Internet technology creates opportunity for improvement in every sphere of the workplace these days and now the HVAC industry is recognising its potential to provide even greater benefits to maintenance contractors and building operators, says Nick Cooper, national sales manager for Hamworthy Heating
THERE is a vast network of information and technology available via the internet and, with the click of a mouse, users can search, download and use applications that have traditionally been beyond everyday reach. Talk to the man on the street and you'll find him familiar with the worldwide web and able to navigate his way around to find information, simply because of the intuitive nature of the technology.

Companies are taking advantage of the ease of use and affordability of the internet to enhance their services in ways that could not have even been imagined just a few years ago, and with the surge in uptake in broadband services, business use of internet technology is now commonplace.

Careful thought

In recognising this, Hamworthy Heating has applied careful thought to problems faced in the commercial heating industry and come up with an innovative solution to help building operators improve the performance and reliability of their heating plant.

There are many situations in commercial buildings where failure of a heating system can create chaos, such as schools closures, or even danger, where lives may be threatened because of loss of services in a care home.

Remote monitoring of boiler plant provides protection and early warning to building operators, and the traditional industry approach has been to apply Building Management Systems (BMS)
technology.

In smaller scale projects, however, the high costs are often prohibitive, and so the benefits are not available.

Where buildings did not have a BMS, then very little has been available for remote monitoring of heating plant. That's all about to change with the introduction of the new Hamworthy Remote Monitoring Unit (RMU), which has been developed using technology from Trend, a market leader in BMS technology.

We are always looking to improve our products and services in order to ensure our customers have access to the latest innovations in boiler technology. Using Trend IQ3 technology, the Hamworthy Remote Monitoring Unit harnesses reliable cutting edge technology and the internet to enable customers to have affordable real time boiler information delivered to their desktop.

This kind of remote monitoring will change the way the boiler industry works.

The system, which is proactive rather than reactive, gives customers detailed real time information on their boiler performance, reducing the risk of disruption to heating and hot water services and allowing boiler performance and energy consumption to be monitored and improved.

This is done directly from a desktop or laptop computer, without the need for any additional software or file servers.

Customer choice

The customer has a choice of how to connect to the RMU, normally linking in to the IT system already available in the business. The RMU can be connected via a broadband internet connection, or to an existing IT network (LAN), or to an existing Trend BMS
network.

The graphical interface is intuitive and uses a standard web browser, which gives confidence and familiarity to the user, without the need for specialist training.

The system is equipped with a secure login and password and gives users access all the time to view logs, reports and historical data to monitor boiler performance.

The fault diagnostics are superior to any traditional approach, where perhaps volt free signals were used to provide normal run, overheat and common fault output.

The RMU can report detailed fault codes, which help the service engineer understand the potential problem and react accordingly, before setting foot in the plant room.

This can cut costs and save time, avoiding aborted service visits because the parts are not available, or even the relevant skills not present.

The end result is that the plant is up and running sooner, minimising and in some cases avoiding the loss of services using the RMU's predictive maintenance functionality.

An optional 24-hour bureau monitoring support service is available for out of hours support, manned by experienced engineers trained in remote diagnostics.

Escalation procedures can be defined and tailored to individual customer requirements. In the event of a fault signal being received, the bureau will contact the appointed person and ensure the faults are responded to and rectification completed to agreed service levels.

This means the boilers are constantly monitored and any problems are picked up immediately and promptly dealt with, ensuring that down time and call outs are kept to a minimum.

Valuable addition

When a building already has or plans to use a Trend BMS, then the Hamworthy RMU will be a valuable addition to provide significant additional visibility of boiler information allowing the building operator to enjoy the full benefits of remote monitoring and energy metering and reporting services.

Hamworthy Heating's new Remote Monitoring Unit joins its world-class line-up of commercial boilers, water heaters, pumps, flues and renewable heating systems. These are all backed by experienced sales and technical support teams, and a strong after-sales operation in service, commissioning and training, making Hamworthy the perfect choice for the next commercial heating project.


Hamworthy: T: 0845 450 2865 or visit www.hamworthy-heating.com.