3 Cybersecurity Steps to Reduce Threats to your Electrical System

 3 Cybersecurity Steps to Reduce Threats to your Electrical System

When anyone mentions cybersecurity, you may automatically think they are referring to IT systems. That is because protecting IT networks – and their associated personal, financial, and other proprietary data – has been the responsibility of IT professionals for an exceptionally long time. But what about your operational technology (OT) infrastructures? Are they also at risk from cyberattacks? How can you protect them? In this post, we’ll discuss these questions, and three specific recommendations for protecting your electrical systems.

The electricity subsector cybersecurity Risk Management Process (RMP) guideline was developed by the Department of Energy (DOE), in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC).

OT Cyberattacks: An Increasing Threat

The Ponemon Institute emphatically states that, “Cyberattacks are relentless and continuous against OT environments.” In a survey of over 700 organizations from six countries they found that 50 percent had experienced a cyberattack against their OT infrastructure within the last two years that resulted in downtime. For large and critical operations, this can be devastating.

All you need to do is follow the news to see frequent examples of such attacks. For example, in early 2021, the fast action of a technician narrowly avoided the risk of thousands of people being poisoned due to a hacker gaining access to a Florida city’s water treatment plant. Going back a few years, a breach that came through the HVAC system caused international retailer Target to have 40 million credit and debit card accounts compromised, costing them $290 million.

 

The latter example is just one of many that show why building systems are now widely recognized as OT attack targets. The evolution toward smarter buildings is causing an explosion in the numbers of connected devices – already an estimated 200+ million in commercial buildings alone. With more devices comes more data that needs to be protected, but for facility and business management teams to extract the maximum value, data must be aggregated and shared across OT and IT systems.

This OT/IT interconnection means that a cyberattack on an OT system can:

·        Compromise operational safety or the health of building occupants

·        Impact productivity by taking down production lines or other equipment and processes; more about the relationship between Cybersecurity and Productivity.

·        Ultimately cause an IT threat by passing malware or a virus from the OT to IT infrastructure

The Attack Surface is Now Larger

Essentially, connected OT infrastructures have increased the ‘attack surface’ for hackers and, in many cases, have acted as an organization’s Achilles heel. Clearly, it is not enough anymore to focus attention only on protecting IT and data systems integrity. All organizations must ensure strong OT cybersecurity is in place.

But what OT systems are we talking about? Depending on your type of operation, these can include industrial automation systems (e.g. SCADA) and smart building systems like a building management system (BMS), building security, lighting systems, and the energy and power management system (EPMS) overseeing your facility’s electrical distribution. Navigant Research notes, “Cybersecurity issues are expected to grow in tandem with the digital transformation of real estate through intelligent building technologies.”

In this post, we will consider cybersecurity specifically for your EPMS and electrical distribution system. However, these recommendations and practices equally apply to other OT systems.

Connected Power Means Greater Vulnerability

Energy and power management systems are helping organizations boost efficiency and sustainability, optimize operating costs, maximize uptime, and get better performance and longevity from electrical assets. When combined with BMS, an EPMS can also help make the work environment healthier and more productive for occupants.

Enabling these EPMS benefits is a connected network of smart metering, analysis, control, and protection devices that share data continuously with onsite and/or cloud-based EPMS applications. The application provides extensive monitoring and analytics while providing mobile access to data and alerts to all facility stakeholders. Connection to the cloud also opens the door to expert power and asset advisory support that can augment a facility’s onsite team with 24/7 monitoring, predictive maintenance, energy management, and other services.

All these onsite, cloud, and mobile connections offer a potential target and entry for hackers so you can read our facility managers guide to building systems and cybersecurity.

