Building Controls II: Control Sensors

Transcript

Slide 1
Welcome to Building Controls II: Control Sensors. This is the second in a series of Building Controls courses
offered by Energy University. It is recommended that you participate in Building Controls I: An Introduction
to Building Controls before taking this course.

Slide 2
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normal play of the course. Click the Notes tab to read a transcript of the narration.

Slide 3
At the completion of this course, you will be able to:
• Describe the categories and purpose of sensors commonly found in a building control system
• List types of devices within each sensor category
o For example, within temperature, there are sensors for outside air, room or zone
temperature, and equipment temperature
• Identify common problems with placement of sensors

Slide 4
Building control systems are important facets in any building’s energy management plan. They help avoid
waste and save money. Sensors are vital components incorporated into building control systems. We must
measure what we wish to control. We need to have a way to make measurements accurately and
repeatedly. Sensors measure the data that the controller uses to make decisions based on its set of
programmed standards and set points. Sensors are the first step of control. This course provides an
overview of the various sensors integrated in a building control system, and looks at the variety of designs
and need for correct placement.

Slide 5

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With closed loop control, sensors have two purposes.

First, they need to measure current conditions to let the control system know when it needs to make a
change.

Second, they need to measure the effect of those changes to tell the control system when it no longer needs
the change, or perhaps reduce the intensity of that change. Sensors tell us how successful the control
system is in making environmental changes.

For instance, when the office is suddenly populated with people, who are introducing heat into their
environment, and turning on lights, computers, copiers and making coffee, the heat increases in that room.
A temperature sensor in that area would detect that and the control system would increase cooling to that
area. Once the temperature is back to the programmed set point, the system, depending on its setup, could
either stop cooling or decrease the amount of cooling going to that area. The control system is always
staying aware of that environment because of that one temperature sensor.

Slide 6
Sensors measure the conditions and provide a check to make sure changes take place. Because of this,
sensors can be a weak link in the chain of control. If the control system is getting a signal from a faulty
sensor, the control system makes wrong decisions. Sensors must be installed in a manner that allows them
to effectively measure the controlling variable; they have to work and they have to be accurate.

Slide 7
Sensors give their measurements to controllers that process that data. How does the signal get from the
sensor to the controller?

The communication from the sensors to the controllers is almost always electrical. It can be a contact
closure, a variable DC voltage (0 to 5 VDC or 0 to 10 VDC), a variable milliamp current (0 to 20 ma or 4 to
20 ma) or a variable resistance. As such, there is an electrical circuit between the sensor and the controller.

The firmware in the controller is designed to interpret changes in the electrical inputs that it receives from
the sensors.

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Slide 8
Since controllers get the data from their sensors from a small change in an electrical signal, too much
distance between the controller and sensor will cause errors in the measured variable. Some errors can be
accommodated by making adjustments in the software, but there will always be specific guidelines on how
far a sensor can be from the controller for accurate control.

Slide 9
For sensing temperature there are two primary types of sensor: thermistors and temperature transmitters.

Thermistors are constructed to produce a variable resistance as a function of temperature. As the

temperature changes, the resistance changes in a non-linear manner. The controller will interpret these
resistance changes to determine the actual temperature. There are many different types of thermistors.
Some increase resistance when the temperature goes up, while others decrease resistance when
temperature increases. This is known as positive or negative temperature coefficient. The range of
resistance around 25°C or 77°F is important in the selection of the proper thermistor for a building control
system.
• They are inexpensive when compared to transmitters.
• They are consistent in their performance over time.
• They have adequate resolution for commercial applications but they do not deliver the performance
required for critical applications requiring high accuracy.

Temperature transmitters consist of both a temperature measuring component and an electrical circuit
board that converts the temperature reading into a variable DC voltage or milliamp current.
They require a source of power.
• They are expensive when compared to thermistors.
• They are consistent in their performance over time.
• They have excellent resolution and accuracy that allows them to be used where precision control is
required (industrial control loops, labs, etc.)

Slide 10
For typical building control systems, temperature sensors are used to measure a variety of variables.
• Outside air temperature
• The occupied space temperature
• Various temperatures within the mechanical system (mixed air, supply air, return air, etc.)

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The physical design for any given temperature measurement requirement can be unique. Outside air
sensors must be able to withstand outside conditions. Occupied space temperature sensors must be
compatible with the interior design, etc.

Slide 11
For commercial applications, outside air temperature sensors typically use a thermistor. Most will have a
protective guard around it to protect the sensor from the elements. For instance, if ice formed on the
temperature sensor, the sensor would continually register no higher than 0 degrees C / 32 degrees F until
the ice was gone.

