The Smart System. The System has three components: (1) the Control Computer with a microprocessor (SS5000 or SS1000), (2) the Wireless Occupancy Sensor with a built-in microchip (SS2000), and (3) the Radio Communications Network ( SSDN). These components work together to create a premises, command and control network that can automatically control your heating and cooling system, and if enabled, can control many other intelligent tasks in your home such as toxic gas detection, fire detection, and security monitoring. Using advanced technology, innovation, and keen product design, Smart Systems HVAC controls spend just what occupants want when they are there and eliminate wasted energy when they are gone.

Homes, businesses and lodging facilities consume a significant amount of energy for heating and cooling, some of it wasted during unoccupied periods. With today’s traditional controls, you set a comfortable temperature (i.e., 74°F) and energy is consumed to keep rooms at that temperature all the time. As people come and go, these traditional controls continuously burn energy. Our futuristic, patented thermostat has a microprocessor that automatically turns your heating and air conditioning down to an energy savings temperature when your home or business is unoccupied. When you return, the SS5000 brings the temperature back to your comfortable setting in a guaranteed Recovery Time - 10, 15, 25 minutes - you decide. No programming is required. It automatically adapts to your schedule. Simply set the temperature you like when you are there and the Recovery Time for when you return. Using a proprietary radio network, the SS5000 communicates with SS2000 occupancy sensors that together create an advanced, robust, premises command and control network in your home or business that automatically manages your heating and cooling system for you.

Can you use the SS5000 thermostat without the sensors? Sure, just press the "Unoccupied" button on the SS5000 and set the number of hours you will be gone. The SS5000 will automatically revert to its energy savings mode for the time you decide. When you come back, the temperature will return to your comfortable setting in your selected Recovery Time. The SS5000 also includes other features such as "Sleep," "Vacation Setback," "metronome," "IAQ," "Fan Coil," and more. You can e-mail us @ "smartsys@worldnet.att.net" to find your specialty function and we probably have a feature just for you!

What is like to have Smart Systems’ HVAC control?

As you enter a space, it gets nice and comfy. The temperature gently hovers about your desired set point. The fan is controlled by a computer, so it operates perfectly all the time. No overshoots. Not too hot or too cold. You can limit the extremes in time and temperature. The display is one of the largest in the industry and the room temperature is readable and right! The Smart Systems’ HVAC controls have shown an 8 -12 % energy savings in heat pumps and gas packs by properly using only the energy needed and by intelligently cycling the fan. Heat pump users will appreciate the fact that the smart controls will operate the heat pump more comfortably than before.

When you leave for just a few moments or a few hours, the temperature is automatically set back! Smart Systems literally see when people are coming and going throughout their busy day. No clocks, no programming, it is always just right. It is called Set and Forget (Tm) technology. The setback is automatic and very smart. We have a patent on the methods to calculate the recovery time that insures your comfort upon your return.

The guaranteed recovery time technology enables significant savings. It guarantees comfort, even as we minimize the energy consumption of the HVAC equipment. Enough to save 20% to 50% of your heating and cooling energy, and just enough so we can guarantee that the temperature will recover in 10, 12, or 20 (you can pick any number from 2 to 99) minutes!

How can we make these claims?

It is the patented technology, combined with powerful microcomputers, that results in a system that acts like an expert human controller would! We have logged more than 3,000,000 days of operation, so we have real-world data that support these claims, available for downloading at www.smartsystemintl.com   .

Smart Systems’ HVAC controls learn each room’s profile, and can see when people are in the room. When people are present, Smart Systems’ control strategies keep people nice and comfy. When rooms become unoccupied (our studies show that most spaces are left vacant with the HVAC ON for 6 to 14 hours per day), Smart Systems’ controls can see that, as well, and they automatically reduce the energy consumption of the HVAC. Comfort is guaranteed upon returning to rooms because of the patented recovery time control, and every room returns to the desired setting within 15 minutes under widely varying local conditions. Of course you can select any guaranteed recovery time value (2 to 99 minutes) and we will advise you what is appropriate for your facility!

