Distech Controls, an innovation leader in energy management solutions, is pleased to announce that its innovative ECLYPSE Connected System Controller has been used to provide Harting C of E Primary School in Petersfield, West Sussex with an effective and reliable building management system (BMS).
Sussex-based contractors, Advance Electrical Contractors have installed an ECLYPSE IP based control system within the heating plant room at the primary school. Prior to its installation, the school did not have a BMS in place, so it was looking for a cost-effective solution that would be responsible for controlling the existing plant. It also needed to be expandable, allowing for alterations and additions to the plant and it had to integrate with any future BMS should it be upgraded or changed.
ECLYPSE is a modular and scalable platform providing BACnet/IP, wired and wireless IP connectivity, which permits integration with building management systems and convergence with IT networks. It consists of a control automation and connectivity server, power supplies, and I/O modules, allowing users to select the type and number of modules to meet their exacting requirements and easily add-on for future upgrades. This device is also embedded with ENVYSION, a web-based graphic design and visualisation interface, which provides a powerful user experience.
The installation at the school is a multi boiler, multi variable temperature circuit heating system and the main challenge facing Advanced Electrical was that an “off the shelf” plant controller was not an option, it had to have a bespoke control strategy.
Spencer Tebb, Owner of Advance Electrical Contractors comments: “We also needed to take into account the advances in pump technology. It is inevitable that the existing pump sets would eventually need to be changed once they fail to inverter controlled units. By using the Distech Controls ECLYPSE controller we have direct BACnet communication with these pump sets.”
To create a bespoke control solution for the school, Advance Electrical Contractors built a control panel, with ECLYPSE at the heart of it, which was mounted in the plant room. A standard control panel design was used, with existing pumps controlled via a contactor/thermal overload arrangement. Once the pumps begin to fail over time it will be switched to using BACnet control. The ECLYPSE system was then connected to the schools network, enabling it to control the system via a basic interface constructed using the ECLYPSE’s inbuilt ENVYSION software. In addition, Advanced Electrical was able to give external access via the web to the ECLYPSE and BACnet/IP enabled us to monitor the system remotely via NiagaraAX.
Spencer has nothing but praise for Distech Controls’ ECLYPSE system and confirms that it undoubtedly helped in reaching their client’s goal. He comments, “This product has a number of unbeatable benefits. Not only is it cost effective and reliable, the ECLYPSE Connected System Controller allows for bespoke control strategy, adaptability and scalability, and it is also future-proof. ENVYSION also provides an easy-to-build interface for the end user. Overall, we love ECLYPSE from a controls company point of view, it fits our needs and covers literally every installation we do.”