 

Securing Your Electrical System: A Holistic Approach

A hacker only needs to find one ‘hole’ in one system, at one point of time, to be successful. What you need is a holistic approach to ensure that all potential vulnerabilities are secured. For new buildings, cybersecurity best practices should be a part of the design of all OT systems. For existing buildings, cybersecurity should be addressed when OT systems are starting to be digitized. For both scenarios, the following are three key considerations:

1. Seek Specialized, Expert Assistance

The priorities for IT systems are confidentiality, integrity, and availability. For OT, the top priorities are safety, resilience, and confidentiality. This means that OT security upgrades or problems need to be addressed in a different way from IT, with careful planning and procedures. For these reasons, you need to choose a cybersecurity partner who has proper OT experience, to help you comply with all relevant cybersecurity standards and best practices.

OT systems also use different communication protocols compared to IT systems, such as BACNet, Modbus, etc. If you had your IT team attempt to perform OT security system scans, those scanning tools might cause serious conflicts, risking an OT system shutdown.

Cyberthreats are also constantly evolving, so you should seek a partner who offers ongoing OT monitoring services, updates, system maintenance, and incident response. All of these should be available remotely.

2. Put the Right Controls in Place

An OT cybersecurity specialist will help audit your EPMS and electrical systems to assess the current vulnerabilities and risks, including the gaps in any procedures and protocols.

You and the specialist must determine how secure your electrical system needs to be. The IEC 62443 standard helps protect IoT-enabled OT systems by defining seven foundational requirements (e.g. access control, use control, availability, response, etc.), each of which are designated a security level. Increased security levels offer greater protection against more sophisticated attacks. Your cybersecurity partner will help you determine the level of security you need for each requirement.

An example of one technique for securing networked systems is to break up systems into ‘zones,’ with each secured individually. OT will be separated from IT, and within OT there may be further segregation. A special ‘demilitarized’ zone is typically included, which is a perimeter subnetwork that sits between the public and private networks for an added layer of security. This makes it harder for hackers to find a way in from one system or zone to another. Where required, connections between networks are provided by specially secured data ‘conduits.’

Your electrical system should also be physically secured, with no access by unauthorized personnel. This same strategy applies to EPMS communications network security by means of controlled, multi-tiered permission-based access.

3. Train your Staff

Many cyberattacks are successful because employees have caused unintended errors. It is important that your people become aware of, and vigilant against, cyberthreats. This includes giving your operations team specialized OT cybersecurity training.

This training will typically include multiple steps, including training all individuals to spot social engineering cues, such as phishing attempts or attempts to access protected areas using pretexting (i.e. someone pretending to be a vendor to gain access). This will also include establishing protocols around the use of passwords, multi-factor authorization, policies around WiFi access (e.g., guest network that remains isolated from OT networks), regular auditing of user accounts and permissions, etc.

While the horizontal cybersecurity framework provides a solid basis, specific characteristics of the energy sector such as the need for fast reaction, risks of cascading effects and the need to combine new digital technology with older technologies necessitate specific legislation.

Thanks to Felix Ramos & Khaled Fakhuri to write this article.

Will Lora replace 4G LTE in IoT

Will Lora replace 4G LTE in IoT 

LoRa (Long Range) and 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) are both used in the Internet of Things (IoT) space, but they cater to different requirements and use cases. Whether LoRa will replace 4G LTE in IoT depends on the specific needs of the IoT application. Here are some key considerations:

Range and Power Consumption:

LoRa: LoRa is known for its long-range capabilities and low power consumption. It is suitable for applications where devices are spread out over a wide area and need to communicate over long distances with minimal power usage.

4G LTE: LTE is designed for higher data rates and is well-suited for applications that require faster communication speeds. However, LTE may consume more power compared to LoRa.

Data Rate:

LoRa: Offers relatively low data rates suitable for applications with sporadic and small data transmission requirements, such as sensor readings and status updates.

4G LTE: Provides higher data rates, making it suitable for applications with more frequent and data-intensive communication needs.

Infrastructure and Cost:

LoRa: Typically has a lower infrastructure cost, making it a cost-effective choice for large-scale deployments where devices are spread out over a wide area.

4G LTE: Requires more extensive infrastructure and may involve higher costs, but it offers faster and more reliable connectivity.