Every space requires a specific amount of energy to maintain a comfortable temperature. The size, design and geographic location of a building determine actual usage and the size of the HVAC system is chosen to meet the environmental demand with some allowance for extreme changes in the weather. All Smart Systems’ HVAC controllers have built-in data loggers, too. You can measure HVAC use, savings, occupancy, and ventilation. You can use this data to track your energy savings, explore the real time usage of your spaces, and even to partition energy bills.

The recorded data from the results of more than 3,000,000 days of operation has shown that at least 30% and as much as 80% of the energy used to heat and cool all spaces is wasted. HVAC systems are left ON when the space is vacant. Energy savings come from automating the process of turning down the temperature when a space becomes unoccupied. The chart below shows the estimated energy use and savings for various size facilities and HVAC service.

Keeping you comfortable is what the HVAC system is all about! So, how can you implement an effective energy management, cost reduction program without sacrificing your comfort? Smart Systems’ HVAC controls provide occupant comfort and energy savings simultaneously. No other HVAC controls offer guaranteed recovery time at any price. In fact some HVAC control systems use expensive wires and computer networks, but do not offer a competent strategy to save energy and guarantee comfort. Why? Because they can’t! No one can offer guaranteed recovery time except Smart Systems.

In recent years this energy waste problem has been addressed in some buildings by clock-based systems that are expensive, require programming, and do not accurately follow the comings and goings of their occupants. Smart Systems new solution perfectly and automatically matches energy use with occupancy. No timer or macro sequence can do that. There is great value in expressing the temperature setback, i.e., the temperature movement from the occupied set point to a lower energy consumption, unoccupied set point, in terms of time. After all, we live in a time-based world, so expressing the setback in minutes guarantees a known and predictable level of comfort upon reoccupying a premise!

How does it do all of this?

We use a computer algorithm to figure out how far to set back the temperature. Since a fixed temperature setback will yield a variable (and unknown) recovery time, using a fixed recovery time to describe the setback is best. For example, in major Casino properties in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and the Caribbean, a 10 minute recovery time has been successfully used. Smaller "roadside side inns" often use a 15 minute recovery time. My home uses a 22 minute recovery time downstairs, and a 18 minute recovery time upstairs. Smart Systems’ controls solve the real-time recovery equation instantaneously (it actually takes 90 seconds) and always gets the setback exactly right to keep a constant recovery time.

Constant recovery time is crucial to wide spread adoption of setback technology. Using older, clock-based systems that enable setback periods is a poor compromise and does not represent how people really use indoor space. People come and go as they please, so setbacks should be tied to occupancy sensors.

A fixed temperature setback (i.e., 5, 8, or 10 degrees) will require a different amount of time to recover to your desired set point, depending on the exterior thermal conditions and other factors. This often results in temperature complaints by occupants waiting for the room temperature to recover on warmer and colder days. If you reduce the fixed setback from 8° to say 2° for the worst recovery days, then you do not save as much as you could on day and at times when conditions allow. The key to the new generation of setback thermostats is to set how long you will wait for the place to warm up after you have arrived. It is the only logical choice!

A fixed temperature setback will have a variable recovery time. For example, when it is 30°F outdoors in the morning, it may take 30 minutes to recover. Whereas, if it is 0°F in the morning, the recovery time will be longer, say by 30 to 50%! In the afternoon, with a sun load heating things up and day time temperatures in the 40's, you can recover that 10° degree setback in way less than 30 minutes. The point is occupants respond to comfort in the time domain. How long does it take to get there? Smart HVAC controls present the energy savings strategy in terms of time, i.e., a 15 minute recovery time!

