SOLUTIONS FOR HEALTHCARE
ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN THE HEALTHCARE MARKET
Energy efficiency and management plays a significant role in how healthcare facilities operate and respond to emergencies. The events of the past few years have placed a heavy load on the healthcare sector and it is now more important than ever to optimize and improve outdated systems.
Many of today’s healthcare facilities were built at a time when capital costs were greater than operating costs. As a result, facilities have now reached a point where they must be re-modernized or even replaced. In most cases, hospital expansions are simply built onto the older inefficient systems.
Most facility systems use multiple times their original capital cost in energy over their lifetime. Total life-cycle costs (energy, maintenance and labor requirements) are a major factor in the healthcare sector’s ability to control increasing operational costs. Keeping equipment efficient through proper maintenance and good operational practices is key to lower energy costs.
By leveraging new energy management technologies, hospitals and healthcare facilities gain the ability to control and manage fluctuating energy consumption to increase efficiency and reduce cost, thereby redirecting savings back to direct patient care activities when needed most.
CONTROL, COMFORT AND PERFORMANCE
The Viconics VT8000 and VT7000 room controllers provide a powerful solution for hospitality facilities looking for new ways to render buildings more efficient. One small, easy-to-install control package offers advanced pre-programmed sequences of operation which require no extra programming to operate. Installation can be done without special software, tools or the presence of a network. This greatly reduces installation costs and commissioning complexity while providing control functions immediately when powered on.
Automatic energy savings can be achieved via the built-in occupancy sensor that automatically detects local activity. This prompts the unit to activate heating or cooling sequences only when spaces are occupied thus saving on unnecessary energy costs in areas of the building with less activity. This functionality along with configurable night setback features makes it an economical yet highly effective control solution.
Both the VT8000 and VT7000 can be installed wired or wirelessly. In situations where running new network wiring is prohibitive due to physical obstacles or costs, the wireless option allows for much more flexibility. Reliable wireless network functionality represents another layer of potential cost savings as project costs can be reduced by simply eliminating the need for installing any new wires. In situations where a wired installation is required, BACnet®, or ZigBee® wireless compatibility allows you to choose the best communication protocol for your needs.
The VT8000 is flexible to meet a variety of application needs. The customization options we’ve built into our units allow you to tailor how the controllers are used for your specific requirements. In addition, our full color LCD display allows you to customize language options, screen color, temperature scale and control buttons. You can even display your own custom logo or text prompts with just a few simple clicks.
The most unique feature of this system is its scalability. Controllers are available in both communicating models with integrated wireless connectivity or network ready models which can easily be converted to communicating with an optional wireless communication card. This allows the system to grow along with your requirements when needs change or budgets allow. Existing units do not need to be removed to upgrade functionality.
Viconics products offer further flexibility using the ZigBee® or WiFi communication protocol. Moreover, since no external programming tools are required, mechanical service technicians can quickly and easily service the system without the need for support from other controls vendors.
NETWORK READY SOLUTIONS
Our room controllers can be easily integrated into any open protocol building automation or property management system utilizing BACnet MSTP, BACnet IP. Our wireless protocols include WiFi to BACnet IP and ZigBee to BACnet IP. This provides significant flexibility when designing your solution. With room controller to BAS/PMS integration you can improve energy savings in through chiller and boiler plant optimization.
