Supplement: Building Control & Energy Management

Woolworths turns to Schneider Electric for building control

New format BigW stores sell a wide range of goods and incorporate a building control network designed as a result of cooperation between Woolworths and Schneider Electric. Schneider Electric worked with Woolworths to understand the main problems faced in the everyday running of the store. The solution proposed by Schneider Electric encompassed the Electrical switchboard, the final circuit distribution, Canalis busbar system for the power and lighting in the main retail area. The system proposed also includes control of the heating and ventilation plant using Telemecanique PLC's (programmable logic controller) driving a FipIO local network.

"The prime reason for introducing internet-based access was to improve fault reporting," says Gary Buckingham, retail marketing manager at Schneider Electric. "With the building control system, a non-technical manager gets alarm messages which don't necessarily mean a lot to him. What he does then is look at more details on his screen and call a help desk which directs him through a series of questions to determine whether it is the electrical contractor, the mechanical contractor or somebody else who should be called out to fix the fault so they can be despatched to site. Costs were being incurred because the wrong people were being called out."

Regionally-based maintenance staff circumvent this problem, and initially they dial in to store building management systems before they leave their base to check on fault reports and other diagnostic data. The objective is to have the right engineer tuning up on site without delay carrying the spares necessary to undertake a repair. Eventually access to building control systems will be securely controlled though Woolworth's corporate extranet, so they will be able to access a store cross the internet.

At the heart of the system is a Premium controller with a communications network, linking input/ output modules, that monitor and control the air handling units associated with ventilation functions. The system is responsible for regulating the temperature within the building and offices, controlling the lighting inside and outside during store open and closed times and is also programmed with the correct shut down sequences in the event of a fire within the building. The traditional lighting design within the store was based around an operating sequence with two levels of lighting one for normal store opening times, the other for store cleaning in which the lights are reduced by 50%. The BMS cycles the lights every day to ensure even lamp wear to reduce maintenance costs.

The user interface is provided by a Telemecanique Human Machine Interface (HMI) from the touch and click range of products and the user is able to display various parameters within the store including inside temperature, outside temperature, lighting status, total electrical power consumed and any alarm conditions. The system is further enhanced by the use of a Web enabling module fitted within the PLC to allow the same screens to be viewed remotely at head office using a standard PC. Internet browser software gives visibility of the key functions within each store.

Schneider Electric
h109@industrialnetworking.co.uk