Modern buildings, commercial spaces, and even homes increasingly implement advanced building automation and control technology to improve energy efficiency, user comfort, and extend the life cycles of equipment.

At the core of any building automation system, or BAS, remains a central computing hub. This is where software processes the variety of signals it receives from connected sensors, switches, and user inputs. In a typical home, a Wi-Fi network connects devices wirelessly. Further, it will often connect them to the internet, allowing remote access from any web-connected device.

The only real difference between homeowner systems and commercial applications is scale. A large building can have many more devices and sensors connected, but the core function remains the same. The primary focus of commercial systems, however, is energy efficiency over user convenience.

In a large building or factory, even a small percentage of energy savings can have a huge benefit, not only in lower utility costs but also in reductions of CO2 emissions. With an efficient BAS, a building can attain a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating, which is a measure of energy efficiency and low environmental impact in building design.

As technology advances, the potential risks grow for building automation. Each day, more devices become connected to the internet. This is now referred to as the “Internet of Things”. The ease and convenience increases, but so does the potential reward for hackers. Anything controlled by the user or by software could potentially be taken over by a malicious hacker.

It is vital that digital security remains a priority, especially in a home setting. Many smart devices are not as secure as they may seem and are often only as secure as the home’s Wi-Fi network. Some good first steps include changing your Wi-Fi network’s password to something unique. Use the latest encryption protocols and enable MAC address filtering, which allows only devices specifically approved to connect to the network.

Building automation systems will continue to grow in ability and convenience. As long as the potential risks are managed, the possibilities for energy efficiency and user comfort remain nearly endless.

Plenty of DIYers can complete an electrical project on their own without the help of a certified electrician. Sure, it’s easy to fix minor annoyances with light fixtures or outlets, but not installations, renovations, and major repairs. That’s because what starts out looking pretty straightforward can quickly turn into a disaster. Here’s a look at four specific examples that ElectricMan Inc. can help sort out.

Contact ElectricMan today to prevent a DIY disaster, or for any other electrical needs. ElectricMan is your trusted, local certified electrician with 27 years of experience. For more information, visit the ElectricMan website. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Limit switches, as the name suggests, are precision switches that are designed to work as limiting devices. The switch is typically snap-action and designed to sense the presence, absence, or be triggered by an excess or lack of physical contact at the position where it is installed.

The flexibility and adaptability of limit switches to different tasks and environments has made them very popular as components of conveyor belt systems.

Industrial conveyor belts are considered to be amongst the greatest inventions for boosting production, as well as reducing time, costs and manpower requirements. They are commonly used in production, mining, assembly lines and just about every major industry or sector today.

They typically consist of a number of pulleys that rotate under a continuous belt. Some of these pulleys are powered and they drive the belt, keeping any material on top continuously moving towards its destination.

Conveyor belts can be broadly classified into two classes, which are:

These conveyors are used for transporting smaller volumes of material like packaged goods, or lighter materials like boxes.

These are heavy duty conveyor systems which are designed to carry heavier loads or bulky materials, like industrial and agricultural goods.

While conveyor belts can tremendously increase efficiency, they are prone to jamming from over-loading unless the correct safety measures are put in place. Limit switches help prevent this by measuring the height or number of individual products passing through the conveyor system. In case the switch senses an object that may cause an obstruction, it shuts the system down to prevent damage or spillage.

Depending on the environment and purpose, there are a variety of limit switches which can be used in conveyor systems: