Radio modules enable intelligent energy controls

Easy Radio modules are at the heart of an intelligent energy management system from Envision Energy.

LPRS Easy Radio modules are at the heart of an intelligent energy management system from Envision Energy.

Marketed as Intelligent Energy Controls the system provides a reliable way to save on energy costs by ensuring nonessential equipment is turned off when it is not needed.

Most commercial premises contain electrical equipment that only needs to be switched on for a portion of each day, usually when staff are on site.

Traditionally this has been achieved either by giving the specific responsibility to members of staff or by automating the process using time switches or other control systems.

However people are costly and can be unreliable and time switches cannot easily accommodate modern working practices based around flexibility and responsiveness.

Intelligent Energy Controls use sophisticated Easy Radio two-way wireless communications to save money by controlling electrical equipment more effectively.

Intelligent Energy Controls overcome both the fallibility of staff and the inflexibility of time switching.

By installing remotely controlled Easy Radio connected wireless switches into the electrical supply of selected equipment these can all be turned on or off via a single automated or manual operation.

The quantity and geographical location of the equipment to be controlled is unlimited and sophisticated electronics ensures that this simple operation works every time, even over an extended range or in the presence of other electrical interference.

At the heart of the Intelligent Energy Controls are wireless controlled switching receivers.

Either fixed or mobile controls can be used and systems can operate both types simultaneously.

Repeaters can be installed for installations where large sites need to be covered or blind spots accommodated.

Using these building blocks the range and scope of the system is virtually unlimited and has proved to be successful in many diverse applications.

The main benefits of the Intelligent Control System include: control of essential and nonessential services centrally; centralised switching control systems; up to 255 individual zones and limitless equipment applications; remote on/off switching facility; wireless control system; and minimising of equipment run-times to essential periods only "The IES controls product is a flexible, low cost solution to energy management", says Rob Deverson, Head of New Business Development at Envision.

"If clients have established benchmarked energy profiles via M and T systems then we can easily demonstrate the cost benefits of using our wireless switching technologies".

"The IES product range is a major addition to our demand-side energy management solutions".

"It is cost-effective to both install and implement and our clients are delighted with the results they are achieving".

The LPRS Easy Radio wireless modules selected for this application are ER900 transceivers which are user programmable to operate over the frequency range 868-870 and 902-928MHz.

Customers may also select output power up to 10mW and data transmission rate up to 76.8Kbit/s.

The embedded Easy Radio software means no software protocol to write and handles all encoding and decoding functions, ensuring the faster time to market for any system builder.

Typical range for the ER900 series is up to 150m with longer-range options for European applications.

Barry Gillibrand, Managing Director of LPRS adds: "This a great example of an application requiring an off the shelf wireless communications solution requiring minimal RF or programming knowledge".

"Our Easy Radio modules provide an out-of-the-box solution ideal for projects such as Envsion's Intelligent Energy Controls".

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