ADVICE & OPINION
LEAK DETECTION
FMJ AIMS TO SUPPORT TECHNICAL EXPERTISE IN THE FM MARKET
Chris Gunn, Sales & Marketing Director at EnviroLogik, explains the benefi ts of IoT smart building
systems in monitoring heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) equipment
Refrigerant leaks are a common
occurrence, whether it’s from a
supermarket pack, walk-in freezer
or air conditioning system, and if it’s
been picked up by an expensive thirdparty
external leak detection system,
then the leak has already occurred
and the refrigerant has been lost.
However, most sites don’t have
these alert systems for when a leak has
occurred. On non-manned sites, even
a small leak le undetected can lead
to an entire system leak and the loss
of all refrigerant charge. A tool like the
EnviroLogik IoT refrigerant pressure
monitoring system, which was installed
in collaboration with Polyteck Building
Services on one of their sites; can pick
up even very small leaks and alerts
contractors and management instantly
so that corrective action can be taken
quickly to repair the leak and minimise
the issue.
Building management systems
have existed for some time but have
traditionally not been connected
remotely, requiring the physical
presence of a specialist to make
adjustments. Now we’re in an age where
smart building technology allows us
to monitor changes online to optimise
performance using the ‘Internet of
16 JULY 2022
Things’ (IoT). Small, battery-powered
smart IoT devices can be located quickly
and easily without expensive hard wiring
and can provide data to external BMS
systems via an API interface or Modbus
unit.
BENEFITS OF IOT SMART
BUILDING SYSTEMS
Cost savings from preventative
maintenance
Refrigerant leaks from heating,
ventilation, air conditioning and
refrigeration (HVACR) equipment are
expensive. If le unchecked, a leak from
a chiller can easily cost £5,000. To put
it into context, a twin circuit air-cooled
780Kw chiller operating on R134A will
have a typical refrigerant charge of 100Kg
and costs around £2,800 to replace.
If there is a subsequent compressor
failure, this can easily amount to an
additional £10,000. IoT systems can o er
facilities managers an early warning of
impending equipment failure, and given
that energy costs are already increasing
across the board, facilities managers can
ill a ord additional expenditure that is
entirely preventable.
Meanwhile, small battery-powered
water leak sensors can detect leaking
sinks, urinals and toilet cisterns, saving
thousands from damage to equipment
and occupiers below. The smart
systems can either shut o a local
water valve or alert site teams so that
they can manually shut valves o .
Live monitoring
IoT sensors can monitor mechanical
and electrical equipment system
pressures live on each circuit. Attaching
to the system’s service valves, these
battery-powered pressure transducers
are set up with low- and highpressure
thresholds depending on
the refrigerant being used. Should a
low-pressure threshold be exceeded,
an alert is sent by SMS and email
to service providers and building
management so that action can be
taken to minimise any refrigerant
losses.
Full insight and access
The system uses a private LoRaWAN
(Long Range Wide Area) network that
communicates through sub-basement
and roof plant room slabs and walls
and provides remote monitoring using
a secure mobile network. Systems can
be monitored from any smart device
by security guards, facilities managers
and external contractors, removing the
need for manual compliance checks.
Crucially, it does not need to connect
to any building infrastructure, such as
ethernet or WiFi, and simply connects
between devices using a private RF
network and a cellular gateway. All data
can be accessed via a customised, webbased
dashboard.
The ability for tenants to self-monitor
The systems can also provide individual
tenants of multi-tenanted buildings the
ability to monitor their own heating,
cooling, electric and water consumption
so they can validate any bills they
receive.
Better working conditions
Smoke detector-sized sensors can
monitor multiple indoor air quality
conditions, including CO, CO2, as well
as volatile organic compounds (VOCs),
humidity and PM2.5. This data can be
shared with occupants or be displayed
on screens at building entrances.
Better e iciency and client
satisfaction
Smart building systems enable service
teams to remotely diagnose failing
systems and respond more quickly,
allowing them to potentially fix
problems before occupants are a ected,
minimising disruption and complaints. It
also means they can prioritise jobs and
send the right technician with the right
parts, meaning less time on site.
Reduced carbon emissions
Saving food waste and preventing lost
sales are another benefit of preventing
refrigerant loss, and smart systems can
also support FM businesses to monitor
and reduce their carbon output. With
the UK’s target of net zero by 2050, it’s
important to note that 80 per cent of
the buildings that will exist in 2050 have
already been built, so it makes sense
to identify savings from that existing
building stock.
Reduced energy consumption
Part of reducing emissions is matching
usage to actual occupancy. For
example, if an o ice is empty on a
Friday a ernoon, managers can receive
a notification to turn o all the lights in
that room, something that can be done
remotely – saving energy, money and
emissions. For even greater savings,
HVAC equipment can also be controlled
to only service those areas that are
occupied, rather than an entire floor.
FAST FACTS