HVAC Internet of Things (IoT)

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a term that describes any type of Internet enabled device, whether we are talking a desktop computer that connects to the Internet or a wrist band (like Fitbit) that tracks your sleep and daily walking habits and then transmits data via Wifi or Bluetooth to a portal for you to view.

It's only a matter of time before this technology is embraced by the HVAC community. In fact, we at Carmel Software have been developing mobile apps that communicate with Bluetooth-enabled HVAC metering and measurement devices for almost 7 years. Below are four customer stories involving mobile apps that we developed that control and communicate with IoT-enabled HVAC measurement devices:

Uniweld Products, a U.S. manufacturing company, is a major manufacturer in the welding, HVAC/R (Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration), and many other types of meters and gauges. Over the past 3 years, we have been working with Precision Diagnostic Instruments, who is working with Uniweld Products, to develop an Android-based mobile app that does two things:

1. Performs HVAC refrigerant charge calculations (subcool and superheat) for over 75 different refrigerants
2. Communicates with an HVAC refrigerant charge meter using BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) that measures subcool and superheat temperatures and pressures and displays those values within the app and performs other complex calculations

Inficon manufactures a wide range of measurement devices including leak detectors, HVAC service tools, gas analyzers, vacuum gauge controllers, and much more. We worked with Inficon to develop an Android-based mobile app that communicates with their refrigerant tank scale. It performed the following:

1. Calibrated the scale
2. Displayed the exact weight from the scale
3. Kept a historical record of all weights by date and time

Beckett Corporation, a U.S. manufacturing company, manufactures high-efficiency burners for residential and commercial boilers. We have been working with Beckett to develop an Android-based mobile app that communicates with a high efficiency boiler using BLE. The mobile app does the following:

1. Performs initial diagnostics on newly installed burners
2. Displays information about the burner and blower including RPM, BTU output, etc.
3. Sets the speed of the blower
4. Keeps a record of all burners and their diagnostic information
5. Allows users to perform service calls on existing burners

The Energy Conservatory (TEC) develops specialized air flow and pressure measuring devices used to monitor and analyze the complex interactions which determine building performance. We worked with TEC to develop both and iOS and Android-based mobile apps that communicate with their blower door testing meter and also performs single-point blower door testing calculations.