Some systems have tried to adapt by guessing what is going on in the recovery time area. Let’s say you have a clock-based setback system, you want a 10° setback, and you want it to be 70°F at 7:00 A.M.. So, it is 30°F outside and the unit begins its recovery at 6:30 A.M., and the 70°F set point is achieved at 7:20 A.M.. The 20 minute error is stored (remembered) and averaged with previous errors. The next morning the outside temperature is again 30°F, and the unit begins recovery at 6:10 A.M., since it remembers a 20 minute error. This time it recovers at 7:05 A.M., and the next morning it starts the recovery at 6:05 A.M.. A guessing machine only works on paper, not the real-world. A warm spell goes like this. The unit starts at 6:10 A.M. to heat the space from 60°F to 70°F when the outside morning temperature is in the 50's. The space heats up to 70°F at 6:25 A.M., and then proceeds to waste heat energy for the next 30 minutes. Here, the guessing adaptive machine actually costs you money!

A cold spell could be worse, when the outside temperature is 0°F, the wind is up to 25 Mph, and the humidity is up! The recovery starts at 6:10 A.M. and it takes two hours to get warm again! The guessing routine, or adaptive recovery as some call it, is an inferior strategy for the reasons mentioned. In fact, most dealers of these systems disable them because they cause more trouble than they are worth. Clearly the fixed recovery time algorithm is the preferred method of controlling the setback.

How does the system see?

Since people get busy and do not always come and go on a fixed schedule, coupling the HVAC system to occupancy and becoming free of the clock requires an occupancy sensor. Most of the occupancy sensors on the market are repackaged security sensors and not suitable for HVAC control. Generic security sensors or lighting control sensors are carefully designed not to create a false alarm. Their sensitivity is reduced. A security sensor or lighting sensor is subjected to huge amounts of motion, like protecting an entrance way or lighting a meeting room. HVAC occupancy sensors need to "see" sleeping and sitting people. Smart Systems’ occupancy sensors are designed to meet these challenges.

Occupancy sensors, or "people sensors" as we affectionately call them, are different from motion detectors used in security systems. For people and occupancy sensing, you need more sensitivity and smart signal processing. The sensitivity in a Smart Systems’ people sensor is about ten times higher than a typical sensor, yielding about three times more sensitivity. In addition, the use of a powerful microprocessor instead of a pulse counter enables even fainter signals to be detected, like those from a sleeping person.

Smart Systems’ designs and manufactures its own people sensors and they have their own wireless radio network, too! The use of wireless communications is as practical as it is intriguing. We can install a complete system without intrusive, messy and expensive wires! Best of all, the lack of wires means we can put the people sensor in the best location within your rooms and spaces! What is the best location? The bird’s eye view is the absolute best location for observing whether a room is occupied or not!. For a sensor mounted on the ceiling, all motion, like a head turn while sleeping in bed, produces a visible and detectable motion. Conversely, when mounted on a wall, the sensors must squint across the room, and many movements cannot even be physically seen. Insist on ceiling mounted occupancy sensors for all of your rooms.

How much can be saved?

Savings always depends on

• How much is used in the first place,
• What is wasted (i.e., HVAC equipment left on and no one is there).
• The capacity and energy consumption of the HVAC system,
• Your pattern of comings and goings,
• Humidity and cycle, and
• Fan harvesting effectiveness (a 5 to 10% savings during occupied times).

We have published studies that show the savings rate and savings amount (i.e., dollars) for homes, businesses, schools and hotels. All save a significant amount of energy dollars. You can go to our web site and download the report on the market segments that most interest you. For example, Smart Systems for a typical 1600 square foot home cost about $299 installed, or $245 for materials only! The annual payback is about $335. A 1600 square foot home uses about $1,200 in heating and cooling annually. The rate of waste for a home is about 28%. This occurs with a 5 to 6-hour unoccupied period each day, and the HVAC left on. We can save this homeowner about $30 a month!

Many valuable features inside for you to use!

