors in real time. This eliminates tedious manual meter reading and paperwork, enabling precise energy-saving strategies. - Centralized Equipment Control to Reduce Energy Use and Costs
The system integrates HVAC, lighting, and environmental data to support centralized management and automated scheduling, eliminating manual inspections. Management staff can start or stop equipment centrally from a single control room. The system can automatically adjust HVAC operation based on outdoor temperature, reducing unnecessary energy consumption and lowering electricity costs. - Easy Upgrades for Existing Systems with Reduced Implementation Costs
When integrating existing lighting and HVAC systems, ICP DAS hardware modules interface directly with existing control systems without requiring rewiring. This enables centralized equipment management while significantly reducing installation time as well as cabling and labor costs. - Enhanced Communication Performance for Real-Time Control
The MDC-714i Modbus Data Concentrator aggregates scattered Modbus registers from HVAC equipment, reducing the read/write load on the host software. A single write command that previously took 10–20 seconds now completes in just 1–2 seconds, improving communication performance by 10–20 times. This enables faster system response and smoother equipment management.
Conclusion
HVAC and lighting are among the largest energy consumers in residential and commercial buildings. Leveraging over 30 years of industrial automation expertise, ICP DAS delivers efficient and reliable system architectures. These systems allow enterprises to integrate energy management, equipment monitoring, and power generation data, supporting ESG initiatives and the development of low-carbon smart buildings.
With real-time data and visualizations, management staff can develop precise energy-saving strategies and implement centralized load management. This reduces electricity costs while maintaining a comfortable and stable office environment.
This case study presents a practical, replicable smart energy management solution that saves energy, improves operational efficiency, reduces labor, lowers implementation costs, and delivers multiple management benefits.
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- Input voltage range: 10–500 VAC, compatible with international voltage standards
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- IP66 protection
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ICP DAS View All
ICP DAS was established in 1993 and strongly focuses on innovation and the enhancement of industrial automation technology. ICP DAS continuously endeavors to develop a comprehensive selection of products ranging from remote I/O controllers, distributed I/O modules, I/O data acquisition boards, programmable automation controllers, industrial communication modules, web-related products, motion control systems, SCADA/HMI software to automation solutions for applications critical to energy management, motion automation, smart factories, intelligent buildings, and smart cities. Our ambition is to provide a wide range of high-quality products and versatile applications, together with prompt and efficient services, that can be implemented to assist in the continued success of our clients worldwide.