Dynamic zone scheduling is a hot new feature in Events2HVAC v1.3.2 that will be helpful to many users. It was added for one reason – because our customers asked for it!
Here is a short explanation to help you determine if dynamic zone scheduling is a good option for controlling some of your building equipment (AHUs, VAVs, door locks, etc.).
To describe the differences, let’s look at three scheduling scenarios:
Scheduling without Events2HVAC
Scheduling with Events2HVAC using event scheduling actions
Scheduling with Events2HVAC using dynamic zone scheduling actions
(1) Scheduling without Events2HVAC. Most buildings are controlled by a fixed weekly or daily occupancy schedule. HVAC turns on at a certain time in the morning and doors are unlocked. At a specified time in the evening, HVAC returns to unoccupied settings and doors are locked. This wastes a lot of energy by heating and cooling empty rooms because schedules are not narrowly defined.
(2) Scheduling with Events2HVAC using event scheduling actions. Events2HVAC pulls schedules from the room-scheduling system and sends commands to HVAC equipment to set equipment back to unoccupied settings between each scheduled event, saving energy and extending the life of equipment. Zones are created by grouping rooms served by specific equipment and consolidating schedules for those rooms into one zone schedule. During periods of time with no event happening in any of the zone rooms, HVAC returns to unoccupied settings. The diagram below illustrates event scheduling – note that the equipment is set back to unoccupied in the middle of the day when no events are scheduled.
Some common uses for event scheduling with Events2HVAC include:
Individual room or zone control based on room reservations: VAV boxes, dedicated AHUs, fan coil units (FCU), room access control, and room lighting
Larger AHUs that can be cycled throughout the day based on aggregate room schedules
(3) Scheduling with dynamic zone scheduling actions. A base schedule is set for each zone, such as 9 am to 5 pm, Monday – Friday. During this time the zone will always be set to occupied. Outside of this base schedule, however, Events2HVAC will look at the first scheduled event for each day and send a start command for the HVAC equipment at whatever pre-start time is defined. In the evening, Events2HVAC will send a stop command at the end of the last event each day. The diagram below illustrates dynamic zone scheduling – note that equipment continues to run in the middle of the day even if no events are scheduled.
Some common uses for dynamic zone scheduling with Events2HVAC include:
Large building air handlers (AHUs) that you don’t want to cycle on and off – these may be older AHUs or AHUs in older buildings that have a longer recovery time to get to the desired temperature
K-12 schools, office buildings, and other facilities with base schedules and frequent after-hours or early morning events
Outside door access control for a building or group of buildings
If you are currently using Events2HVAC and would like to enable this feature, please contact support@events2hvac.com.