Data Logger. Smart Systems’ HVAC controls have built-in data loggers. You can measure HVAC use, savings, occupancy, and ventilation. You can use this data to track your energy savings, explore the actual usage of your spaces, and even to partition energy bills.

Zoned Systems. Smart Systems’ HVAC controls work nicely with zoned HVAC systems. A zoned system refers to a situation where there is a single heat/cool engine in a home and you have created zones around rooms or clusters of rooms where people use the house. For example, the sleeping quarters are usually a zone, the kitchen and eating areas can be a zone, and the den and formal room can be a zone. In larger homes the back office or play room is often a zone. Today the way it works is that each zone can get the heating and cooling it needs in serial fashion so if the kitchen is satisfied then the living room can get air conditioned next.

Zoned systems can be categorized into two groups. The first uses a digital network between the in-room thermostats, and a central controller near the HVAC equipment. This is a closed, proprietary system. The other type uses traditional thermostats and can accept any regular thermostat. The regular thermostat interface is called a Common Thermostat Interface ("CTI"). This is a 24 VAC based system where heat and cool and fan calls are signaled by the presence/absence of 24 VAC. The labels and colors of this convention are available on our web site at http://www.smartsystemsintl.com/cti.html .

Smart Systems makes a zoned system work even better than before, because besides sharing a common heat/cool engine, you only heat and cool the spaces (zones) that you are in. When you go to sleep, the bedroom zone will signal the thermostat in the bedroom for air conditioning, and all the energy goes to the bedrooms at the desired temperature, while the other zones set back, and are operating at a lower energy consumption point. As you move from zone to zone our system actually sees you and the right zone gets conditioned air. It is a perfect setup! Plus, no programming ever! No irritated spouse that arrives when a clock-based thermostat is cycling off (slavishly) and you want conditioned air! Smart Systems’ HVAC controls are perfect for a CTI interface zoned systems!

IAQ. Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) relates to ventilation and is most important when people are present. This is about 12 hours a day and occupancy sensors are perfect to synchronize the IAQ remediation (and costs) to when people are actually there! I think this is critical, no matter how IAQ is attained. In California, it is now required that all commercial buildings have the fans ventilating whenever there is someone in the building. Most local HVAC companies just hard wire the fans on, and they run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whether anyone is there or not. There is no control device on the market that measures and responds to occupancy to limit fan use and this is a huge waste of energy. Considering a 1/10 HP (or so fan for 24 hours) uses about 2.4 kWh each day, and half of that is needlessly wasted, the annual loss for this example is about $80 annually (at $0.09 a kWh) so at least 40 dollars a year for each HVAC controller is wasted just running the fan. Add to that the HVAC controller being left on, and the total loss can be as high as $200 per zone annually!

Vacation. Smart Systems’ HVAC controls know that people live on a 24 hour a day schedule (more or less), so after a period of more than 24 hours, we begin to "relax" even further. We call this added setback feature "vacation mode." The rate of change and depth of setback of the "vacation mode" is adjustable and automatically scales as a function of your personal recovery time and the heating and cooling ability of your HVAC equipment!

Why act now?

ROI. Clearly, one reason to eliminate wasted energy is to KEEP MORE MONEY. How do you measure the value, in economic terms, of a Smart System? ROI! With the installed cost of a Smart System priced near the expected annual energy savings, some facilities can achieve a 100% ROI. Nationally, the typical ROI is between 66 and 80%. Over a five year period you get to keep $0.60 each year for every dollar you invest! That is a $3.00 return for a dollar, every five years! What else can do that? Only a Smart HVAC system can!

Comfort. There are other reasons to step up to a Smart Systems’ HVAC controller. Comfort! Your rooms will always be in the Comfort Zone, ready to use, and whenever you or your guests return, the system automatically turns on to a comfortable setting. Never too hot and never too cold, just right! Since Smart Systems work automatically and all the time, nuisance adjustments are reduced. And, with one of the largest displays of temperature in the industry, you can finally see the temperature clearly.