This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
This Website Uses Cookies
By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn More
This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
Subscribe
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Digital Edition
    • Archives
    • HVACR Directory
    • Subscribe
    • Submit a Letter
  • Market Sectors
    • Residential Market
    • Light Commercial Market
    • Commercial Market
    • Refrigeration
    • Indoor Air Quality
    • Ventilation
    • Components & Accessories
    • Residential Controls
    • Commercial Controls
    • Testing, Monitoring, Tools
    • Services, Apps & Software
    • Standards & Legislation
    • Internet of Things
  • Extra Edition
    • Service & Maintenance
    • Technical
    • Business Management
    • Web Exclusive
  • News
    • Breaking News
    • FYI
    • Newsline
    • Green Building
    • Service Market
    • New Construction Market
    • Training & Education
  • Products
    • HVACR Directory
    • What's New
    • Dealer Design Awards
  • Columns
    • Opinions
    • Guest Blog
    • Guest Column
    • Duct Dynasty
    • Hydronics Zone
    • The Coach’s Blog
  • Exclusives
    • Energy Management
    • Calendar of Events
    • Manufacturer Reports
    • Regional Reports
    • Training Track
    • Continuing Education
    • Dot Comment
    • Online Poll
    • The NEWS HVACR Quiz
  • More
    • HVACR Directory
    • The NEWS eNewsletter
    • FROSTlines
    • Classifieds
    • Market Research
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • HVACR Industry Store
    • eProduct Info
    • Editorial Calendar & Editor Assignments
    • Sponsor Insights
    • Marijuana Market
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Photo Gallery
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
    • Webinars
    • eBooks
    • NEWS app
  • Distribution Trends
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Advertise
Home » Connected RTUs Take the Next Step
HVAC Light Commercial MarketEnergy Management SystemsHVAC Commercial MarketCommercial Controls

Connected RTUs Take the Next Step

Smart rooftop units can monitor, adjust, detect, and diagnose indoor environmental conditions

smart rooftop unit

KEEPING TABS: A smart rooftop has the capability to monitor, adjust, detect, and diagnose itself and indoor environmental conditions to ensure proper building occupant comfort. PHOTO COURTESY OF YORK

Daikin Applied’s smart RoofPak®

SMART INSTALL: Daikin Applied’s smart RoofPak® packaged heating and cooling unit is installed at the Gwinnett Technical College in Lawrenceville, Georgia. PHOTO COURTESY OF DAIKIN APPLIED

life cycle rooftop units

LOOK AT LIFE CYCLE: Although smart rooftop units may cost more initially, their total life cycle benefits can far outweigh the first cost. PHOTO COURTESY OF DAIKIN APPLIED

Smart rooftop unit install

MULTIPLE BENEFITS: Smart rooftop units offer easy integration with building automation systems, remote accessibility, integrated diagnostics, better comfort control, and improved energy efficiency. PHOTO COURTESY OF CARRIER CORP.

Carrier rooftop unit

FASTER PAYBACKS: Smart rooftop units can offer a faster payback than standard units due to energy savings and integrated diagnostics that limit unnecessary service calls. PHOTO COURTESY OF CARRIER CORP.

smart rooftop unit
Daikin Applied’s smart RoofPak®
life cycle rooftop units
Smart rooftop unit install
Carrier rooftop unit
October 2, 2017
Joanna R. Turpin
KEYWORDS smart controls
Reprints
No Comments

The rooftop unit has long been seen as the workhorse of the commercial HVAC market. Often considered to be an affordable, reliable heating and/or cooling system for a variety of commercial buildings, the standard rooftop unit used to come with a basic thermostat that is limited to turning the system on or off. The advent of new controls has changed all of that by allowing rooftops to monitor operation, analyze conditions, and make real-time decisions that can optimize performance.

This new breed of smart rooftop units obviously comes with a premium price, but manufacturers are betting that system owners and operators are willing to spend in order to reap the benefits of increased energy efficiency and improved comfort.

VARYING DEGREES OF SMART

There are two different types of smart rooftop units. The standard smart rooftop usually comes with an integrated, programmable direct digital control (DDC) that provides intelligence at the equipment level.

“Basically, a smart rooftop has the capability to monitor, adjust, detect, and diagnose itself and indoor environmental conditions to ensure proper building occupant comfort,” explained Brian Wathen, commercial product marketing manager, Johnson Controls Inc. “In addition, a smart rooftop provides instant feedback to end users concerning operational conditions and potential and critical issues. These units also grant users the ability to wirelessly communicate with a rooftop unit or series of rooftop units using a smartphone, tablet, or PC.”

An even smarter rooftop unit is Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled, which offers all the features listed above, but the data it collects can be transferred to the cloud, where further analytics are applied to make the unit data more meaningful.

“Basically, you’re taking a smart rooftop unit, extracting the data, and combining it with external data sources and analytics, so you can increase the unit’s IQ,” said Jim Macosko, product general manager for applied air handling, Daikin Applied. “This type of unit harnesses the power of all that data, provides predictive analysis, and then feeds that information to the building owner, who can then make smarter, proactive decisions. It’s a more holistic solution.”

The biggest difference between a smart rooftop unit and an IoT-enabled unit is that the latter comes with what is needed to connect and communicate online with the cloud, noted Shaun Thomas, senior commercial technical representative and hybrid applications engineer, Rheem Mfg. Co.

“A smart rooftop can be connected to building management systems, like LonWorks or BACnet, for remote monitoring and control,” he said. “Some smart rooftop units can be connected to the internet through additional controls or modules.”

Both types of smart rooftop  units offer many advantages over standard rooftop models with thermostats, said Chris Opie, director of North America commercial marketing, Carrier Corp., including better comfort control and greater energy efficiency.

