cost-effective energy management for the hospitality industry
Description
innGAUGE – cost-effective energy management for the hospitality industry
Akida’s innGAUGE system based on our TARAS technology offers the hospitality industry a feature-rich system specifically tailored to their needs. Its innovative wireless technology provides a truly low-cost retrofit option for existing facilities since it avoids expensive cabling and re-wiring. The typical system consists of remote devices located at the electrical loads that are to be managed or monitored and a central hub where the data is aggregated and processed.
Energy Control Units (ECU) are connected to each point where energy consumption needs to be managed, for example room air conditioners and parking lot lights. The ECU fits neatly in-line on the power cord and can normally be installed by a qualified installer in minutes. ECU’s are also available in a low voltage configuration where it utilizes existing low voltage controllers such as thermostats to control a large load. For electrical loads that require monitoring only, for example dryers and water heaters and no switching on/off, the system can include one or more u-METER+ devices to measure the power being consumed and transmit the data wirelessly to the Control Server. The ECU-LV and u-METER+ can also be installed by qualified, cabling-technicians and no electrical wiring is necessary.
The Control Server needs to be connected to an electrical outlet and to a router for Internet access, either directly with an Ethernet cable or via the built-in WiFi. It contains the Energy Gateway processor, which analyses and aggregates the data received from the ECU’s and u-METER+’s to provide reports. The Energy Gateway also provides the user interface to access the system for direct control over the electrical loads and ECU’s can be switched on and off from a browser based screen that can be viewed on any device that can access the router such as a PC, laptop or touchpad. If the router can be accessed over the Internet then the innGAUGE system can be configured for remote access to monitor and manage power consumption remotely across the Internet.
Wireless for cost-effective retrofitting: The ECU has two-way wireless communication with the Control Server, which means no expensive cabling is necessary to install the system. Depending on the system configuration, the communication will be via Powerline, WiFi or Zigbee.
The innGAUGE system’s multiple input capabilities provide the ability to gather and relay any data necessary to make sound energy management decisions. For example occupancy can be monitored with motion sensors and the system can be capable of communicating with compatible digital thermostats.
Simple set-up: The innGAUGE system can be configured via the built in software in the Control Server using browser-based screens for data entry. When the system is configured, each managed load is labeled with its location and what appliance etc. it is managing. System users can also be set up with levels of authority so that ability to modify the system is restricted.
Full control over energy usage: The innGAUGE software stores historical data and useful reports are presented to analyze costs and data to make better management decisions. The data can be exported in a universally compatible format for analysis in third party software such as accounting systems. System users can relay commands back to the ECU to reduce energy consumption. For example a room air conditioner can be switched off because the room is vacant. The innGAUGE software has been developed to allow system users to create a highly customized system to fit their particular circumstances and need for automation.
The innGAUGE system can also be configured to be accessible via the Internet allowing management to monitor power consumption and also turn loads on or off remotely across the Internet.