Application Requirements:

LoRa: Commonly used in scenarios like agriculture, smart cities, and industrial IoT where long-range communication and low power consumption are critical.

4G LTE: Preferred for applications requiring higher bandwidth, mobility support, and faster data transfer, such as connected vehicles or video surveillance.

Conclusions

In many cases, these technologies can complement each other within an IoT ecosystem. Hybrid solutions that leverage both LoRa for low-power, long-range communication and 4G LTE for higher bandwidth and mobility are not uncommon.

Ultimately, the choice between LoRa and 4G LTE in IoT depends on the specific needs and priorities of the application, including factors such as range, data rate, power consumption, and cost.

The following is a list of top 10 countries/territories by 4G LTE coverage as measured by OpenSignal.com in February/March 2019:

The LoRa Alliance is an open, non-profit association whose stated mission is to support and promote the global adoption of the LoRaWAN standard for massively scaled IoT deployments, as well as deployments in remote or hard-to-reach locations.

Security Integration management systems

Security Integration Management Systems 

Security systems are changing at an ever-increasing pace and are becoming standard Information Technology (IT) products running over a Local Area Network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN). As a result of using standard protocols such as Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), the manufacturers to develop new generations of integrated systems. These systems are called System Integration as they bring together the management of all aspects of an organisation’s security. In recent years, the market for security equipment has realized the immense merits of integrating different components in a security system. However, true integration may be offered by all the manufacturers in the field today. A truly integrated security system combines the various components and yet they are all part of a more sophisticated and bigger system.

Some people use the term 'integrated' to describe a multiplexer combining full screen and multi screen images. Or a control desk containing an integrated intruder alarm PC, an integrated fence alarm PC and an integrated CCTV PC sitting next to one another. This is not true integration.

It is possible to integrate components like a public address system, CCTV, fence alarms, intruder alarms, fire alarms (life safety) and access control system within a single system. The system can be multi-station networks or even a single PC. All these components should interact with one another as a single entity. For example, whenever the fire alarm gets activated, the screen of the Visual Display Unit should pop up a new text window where detailed instruction should be given on what to do next. Simultaneously, the integrated system may release the doors meant for fire exit and display those CCTV cameras, through which the operator can view the affected area so that the operator in question can engage in a communication with the other staff and do not have to take the help of any public address system.

It is not always necessary to purchase all of the components of a system from one supplier. Manufacturers of Security Management Systems realise that the customer wants choice and will often link to components from other specialist manufacturers. Many manufacturers provide integration modules and protocols such as BACnet and OPC, and data integration methodologies such as eXtensible Markup Language (XML), ActiveX and others, which can in theory link to almost any business system. You will need to talk to individual suppliers to discover what development tools such as Software Development Kits (SDK) and Application Programming Interfaces (API) are available for integrating systems. Yes, the system should be able to function with the help of a battery backup though the duration of this backup time may vary according to the type of panels used within it. In my experience this has not been an issue, but some manufacturers are very cautious to whom they release this information. If you are a competitor it is almost impossible.

Even when protocol has been received 90% of the time it is either incorrect, incomplete or even misleading! It is essential to test product before installation, I know it is an old fashioned idea but it is really nice to see the system actually working.

Opportunities of System integration

There are a number of advantages to be gained in both the security and commercial aspects of designing and adopting an integrated system. This section lists some of the advantages that may be considered when combining separate systems into an integrated solution.

Access Control Systems (ACS)

Access Control is typically specified to provide protection to both property and employees. Generally it is thought of in terms of managing doors. However, it often extends to public areas when coupled with turnstiles, gates and barriers, or highly sensitive areas when coupled with biometrics.  If the access control and intruder alarm systems are linked together, the access control system can be programmed to automatically change, based on the type of alarm that sounds. By integrating Access Control with other systems many advantages may be realized. For example:

• Fire Alarm mustering – know where your employees are at a given time.

• Know which doors / areas employees are entering, or trying to enter.

• Link CCTV images with access control events.

