Case Scenario
Commercial boiler equipment installed on commercial premises are often critical services and failure of these systems can cause major business disruption.
In the instance of a commercially trading business, breakdown of such equipment could resort in substantial loss of income through wasted stock, operational efficiency could be impacted by the displacement of personnel being sent to work remotely. Educational institutions may be forced to close core facilities, resulting in disruption to educational routine. I’ve been witness to such a failure so can fully appreciate the complete value of ensuring crucial equipment such as this is maintained in the most proactive methods possible.
The Challenges
There could be various challenges encountered from not proactively monitoring a boilers functionality. Lets start with, that first notification of a system failure and that precarious position you find yourself in as the supplier, a phone call from the customer letting you know there’s a problem. Anyone (including myself) who’s worked in a business providing services knows you should be in the driving seat here, being alerted to said issue, giving not only yourself confidence in contacting your customer but ultimately providing the customer with confidence that they made the right purchasing choice. There will always be elements of any business’s product or service that are reactive, but if you can eradicate the majority with smarter management, it only bodes well for the ongoing service provider-client relationship.
Next up, and usually high on most businesses agenda is the cost of a monitoring solution. Traditional, BMS (building management systems) often very expensive just to implement, adding further measurement points and ongoing support really drives the offsetting and ROI of a solution into the lesser attractive realm!
Moving on, and one very common challenge is the lack of an available local network. This stumbling block typically comes in two forms:
- There is simply no LAN/ WAN (local/wide area network) in place to be utilised for connectivity
- IT won’t allow third party systems onto it for security, access and management purposes
Boilers will often be dropped into a client site in a short time frame and the above impracticalities of interfacing to a LAN/WAN are just not viable.
How Can CDL’s IoT Solution Help Address These Challenges?
We pride ourselves on light touch installation, our solution can seamlessly be embedded into a boiler system. Interfacing to all key boiler metrics such as status and temperature levels, fault codes and location is easily configurable and importantly implementable. Our embedded solution connects cellularly, fully negating the need to connect into any existing LAN/WAN. Our secure cloud based IoT platform the CDLSmartHub, will allow for monitoring of all assets through one browser. Adding users and access levels to enable the end-user or client to view status data is configurable within minutes as is setting up comprehensive alerts notifying key personnel of any issues arising from boiler performance.
Value Added Service
Proactive monitoring of in-field assets could open up potential new revenue streams and for existing models to be adjusted. For example, one of our existing clients was able to enhance their ongoing maintenance service with package variant SLA’s, giving their clients complete confidence and tangible value.
Gaining insights on potential equipment misuse could help in any service delivery claims that arise directly as a result of poor operation. Helping both direct cost disputes and improving operational performance, to ultimately solidify the partner relationship between supplier and client.
Added IoT Opportunities
Our Nano Ultra III system is very well suited to measuring the performance of a boiler, however our Nano Ultra Matrix+ will widen the scope of monitoring the actual delivery of the treated air into the facility. The wireless sensors are very quick to set up and would deliver data back to the CDLSmartHub, giving one place for easy-to-access data insights.
Sensor measurements include examples such as temperature, relative humidity, indoor air quality, Co2, VOC’s, power, water leaks, air flow and much more.
In summary you’re able to monitor the complete facility and the operational status of the boiler. All in a light touch, cost effective package.
Get In Touch
If you would like further information on what CDL can provide, please book directly onto my calendar here: My Calendar. Alternatively, to speak with another member of the CDL team, complete This Form and somebody will service your enquiry.
