Development of automation and energy monitoring system of air-conditioning & mechanical ventilation (AEMS-ACMV) for 27 years old office building at Terengganu, Malaysia.

Buildings in Malaysia consume 14.3% of total energy and 53% of electrical energy. One of the major contributors to overall building energy consumption is the air conditioning mechanical and ventilation system (ACMV). Therefore, optimizing the building's energy efficiency for the ACMV system is essential to improving the environment and reduce energy consumption, especially for the office building. As beginning, the usage of a cost-effective energy monitoring and control system has become important for tracking and tracing energy flows, especially for ACMV system. This system is essential parts in order to optimize energy usage for this study, a 27-years-old office building in Terengganu has been installed with this system. Methods: The system consists of Web-Based Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, Mobile IoT Applications, local monitoring device that are connected to electricity power meter and controller, which capable of regulating room temperature as well as controlling operation of the ACMV system. The Main Switch Control Panel (MSCP) is equipped with a Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) responsible for causing the automatic operation of the Water-Cooled Packaged Units (WCPUs). The RTU receives commands from and send the information to the SCADA Server through LAN network. Result: The development of an Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled device that uses the Modbus remote control unit (RTU) protocol to interface with multi-digital energy meters. The monitored data include the energy consumption, room temperature and other related data such as average current, total power and average voltage. Besides, the system allows to be controlled include daily operating hours including start and stop timing of the WCPUs and compressors can be set in advance. The IoT application can be accessed either through web browser or by installing a dedicated android apps, developed specifically for this system. Conclusion: The prototype was successfully installed in 27-year-old office building at Terengganu. With the development of this system, it is provided useful information such as energy consumption, hourly running, and other related data. This data is important for building energy management and the ability to detect mechanical or electrical breakdowns early. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]