Which Control equipment?

[kidney514]

Hi!

I was told to do some research on HVAC buidling control, our company only install units and our last job was about 250-300 units for a retirement community, and all of our employee wondered why we are not involved in the control segment of the installation (was jobbed out to a third party).
So I was told to do some research on that aspect on the job. My 1st question would be, what the best control hardware on the market for that type of control. (make up air, duck heating, air conditionning, stats and energie conservation and all the other stuff).

[sysint]

Ours. (couldn't pass this up).

Are you new to getting into controls? If so, you have the advantage of developing a clean-slate business plan. Personally, if you are doing CBRF or quasi-commercial why not look into full integration?

Lights, HVAC and possibly entry systems?

This way you can package complete solutions and put the right people in place out of the gate.

Anyway, set your goals and then find the pieces that fit that. Don't be too quick to simply sign-on to a brand.

[69Stang]

Kidney514, I am in a similar boat and have started doing the research etc.

Classes I was recommended:
JCI Fundamental Controls Strategies 215
BOMA: Controls and Energy Management (gives 2 college credits and moves you toward SMC/SMA/SMT)
RSES

Also there are a few sites with some free training I will link you to when I get home.

[harley2003rkc]

Hi!

I was told to do some research on HVAC buidling control, our company only install units and our last job was about 250-300 units for a retirement community, and all of our employee wondered why we are not involved in the control segment of the installation (was jobbed out to a third party).
So I was told to do some research on that aspect on the job. My 1st question would be, what the best control hardware on the market for that type of control. (make up air, duck heating, air conditionning, stats and energie conservation and all the other stuff).

I'd like to be the first to say "There is no right answer!". There are many very powerful systems on the market. Some are easier to program then others, but then again some aren't nearly as reliable as others. The pro's and con's are to many to list and you still don't know what kind of investment your company is really willing to make. One of the easier questions you can ask yourself is whether you want to be a regional dealer or just buy parts over the counter? What classes are available locally? What brands are already serviced by local company's? I wouldn't let competition scare me away from a brand but I'd want to know before hand.

[kidney514]

Ours. (couldn't pass this up).

Are you new to getting into controls? If so, you have the advantage of developing a clean-slate business plan. Personally, if you are doing CBRF or quasi-commercial why not look into full integration?

Lights, HVAC and possibly entry systems?

Good point.

This way you can package complete solutions and put the right people in place out of the gate.

Anyway, set your goals and then find the pieces that fit that. Don't be too quick to simply sign-on to a brand.

We are not looking into signing on per says, just some guidance and direction. But I really like the idea of full integration. I'll bring it up to our next meeting!

[kidney514]

I'd like to be the first to say "There is no right answer!". There are many very powerful systems on the market. Some are easier to program then others, but then again some aren't nearly as reliable as others. The pro's and con's are to many to list and you still don't know what kind of investment your company is really willing to make. One of the easier questions you can ask yourself is whether you want to be a regional dealer or just buy parts over the counter? What classes are available locally? What brands are already serviced by local company's? I wouldn't let competition scare me away from a brand but I'd want to know before hand.

I guess that was to be expected, but there has to be a good, well balanced product, but there is one thing that is the most important to me, is "STABILITY and FLEXIBILITY", i'd rather pop a case of Tylenol when programming than having the system crash all the time or be limited by nonsense.

[sysint]

What's the goal you have for integration? If you are considering branching out keep the flexibility to do that so you don't have to completely reinvent the wheel. I see so many tiered lines and other restrictions that hold contractors in certain "places". This way if they grow it takes a decision by somebody else to determine whether or not they are allowed to get increased product. Why would you want this?

Further, maybe we are in the front of this trend, but why pay for software and config tools? We don't charge for them and there are others starting this. Especially when starting out you need to minimize all these soft costs with software support and licensing. Things need to be straightforward.

I also agree about stability and flexibility. It came back to this for me when an integrator and now I represent a very stable and flexible product line. Very fair to work with. If you have decent product and nothing to hide, you don't need territories, big quotas and licensing is my contention. The product sells itself on it's merits after the first time, not by how much you are buried investing into it. Further, I'm wary of companies that sell software only. In today's climate I don't think that's a good long term business model. To make money on software, you need fees and new software constantly. Sometimes this ends up being an experiment for the contractor, and smaller contractors don't have the time or resources for experimentation.