February 2004 : Newsletter

AHR Report

We have returned from the AHR show in Los Angeles and would like to reflect on what we learned regarding the current state of the building automation industry. There are a number of clear trends in the automation world. LonWorks and/or BACnet protocols are supported by most EMS vendors; building operators want to make their buildings smarter and verify their performance; and savvy service providers are seeing new markets emerge by upgrading existing systems to an open system environment such as BACnet or XML.

This month EnFlex has completed customer delivery of an enhancement to our BACnet Driver product by adding a BACnet server capability to the product. This software, resident on the EnFlex Control Server, allows users to connect to many legacy EMS systems using their existing BACnet-based user interface software. For example, Delta’s ORCAview BACnet software is being used by a number of customers to view data from Trane, Invensys, and other proprietary systems.

If you have an integration question or project, please contact us to learn how EnFlex can support your integration requirements.

Best Wishes,
Gerry and David

BACnet Server

As mentioned above, EnFlex is announcing the delivery of a significant enhancement to our BACnet Driver product. The BACnet Driver and Server software is a powerful system integration option for the EnFlex Control Server and its standard application software. This software combines the EnFlex BACnet Driver with new BACnet Server software to provide a flexible interface between BACnet compliant devices, BACnet user interface software, and the EnFlex application software.

The BACnet Driver and Server allows information from a BACnet device or Building Automation System (BAS) to be integrated into the EnFlex Control Server application software. The EnFlex application software consolidates information from BACnet devices and other 3rd party systems so the information can collectively be logged, reported, and used in integrated control applications. The Driver permits EnFlex software and BACnet applications to both read and write values to connected 3rd party systems as well as a BACnet system. This software is an excellent tool for effectively web enabling BACnet products for enterprise monitoring and control. For more information on this product please ask for Pub. No. 91EBACDVRPD_2-0.

Driver Development

EnFlex customers frequently ask questions regarding the creation of drivers. Developing and supporting drivers for legacy systems is time consuming and expensive but EnFlex sees this as a tremendous opportunity both for EnFlex and EnFlex customers. It is easier and more cost effective to update legacy systems than to replace them. Users have a protected right to communicate with devices they own; EnFlex helps them do it.

EnFlex uses three basic methods to provide drivers to its customers. The preferred method is to use published, open communication protocols to access devices (e.g. BACnet, LonWorks, etc.). In some cases EnFlex is able to license a proprietary communications protocol from the manufacturer (e.g. Johnson Controls, Solidyne) to use in developing a driver. Some proprietary systems have a serial terminal interface to them (e.g. Trane Tracer) and EnFlex will use that as the driver interface. Finally, as a last resort, EnFlex can examine the serial communications characteristics of a system and develop a means to communicate with a system using its native protocol (e.g. Novar Controls & CPC).

Winning and Keeping Customers – Part II

The delivery of guaranteed energy savings by a performance contractor requires accurate audits and expert analysis followed by exceptional engineering and execution. If all of these are met then a project will be profitable for all parties. To assure all parties that an installation is performing, proper measurement and verification (M&V) is absolutely necessary. EnFlex provides customers with all M&V elements including connectivity, measurement, and analysis/verification.