Wireless BACnet Integration Saved School Thousands on HVAC Upgrade
LumenRadio’s W-BACnet enabled a fast, cost-effective building automation retrofit project at Lilesville Elementary, avoiding exposed wiring and saving 200 labor hours.
At Lilesville Elementary School, part of Anson County Schools, Facility Systems Services in North Carolina (FSS-i) faced a challenge during the HVAC upgrade: integrating 28 new Daikin unit ventilators with BACnet MS/TP connectivity into a building with concrete walls and no prior controls infrastructure.
Running traditional MS/TP wiring would have required exposed conduit, negatively affecting aesthetics and increasing labor costs. Wireless communication from LumenRadio provided the only viable solution, so FSS-i turned to LumenRadio distributor, Building Controls and Solutions, to provide them with Wireless BACnet devices.
A Tridium JACE was installed in a data room and connected to a nearby W-BACnet device with a short MS/TP cable. The simplicity and effectiveness of the wireless setup impressed the on-site technicians.
Wireless “the only practical choice”
The project was completed ahead of schedule, saving approximately 200 labor hours due to choosing wireless instead of wired solution.
“Due to school construction and classroom windows, there was no good route for cabling so a wired solution simply wasn’t an alternative,” says Chase Overcash, who leads FSS-i’s controls department. “For us, Wireless BACnet was the only practical choice – both technically and economically.”
Succeeds where others fail
Chase has a longstanding relationship with Anson County Schools and is a strong advocate for LumenRadio.
“It’s a great benefit having a reliable, agnostic wireless BACnet solution that simplifies installation and eliminates the need for exposed wiring,” comments Chase. “Previously my team was sceptical of wireless control due to the negative experience we’d had in the past with other wireless technologies. Now we see LumenRadio as the go-to solution for challenging deployments.”
The Lilesville Elementary School project showcases how LumenRadio’s wireless technology enables successful control system integration in environments where wired solutions are impractical or impossible. With proven labor savings, high reliability and future scalability, W-BACnet is as a key enabler for smart building control systems.
About FSS-i
Facility Systems Services (FSS-i) is a North Carolina company that supports the needs of local businesses with HVAC and building automation solutions.
About BCS
Building Controls and Solutions (BCS) is a full-service building automation systems vendor and distributor of LumenRadio’s W-BACnet products in the USA.
