The demands of commercial spaces differ greatly from those of residential spaces. Commercial buildings are structurally distinct to reflect economies of scale. Commercial buildings have a much greater capacity than residences. More bodies mean more body heat. More people means varying demands of temperature comfort. Employees occupy spaces erratically, making efficiency in lighting challenging. When talking about commercial automation, it is important to distinguish between a commercial automation system and a building automation system (BAS) or building management system. Larger buildings require a whole additional level of automation and integration of systems. Building management systems are actually more accurately control systems that control and monitor any electrical system, including mechanical and HVAC, fire and security, and lighting. A large building, whether commercial or residential, will typically have such a system for the whole building and common spaces, while the individual tenants would need their own automation system for their own space.
While there is greater standardization in the protocols behind a building management system, a commercial automation system provides more individualization and customization as well as integration of systems. A commercial automation system, such as Crestron or Leviton, can integrate everything in your commercial space from security to thermostats, from lighting to shades, from projectors to projection screens, from videoconferencing to speakers, and provide real time monitoring, so you can respond to the changing demands of your environment before your guests, customers, or employees notice a problem.
Let’s examine some commercial automation technology. Imagine there are a dozen employees in cubicles in one area of the office, while another area of the office is unoccupied. Occupancy sensors work together with intelligent thermostats, temperature sensors, and lighting dimmers to keep the lights on and the HVAC turned up in the occupied zone, while lights and HVAC are turned off in the unoccupied zone. When the sun sets early on a short winter day, productivity will not be hampered. The system ramps up the heat and lighting automatically. No need to worry about who was last to leave the office. When everyone leaves for the day, the lights automatically shut off, the temperature set points on the thermostats are set back, and the alarm system is armed. Imagine walking into the conference room and the lights turn on and the shades lower. With the touch of a button, the projection screen lowers, and the projector turns on and displays the laptop you just plugged into a port on the table. Imagine a sensitive area of your operation is accessed outside of normal hours. The system alerts you to the unauthorized access and shows you real-time camera footage of the area. That is just a sampling of what commercial automation could do for your business.
Fulkra is a premier provider of world-class commercial automation systems. We do all of the integration of complex systems, so that you can focus on your core business. Your business can thrive when your environment is responding automatically to the needs of your employees, customers, and guests.
Call 877.738.5572 now to upgrade your business commercial automation system. Fulkra services technology solution jobs worldwide!