Placement and location of the sensor will also be important. We do not want to place the sensor near
exhaust vents, or too near any equipment. The shield protects the sensor from natural elements such as
snow, ice, and rain, but sun is also a factor.

Slide 12
The east and west side of a building have direct sunlight at given points every day. But in the northern
hemisphere, a building in a given year has the least amount of direct sunlight on the north side of the
building. Therefore, for buildings located in the northern hemisphere, the north side of the building is the
best place to locate the sensor. In the southern hemisphere we would use the south side of the building.

The outside air temperature sensor is a vital part of many important energy control schemes. Using outside
air when it’s the right temperature rather than having to heat or cool interior air provides huge savings.

The outside air temperature sensor allows us to know the extent of heating or cooling we need to perform.

Slide 13
Room/Zone temperature sensors should not be confused with thermostats. While a thermostat does have a
temperature sensing element, it is more than just a sensor. A thermostat is actually a controller: it processes
data from the temperature sensor and adjusts its outputs accordingly. A temperature sensor sends an
electrical signal to the controller that is indicative of the temperature. The controller is responsible for using
the received value to enable or disable equipment.

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Slide 14
In the first Building Controls course, you learned about DDC controllers. Can an existing thermostat still be
tied into a DDC controller? Absolutely. However, the input to the controller is no longer the temperature but
a request to enable or a request to disable. If the controller needs to know the space temperature to
execute its control strategy, then the thermostat must be replaced with a temperature sensor or a
temperature sensor must be installed in addition to the thermostat.

Slide 15
Room temperature sensors can be built into devices that also provide additional information to the controller.
The most common additional information is the desired temperature set point for the space or an override
indication that informs the controller that the occupant desires temperature control when the system is not
running, or both. Visual feedback to the occupant may also be provided in the form of a display that can
show the room temperature, desired set point and in some cases the current outside air temperature.

The ability of the occupant to change the desired temperature set point for the room is typically limited to +/-
1 to 1.5 degrees C or +/- 2 degrees F to control energy consumption.

The response of the control system to an override request is usually limited to a specific time period of 1 or
2 hours if a response is allowed at all.

Slide 16
When the mechanical systems for the building are designed and installed, the occupied space is divided up
into multiple control zones. Each control zone is served by a specific mechanical system component that
can be controlled. In a large open office area, twelve office cubes could be served by one terminal unit.
Three exterior offices along one wall might be served by another terminal unit. Each control zone has one
temperature sensor to provide the temperature input to the control algorithm that controls the terminal unit.
For the open office area, the sensor is installed near the center. For the three exterior offices, one office
must be chosen as the location for the temperature sensor. An engineering assumption has been made
that all three of the offices have the same energy requirements (sun load, people load, computer load, etc.).

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In essence, their requirements for heating or cooling are identical. The control system measures the
temperature in the office with the sensor and adjusts heating and cooling capacity accordingly. If the
engineering assumptions turn out to be wrong, the offices without the temperature sensor will be poorly
controlled and there is nothing the control system can do about it. A mechanical system modification would
be the only solution.

Slide 17
To get a true reading of the environment to be measured, we need to be careful where we locate our zone
temperature sensors. We must consider equipment. For instance, we do not want the temperature sensor
next to the supply vent or near any equipment that would heat or cool the temperature sensor unreasonably.
If a room has a door opening to the outside, the temperature sensor should not be installed right by the door.
The key is to observe any heating or cooling impacts to the room, and then place the temperature sensor
where it’s most likely to get the truest reading.

Slide 18
We’ve looked at sensors for the temperature of outside and inside spaces. Now let’s look at how we would
get temperature data about equipment in the building – such as the heating or ventilation equipment.
Equipment temperature sensors have three sub-categories: strap-on or bulb-type sensors, immersion
sensors, and duct sensors. In general, strap on or bulb-type sensors are used to find temperatures of metal
pipes that would be close to the fluid in the pipe, and immersion sensors are used for finding the actual
temperatures inside pipes. Duct sensors are used for air temperatures inside ducts.

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Slide 19
Some of the measurements needed to effectively control a system are temperatures of chilled or hot water
inside pipes.

Because a costly amount of energy has been used to cool or heat up this fluid, the energy in that fluid is
preserved by insulating that pipe. To place a sensor for monitoring the pipe temperature, which is close to
the fluid in the pipe, we must first get past the insulation.

