SiMAP solutions make property management easier

Our solutions measure indoor conditions: temperature, relative humidity, pressure differences and carbon dioxide levels. The measured data can be easily saved in SiMAP’s cloud service for use or can be flexibly transferred to an automation system or the client’s database. Remote management of the property is also possible through the cloud service.

The SiMAP solution is modular and it can easily be expanded to manage heating and ventilation of the property. Our solutions are very easy to install and they are suited for both old and new buildings.

Typical challenges at a property

All heated premises have similar challenges associated with heating and ventilation, regardless of the building type.

Often, the heating system of a property is managed by measuring the outdoor temperature. This method ensures that more heating is provided during colder weather, but it does not consider all of the other factors that affect the indoor conditions of a property. In addition to the heating system, the indoor conditions are influenced by the broader weather conditions, the functionality of ventilation and human activity in the building.

This causes the indoor conditions to vary, even if the heating system were to function exactly as intended. In addition, the functionality of the heating and ventilation system typically changes on its own over the years due to wear, blockages and other similar events.

One solution to these problems is to ensure that there is always enough heat and ventilation. If a room becomes too warm, it can be easily resolved by opening a window. Naturally, this is a bad solution from an energy efficiency perspective and typically properties are over-heated.

Building systems also often change due to failures.

Faults are often detected too late, which leads to higher repair costs and reduced indoor air quality.

SiMAP is the solution

Obtaining comprehensive real-time measurement data on the conditions of a property helps a lot in maintaining the building. If the temperature of the property is known in real-time, the heating system can provide just the right amount of heating. If the functionality of the building is monitored with pressure difference, humidity and carbon dioxide measurements, the air quality can be maintained better for all users.

The SiMAP system is well-suited for this purpose. The system always includes the room sensors that measure temperature and humidity and it can be expanded to measure the pressure differences between different rooms and the carbon dioxide levels in the rooms. The data measured by the system can be transferred into the SiMAP cloud service where the measurement data produced by the system are stored in a manner where old data is not compressed or deleted. This allows the comparison of long time periods in order to detect slow changes.

The data is available to the user for review from the SiMAP cloud service either through the browser interface or through the easy-to-use API interface for machine processing. If necessary, the SiMAP measurement system can be linked to a local automation system using Modbus, instead of or in addition to the SiMAP cloud service, for example.

A SiMAP adjuster may be included as a part of the system to control the property’s heating system. The adjuster considers the indoor temperature automatically and keeps the temperature steady regardless of the prevailing conditions or the heat generated within the property. In such instances, the over-heating of the property is avoided and energy savings of 10-15% are gained, in addition to improved conditions.

Real-time data allows maintenance to detect problems early on. In addition, the data can be used to monitor the impact of different maintenance activities.

For example, the need for balancing of the ventilation and heating network and the success of the activities can be verified using the measurement data.

On top of the SiMAP cloud, there are also advanced control and analysis services available. Our partner, Leanheat, for example, offers services based on artificial intelligence, which optimises the heating of the property based on energy costs.

Solution models for different property types:

Residential properties

Typically, a SiMAP adjustment system, which includes apartment-specific measurements and a heating adjuster is selected for residential properties.

Due to SiMAP’s advanced radio technology, only one base station that collects measurement data is needed for the building. The base station is usually installed in the heat distribution room. One base station is usually also sufficient when the property covers a large area or it has several buildings. Therefore, installation of the system is very easy, because no installations are necessary outside of the heating distribution room. The installation can be implemented really quickly. The installation only takes approximately a half-day for a typical apartment building.

If the property has machine-operated ventilation (exhaust air or supply-exhaust air), SiMAP’s pressure difference measurement system can also be installed. In such instances, the SiMAP adjuster is installed to manage the property’s ventilation system. Pressure difference measurement does not require anything other than SiMAP’s room sensor in the apartments.

The SiMAP adjuster can also be used to read data from other building automation, which allows data produced also from other automation systems to be used through SiMAP’s cloud service.

Commercial properties

Comprehensive measurement of indoor conditions in different types of commercial and working premises is essential for managing the property and occupational health and safety. SiMAP’s measurement system is suitable for many different types of commercial properties due to its scope and retrofit properties. A total of 1,000 room sensors can be installed in the same radio network and, if necessary, several parallel radio network can be installed in the same property.

In addition to temperature and humidity, carbon dioxide levels are also often measured at commercial properties. A wireless CO2 sensor can be attached to the SiMAP system for this purpose. The pressure difference is also an important factor at commercial properties. It is especially important when the property has functions that produce odours and air is not to flow to other areas.

The SiMAP measurement system can be run as a separate system, which transfers the data to the SiMAP cloud service. It can also be linked directly to an existing building automation system. In some instances, the measurement data cannot be transferred through an external third party due to security reasons. In such instances, the SiMAP system is linked to the customer’s own cloud service instead of SiMAP’s cloud service. The data transferred via radio is heavily encrypted, so the system can also be used at sites with strict data security requirements.

Public facilities

The SiMAP measurement system is well-suited for many different types of public facilities ranging from day care centres to museums.

Heating and ventilation efficiency at schools and day care centres is directly linked to comfort. The SiMAP measurement system offers maintenance a direct view into what types of conditions are at the property. In addition to temperature measurement, humidity measurement offers further information on the sufficiency of ventilation and on the rooms at high risk for humidity damage.  Measuring pressure differences at already damaged sites helps in ensuring that air cannot flow from contaminated rooms to clean areas. Carbon dioxide measurement can be used to ensure that the ventilation is sufficient in rooms that have a lot of people in them simultaneously.

In museums, the main goal of ventilation may also be preserving museum artefacts, instead of comfort. This sets strict requirements for the temperature stability and correct humidity levels.  The energy costs associated with ventilation and heating are often rather high at museums due to these strict requirements.

The SiMAP measurement system is excellent for museums due to its good range. A large number of sensors can be easily installed in the property to measure conditions also in different areas of the same room. In addition, the long battery life of the system allows sensors to be placed in airtight enclosures that are to be kept closed for several years.

Public properties often already have a building management system based on measurement data, so SiMAP’s connectivity to other systems is a significant advantage.

Maintenance

The SiMAP measurement case is an easy-to-use tool for short-term measurement of a property

  • wireless sensors can quickly help identify the problem spots with heating, relative humidity and air quality.
  • The measurement data stored in the cloud service can be monitored in real-time and this allows identified problem areas to be addressed quickly.

Details are available in the Systems section.