• Link Time & Attendance monitoring using the same badge / token software.

• Link Visitor Monitoring with Access Control & CCTV using badge / token software.

• Increase security through systems such as dual card access or access using a biometric technology.

• Intruder & Hold up alarm system control functions can be managed by the Access Control system.

Logical Security

Logical access control is the brother of physical access control but is often limited to secure PC logon. Integrating these two elements can significantly increase your security. For instance, you can restrict PC access to only those who have a smart card and use this to logon to your IT network. Alternatively, you can inhibit network logon if the person is not in the building, further enhancing your security.

One example is to use the CCTV system and access system to monitor and lock doors during a denial of service (DOS) attack at the same time as sending a message to the security guards. Quite often physical and logical attacks go hand in hand.

Time & Attendance (TA) monitoring

The same badge/token used to identify a person in Access Control can register them on and off work with Time & Attendance monitoring. Also as more integrated software systems become available, use of the same software to handle Access Control, Time & Attendance and Visitor Monitoring can be achieved. Remember however, that just because a person went through an Access Control door does not mean they are registered for work, especially under Working Time Directive (WTD) rules. You will need separate T&A clocking stations, albeit on the same network, to monitor working hours and software to calculate employee hours, monitor absences and WTD hours and infringements.

Human Resources (HR) / Payroll

Why enter data twice? When a new employee joins a company his personnel details are often entered into both the appropriate HR system and then again into the security system. By integrating these two systems, a subset of the employee data can automatically be transferred into the Access Control System when an employee joins. Alternatively, when an employee leaves, his rights can be automatically deleted from the Access Control System, again reducing effort and increasing security.

CCTV Systems

By integrating CCTV and other systems such as Access Control, the benefits of more than one system can be coupled to provide a more efficient and usable solution for the end user. IP camera can be integrated with Motion Sensor not only that If IP camera has I/O port you can integrate with other systems like, Hooter, Auto dialer etc. Through Video management intelligent Software you can get face reorganization, license plate reorganization etc.  For example:

• Live camera views can be integrated with the Access Control Software, equally Access Control or other data can be integrated with the CCTV system.

• Access Control and other security detection systems can initiate pre and post-event video recording, linking the video recording with the event information. This makes searching for events on the DVR/NVR more effective as only the event needs to be searched, for example ‘Door forced – Stores Door’ or ‘Zone 1 – Perimeter breached.’

• Track individuals and record their access details against the recording to track suspect users or stolen card users.

• Initiate camera presets when specific pre-determined events occur, e.g. when entering a room in a bank, switch the camera to zoom into the door to identify the individual.

• Use CCTV with Time & Attendance system to detect / eradicate ‘buddy-clocking’, a practice where employees clock each other on and off work.

Intruder Alarms Systems (IAS)

By integrating intruder with other systems, the benefits of more than one system can be coupled to provide a more efficient and usable solution for the end user. For example:

• Set / unset the intruder system using an access reader. No need to use the intruder keypad.

• No entry delay time if main door forced. The entry timer is bypassed thus providing an instant alarm.

• Disabling of access readers when the intruder system is in the armed state, to prevent false alarms due to unauthorised entry into an armed area.

• Using an occupancy count from another system, the Intruder & Hold Up Alarm system can be notified that there may be persons present in the building when the system is being set.

External Perimeter Detection

One of the fundamental objectives of a security system is to provide protection at the outermost perimeter of a property. A perimeter intruder detection system can be used, linked with CCTV to provide early warnings and increased security through verification in the event of a breach. For example, external doors could be automatically locked if the perimeter system detects an abnormal event.

Fire Detection & Alarm Systems

Fire protection / Detection systems have traditionally been isolated from other building management and security systems. By integrating fire with other systems, the benefits of more than one system can be coupled to provide a more efficient and usable solution for the end user. For example:

• In the event of a fire all emergency exit doors on the fire escape route need to be automatically released from an electrical point of view, but physical quick release locks may be in place to maintain security and still allow people to escape. It is common practice to install a relay in series with the electric locking mechanism controlled by the fire panel. An alternative is to feed a fire input into the Access Control System, which then automatically releases the appropriate electric locking mechanisms. The proposed link between the Access Control System and the fire system should be evaluated as part of the fire risk assessment.