“With the ability to simultaneously sense temperature, humidity, and outdoor air contaminants [affecting fresh air], smart rooftop units can auto-adjust operation to meet comfort needs,” he said. “Smart rooftop units also save energy by collecting and analyzing data and then appropriately adjusting unit fans, compressors, refrigerant pressures, etc., to meet the required comfort zone settings and ambient conditions, such as reducing output when spaces are not utilized.”

Smart rooftop units are also easier to troubleshoot and service than those lacking intelligence as the units can better convey any potential issues.

“Standard rooftop units usually utilize an on-off control, so when service techs walk up to a unit, and it’s not running, they’ve got to go through an extensive process of elimination to figure out which mechanical component is not operating,” said Steve VanPeursem, director of marketing and sales for package systems, Daikin Applied. “If service techs sign into the tech dashboard, they can review data and diagnose the unit from anywhere and refer to the unit’s operating history. It may also give them an alarm history, so the service techs can quickly diagnose what’s wrong with the unit and get it up and running again.”

LOOKING AHEAD

With all of these benefits, it seems like it would be a no-brainer for building owners to invest in smart rooftop units, but first cost can be a stumbling block. Smart rooftops in the light commercial range can cost 2-5 percent more, said VanPeursem, but their benefits far outweigh the initial cost.

“Building owners really need to compare the total life cycle cost of the equipment,” he said. “If this smart rooftop actually saves them from replacing a unit in five years [due to preventive diagnostics and fault detection], what is the true life cycle cost of that piece of equipment?”

Indeed, when comparing smart rooftop units to standard rooftop units, it’s necessary to consider that their respective costs are associated with their specific capabilities, said Opie.

“Smart rooftop units can actually pay back faster than standard units due to energy savings and integrated diagnostics that limit unnecessary service calls,” he said.

And technology will continue to improve, making rooftop units smarter than ever. Next-generation rooftops will gain more intelligence and offer even more features, such as power consumption monitoring, load shedding, cloud-based equipment data management, and integration into multiple building systems, such as fire safety, hydronic systems, and others, said Wathen.

“Wireless communication between various rooftops and other equipment will eventually reduce installation costs and complexity,” he said.

Smart rooftop units will likely become more intuitive in nature while taking on more precise control and data collection of complex components and networks, said Opie.

“Smarter prognostics and diagnostics may yield more accurate predictive maintenance and even more control of the unit from a remote location,” Opie said. “Features previously only applicable to larger size units are migrating to smaller units as technology and integrated operation improves. As these trends continue, factory integration of controls will continue to broaden and smart controls on smart rooftops will be more prevalent.”

However, building owners may need a little prodding from the federal government before fully accepting these more expensive, smart rooftop units.

“The industry has been rather slow to adopt smart rooftop technology because of the cost,” said Thomas. “When it comes to commercial applications, most business owners look for the lowest-cost equipment and not necessarily the smartest. As federal efficiency laws change and minimum efficiency requirements continue to increase, more and more systems will be required to come with factory-installed smart controls.”   

Publication date: 10/2/2017

 
Subscribe to The NEWS

Recent Articles by Joanna Turpin

Refrigeration Retrofits Offer ‘Cool’ Savings for Supermarkets

Green Energy Policies Often End Up Hurting the Poor

Practicing Good Cyber Hygiene

EPA’s Proposed Changes to Section 608 Cause Concern in the Industry

HVAC Contractors’ Guide to Troubleshooting Cooling Systems

Tn-joanna-2017

Joanna Turpin is a Senior Editor. She can be contacted at 248-786-1707 or joannaturpin@achrnews.com. Joanna has been with BNP Media since 1991, first heading up the company’s technical book division. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Washington and worked on her master’s degree in technical communication at Eastern Michigan University.

Related Articles

New Valve Takes a Step in the Right Direction

What Will the Next 25 Years Bring? We Can Only Guess

Building Management and the Net Connection

HVAC Distributors Prefer Two-step Supply Chain

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscription Center
  • Subscribe
  • Online Registration
  • E-Newsletters
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Mobile App

More Videos
NEWS HVACR Quiz

Events

September 26, 2018

Opportunities and Challenges with Handling Flammable Refrigerants

On Demand Refrigerant Safety Classes A2L and A3 have a very low GWP, making them a strong, long-term solution for many HVACR applications. However, these refrigerants are classified as mildly flammable and highly flammable respectively. This flammability class raises safety and compliance concerns. This webinar will help you understand these classes, along with the opportunities these refrigerants can offer.

February 19, 2019

Heatcraft Certified Contractor Program Training - Beacon II, QRC & SMART II

Heatcraft Contractor Certification Training
Beacon II Technician Certification Workshop
QRC Technician Certification Workshop
SMART II Technician Certification Workshop
(includes hands-on exercises with wiring simulators)

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Ductless Products

Do you install ductless products?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

"More & New" HVAC Spells Wealth - book

"More & New" HVAC Spells Wealth - book

See More Products
The NEWS - ACHR - Logo The NEWS - ACHR - Digital Edition
Digital Edition

ACHRNEWS

The ACHR News - February 11, 2019

2019 February 11

Learn more about hydronic and radiant heat products in this issue of The NEWS, and find out why contractors should consider adding wet heat to their suite of solutions.

View More Subscribe
  • Resources
    • Submit a Letter
    • Submit a Press Release
    • Mechanical Group
    • List Rental
    • Reprints
    • eProduct Info
    • Survey And Sample
    • Privacy Policy
  • Want More?
    • Subscribe
    • Connect

Copyright ©2019. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing