HSBC branch trials Mitsubishi Electric controller via the mobile-telephone network

The King’s Lynn branch of HSBC is looking to achieve energy savings of up to 20% following the installation of a Mitsubishi Electric M2M controller to provide remote access to the Mitsubishi Electric G50 controller for its City Multi VRF system and other services via the GPRS mobile telephone network. Brian Rollason, engineering services manager for HSBC corporate real-estate capital projects, explains that the system monitors and controls a range of plant and systems without requiring access to the bank’s corporate network, which could compromise security. The services include HVAC, full energy monitoring, water usage, all temperatures (high and low, indoors and outdoors), footfall, electric and water heating and windows. One of the most useful features of the M2M system has been the ability to set up history reports with multiple points being monitors. In all, some 50 points are monitored and controlled. The King’s Lynn site has been monitored since October 2007 from the bank’s headquarters in Canary Wharf, and has recently been joined by three other branches — two of which are refurbishments of existing buildings with City Multi Systems and one of which is a new communications centre. Among the capabilities of the system is the ability to restore setting of air-conditioning units in the branch if they have been changed. The M2M system can also be used with up to 16 indoor units from Mitsubishi’s M, S and P series of split air conditioners. Both the Mini M2M for use with split systems and the Maxi M2M for use with a G50 or GB50 controller are said to offer a relatively low-cost solution for smaller premises that do not have Ethernet connections and larger corporations that cannot allow outside systems to link into their security networks and across firewalls. The Maxi M2M, for example, costs £1300 and its service change will be £150 to £200 a year. Sebastien Desmottes, product marketing liaison manager with Mitsubishi, says, ‘This is the first wireless controller in the air-conditioning industry, and it brings the benefits of remote monitoring and control to a much wider audience.’ The M2M interface has a data SIM card just like a mobile telephone, and remote sites talk to a central server using the GPRS mobile-telephone network. Data is compressed and encrypted for security and is stored on the server. Sebastien Desmottes says, ‘Typically, the cost of a full building-management system can be uneconomic in smaller retail stores. With M2M, an equivalent system can provide a more economical solution, whilst providing all the exact control requirements that each branch needs.’

Related links:

• www.mitsubishi-aircon.co.uk/

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