• In addition to providing hardware control during a fire situation, it may be necessary to provide a ‘roll call’ or ‘muster’ report to list all people in the building at the time of the fire alarm.

PA system (PAS)

In general IP paging and intercom systems are used to direct people in emergencies, control doors and control other situations such as crowd control. However, integrating such systems with others leaves the door open to new uses and can push a technology to its full potential. For example, integrating a campus’ PA system with security systems such as video surveillance could give campus security operators more control over emergency communication. Paging can be integrated with IP camera systems. Small amplifiers are used to power speakers that can be used with the cameras.

It is also important that the video management software (VMS) supports the audio. Some VMS will provide an alert if they detect a button activation from the IP camera. The VMS then allows the security person to see what is happening and then talk to the person near the IP camera.

The Digital Acoustic intercom system is independent of the VMS and uses its own Windows paging software. In this case, the security person can receive an alert from an intercom and be notified on their Windows computer. The software also allows the security person to view a nearby IP camera. This is not quite as integrated as the first method, but can provide additional security.

PA Controller should be integrate with Fire Detection system, in case of fire PA system automatic start announcement to evac said area.

Visitor Management Systems (VMS)

For many companies and organizations, a manual paper-based VMS will suffice, providing visual identity of visitors. However, computerized systems linked to Access Control and Time & Attendance systems are the natural bedfellows for integrated security systems. These not only print ID passes, but can also incorporate biometric identification and the scanning of visitor/contractor documentation, licenses, certificates and insurance certificates.

Lift Control

By integrating lift control with the access control system, access to certain floors in a building may be

Restricted, particularly outside normal working hours or in multi-tenanted buildings. To monitor of lift you can fix CCTV Camera which is integrate with Access Control.

Car Park Management (CPM)

Where access to a car park is restricted, the ISMS can automatically monitor the number of spaces left for each tenant or department and regulate access accordingly. For example:

• Visually through CCTV.

• Audibly through an intercom system.

• Automatic number plate recognition.

• Access Control tokens.

Guard Tour System (GTS)

By using a guard tour package that integrates with the access door readers can be used to define and monitor a tour by a specific guard, providing a real time indication if the guard does not reach a set point in time (or even if he arrives too early) – equally integration with the CCTV system can provide visual verification of the guard’s location and wellbeing. Many Time & Attendance systems incorporate Guard tour functions as part of their software package.

Building Management Systems (BMS)

Building management systems are responsible for monitoring and controlling the environment of a building, for example lighting control, heating and ventilation (HVAC). In the current climate of energy saving, why leave lights on when an area is unoccupied? By integrating Access Control Systems with BMS systems, the lighting can be automatically controlled by recording when people access an area. The system can also be configured to control the heating by reducing the room temperature when no one is present rather than leaving it on all day and off at night.

Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS)

The logic of integrating security systems together is evident, however if information from systems such as EPOS can be interfaced then a powerful security solution for applications in the retail market and casinos can be deployed.

Data sent from an EPOS system can be overlaid on a live video display, allowing operators to view the camera feed and till transaction simultaneously. The transaction information and alarms enerated by the EPOS system can be bookmarked and recorded alongside the video. This facilitates visual identification of an incident in both real time and through post-event analysis. Powerful transaction analysis can be undertaken on the stored data, for example, finding out when a particular credit card was used by searching every till in a store or across all stores from the head office.

Conversely, recorded video can be searched using a thumbnail feature, which displays a video still image for every transaction, allowing the operator to quickly identify the relevant footage. Evidential quality video clips and associated transaction data can be exported for investigation or use in court.

Alarms generated by the EPOS system, such as ‘register drawer left open’, ‘refund’, or ‘large dollar amount’ can automatically trigger a number of events, including displaying the nearest camera to the specific till and pinpointing the alarm on an interactive map.

AI in building automation and HVAC

 AI in Building Automation & HVAC

The today world technology keeps moving on an exponential growth rate and not in linear, whereas artificial intelligence started footprinting on all industry it possible before we proceed further how artificial intelligence used in building automation?

let us go through some basics of artificial intelligence terms.

What is Artificial Intelligence(AI)?

·       AI branch of computer science dealing with the simulation of intelligent behaviour in computers.

·       AI or artificial intelligence helps machines to learn from experiences (otherwise called as machine learning) and adjust to new inputs and work as a human.

·       Almost all technology giant  companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon started involving AI concepts in their services for examples,

Google translate uses AI, where translating techniques keeps an updating/learned/suggested to google machines to give better accuracy.

Google Assitant uses AI, where it used to assist the user needs based on natural voice by processing various AI algorithm to detect the user’s voice and predict the better result.

Amazon and other e-commerce website are providing recommended products based on the user experience -behind this concept, it is not implemented with the only pre-defined program but also used various AI algorithms to predict the user recommended products with high accuracy which help them bring million of revenues for e-commerce owner.

What is Machine Learning?

·       Machine learning is technically a branch of Artificial intelligence which is limited to or more specific than the overall concept of artificial intelligence. Machine learning is an idea for machines to collect a set of data to process and learn with an advanced algorithm to predict the better output.

·       otherwise, we can say machine learning is capable of changing the program themselves.

What is Deep Learning?

·       Deep learning is a subset of machine learning.

·       Deep learning is related to deep artificial neural networks which are set of an algorithm that has a new set of record in accuracy for many complex problems.

Above terms and definition are just basic about artificial intelligence and proceed with a further post to understand how artificial intelligence service of software used in building automation.

let us discuss Roby and Brainbox AI about how it is used in building automation and saving more energy on buildings.

How Artificial intelligence used in Building automation system

With the help of artificial intelligence, Machine learning, deep learning and cloud technology concept, AI service provider creating best and various algorithm by HVAC and building automation experts and same implemented with the existing system installed in buildings.

Note that building already has a centralised and specific system with dedicated hardware and software to monitor and control the equipment as per the requirement.

Existing BMS system generates and stores tons of data of connected equipment in the building

·       TrendLog- log/store the various sensors data connected in buildings with configured over a period of time.

·       Events-Log the information about on and off state of all equipment.

·       Alarms- generate an alarm if any fault identified in connected equipment.

AI role is here to collect the data from the BMS System, process it and instructs your existing HVAC system on how to operate more intelligently and efficiently.

Let us see some AI tools used in Building automation 

·        Roby

·        Brainbox AI

What is Roby?

Roby is a chat/voice-enabled software with AI concept that handles all requests, automate repetitive tasks, eliminates miscommunication, and reduces resolution time to increase employee satisfaction.

·       Simplify ticketing management-Roby unifies all channels for making requests to a single interface for employees.

·       Keep employees engaged-Roby keeps employees updated on their requests and encourages interactions.

·       Understand the office inside and out-Roby periodically initiates employee surveys and indicate potential problems based on responses.

·       Deflect repetitive question-Roby learns from employees’ feedback and automatically deflect repetitive questions.

How Roby Helps Your Office Management

·       Managing Varied Requests-There is many ways to make a request, and it is difficult to keep eyes on multiple channels.

·       Answering Repetitive Questions-In a dynamic environment, it is difficult to maintain a knowledge base for so many questions.

·       Keeping Employees Involved-Sometimes, the conversation gap between employees and support team can cause miscommunication.

·        Getting Feedback from Employees-Companies usually use professional service to do employee surveys, but this wastes time and money.

How does Roby work?

Employees simply send all requests to Roby

·       Using “/Roby” or click a button, employees can easily send a request to support teams and check statuses anytime.

·       Roby automatically creates a to-do list for the support team and keeps employees notified

The support team can stay focused on their tasks and not worry about being continually distracted. Simply type “request”, Roby will show a to-do list and keep everyone updated.

·        Roby can learn the Q&A and automatically answer repetitive questions

·        Employees can ask a question to support teams through Roby. Roby will memorize the Q&A and directly answer it next time when the same question is asked

·       Roby drives the interactions between employees and the support team

Every two weeks, Roby will send simple metrics to employees to keep track of the effort from the support team and get their valuable feedback.

·       Get valuable insights into your office space

·       The feedback and survey results are displayed in the Roby Portal. The support team will be able to access and better understand how to improve employee satisfaction.

Roby is not limited only with above features but also add-on with existing building automation

·       HVAC Add-on: Control the temperature of workspaces at any time, and have preferences automatically applied in the future.

·       Lighting Add-on: Adjust the lighting in any workspace and create schedules to maximize energy use efficiency.

·       Support Ticketing Add-on: Submit support tickets- anytime, anywhere, and get immediate responses with automatic notifications, 24/7.

·       Calendar Add-on: Book meeting rooms on the fly, see which rooms are available, and ensure that unused room is automatically opened for assignment.

Key Benefits of using Roby for building automation

·       Convenient, Easy to Use. Integrates into existing employee communication platforms, allowing employees to easily submit requests. Natural language processing makes submitting a request simple.

·       Communications.  Roby keeps the requestor informed with status updates and resolution notification.  Operators can make broadcast announcements

·       Time Savings. Automated execution of HVAC tasks, elimination of duplicate tickets, and intelligent communication free up Operators to focus on higher value activities. done!

·       Speed. Temperature change requests completed in real-time without human intervention, even after hours.

·       Cost Savings. AI continuously optimizes HVAC operations, resulting in reduced heating and cooling costs without sacrificing employee comfort.

·       Predictive. Roby continuously learns users’ needs and takes proactive actions to optimize the office environment and replenish office supplies.

·       Satisfaction and Productivity. Comfortable employees are happier and get more done!

What is BrainBox AI?

Brainbox AI using technology to the implementation of optimizing in energy consumption of building which is one of the largest contributors of climate-changing in this world.

·       Brainbox AI engine supports a self-operating building that requires no human intervention.

·       Using deep learning, cloud-based computing, and our proprietary process, our solution autonomously optimizes existing Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) control systems for maximum impact on energy consumption.

Brainbox AI helps to

·       25-35% of reduction in total energy costs.

·       60% improvement in occupant comfort.

·       20-40% decrease in carbon footprint.

·       3-month payback and low CAPEX

How BrainBox Implemented and works to save energy in Buildings

STEP 1: GETTING ACQUAINTED

·       Our solution identifies and catalogues your building’s specific operating behaviour and energy flow by gathering data from both internal and external sources. It then creates a building energy profile for making informed predictions about future energy flow.

·       BrainBox AI collects hundreds of thousands of real-time data points, such as outside temperature, sun/cloud positioning, fan speed, duct pressure, heater status, humidity levels, occupant density and many more.

 STEP 2: OPTIMIZING FLOW

·       Using over 25 customized algorithms working in real time, our AI engine instructs your existing HVAC system on how to operate more intelligently and efficiently.

·       This process is similar to an aircraft on auto-pilot.

 STEP 3: CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

it continually amalgamates and analyzes all generated data to further optimize operational efficiency and discover other unique insights.

To improve operational efficiency, BrainBox AI works to answer questions, including:

·       Which HVAC units have the fewest mechanical issues?

·       How are changes in occupancy levels affecting energy consumption?

·       Which HVAC units are the most energy efficient in cold or humid climates?

Bottom Line – This AI technology services and tools for buildings will have much impact on facility management in the near future.

Learn more about artificial technology on

• USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO OPTIMIZE THE FLOW OF ENERGY THROUGH THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

·        UNDERSTANDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY AS A DYNAMIC RESOURCE IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Note: Original content published on https://www.brainboxai.ai/ and https://tellroby.com/