The strap-on sensor would be strapped on directly to the pipe under the insulation, and insulation would be
placed back over the sensor to cover it and prevent it from sensing the ambient temperature. It is important
when using a strap-on sensor that non-silicon grease or conductive paste be used between the sensor and
the pipe for maximum transfer of temperature. However, an immersion sensor would be more accurate.
This requires drilling through the piping to insert a well, sometimes called a pocket. A well is inserted into the
fluid; then conductive paste is used on the immersion sensor when it is placed into the well. An immersion
sensor is more accurate because the actual fluid surrounds the well, and the transfer of temperature is all
around the sensor. In comparison versus the strap-on sensor has only one point of contact through a metal
pipe.

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Typically, in new builds an immersion sensor is used. For retrofits on existing equipment a strap-on sensor
is a cheaper, less invasive method.

Slide 20
Duct sensors are used to measure air temperature in HVAC equipment. Duct sensors have a single point
element for sensing temperature. Some ducts can easily be 2m x 2m or 6ft x 6ft in size. Duct temperature
sensors are generally not more than 46 centimeters or 18 inches long. There could be quite a bit of variance
in the pressure and speed that air is travelling, causing a wide variance in temperature that a duct
temperature sensor might not detect.

Slide 21
An averaging temperature sensor considers the entire cross sectional area of that duct, as the sensor is the
entire length of copper tubing. The increase or decrease in resistance is felt across the entire run of the
element as the temperature changes it. The controller can therefore interpret this change in resistance as a
temperature. Rather than having a temperature at just one point in the cross sectional area, we are getting a
good measure over the entire area of the duct.

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Slide 22
Humidity sensors measure the relative level of moisture in the air. Relative humidity sensors, like
temperature transmitters, produce an electrical signal that is proportional to the level of relative humidity (0
to 10 VDC or 4 to 20 milliamps).
Relative humidity is typically measured for one of two reasons:
• For use in energy analysis of cooling systems.
• For control purposes in more critical environments where we need to control the relative humidity.

For energy calculations, moist air is more expensive to cool than dry air, so moisture data is essential for
analysis of cooling system performance.

Libraries, labs and data centers are examples of critical environments where it is important to control the
relative humidity to avoid damage to books or to prevent build up of static electricity.

Slide 23
For systems requiring humidity control or in geographical areas of high outdoor relative humidity, the design
and selection of mechanical systems will be different when compared to systems that do not require
humidity control or systems in dry climates.

Relative humidity can also affect human comfort even in non-critical spaces. 30 to 50% is considered very
good and 20 to 60% is considered acceptable. Very high values can lead to mold and bacteria growth while
very low values can lead to dry skin and a build up of static electricity. Either extreme will contribute to
occupant discomfort and a loss of productivity.

Slide 24

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Relative humidity sensors are specifically designed for different locations to include the outside air, the
occupied space and within the mechanical system. Relative humidity sensors do not hold their accuracy
over time: their performance degrades rapidly and they are maintenance intensive. Often elements within
the sensor must be replaced to ensure accuracy. Numerous vendors provide replacement elements, but in
many cases the entire humidity sensor is replaced every two years. Quality sensors, a clean sensor
environment and a strong periodic sensor maintenance program are essential if energy calculations are to
be accurate and control of critical environments is to be maintained.

Slide 25
Pressure sensors measure static pressure in a variety of locations or differential pressure in a flowing
stream of air or water. When you hear “static pressure”, think the pressure in a balloon. The greater the
pressure, the more the balloon expands. Movement of the air in the balloon is not an issue.

When you hear “differential pressure” think of the difference between two values.

Slide 26
We can measure the static pressure at two different locations within a system or building, subtract one
reading from the other and we have a differential pressure. If you have ever tried to enter a building where it
is difficult to pull the door open you have experienced differential pressure.

When the outside air static pressure is higher than the inside air static pressure it is difficult to pull the door
open. There is a differential pressure across the door.

Slide 27
When an airstream is not moving the total pressure of the air is its static pressure. When the wind is blowing,
so to speak, the pressure of the air is made up of the static pressure plus additional pressure associated
with the speed of the air. We can measure the total pressure of a moving airstream and we can isolate the
static component. If we subtract the static number from the total number, we can calculate the pressure
caused by the wind speed. A differential pressure sensor measures the total component and the static
component and does the subtraction. In essence the sensor measures the pressure associated with the
wind speed. From this value we can calculate how fast the wind is blowing. Airplanes use this technology to

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determine aircraft speed. We use this to determine how fast air is moving in air ducts or how fast water is
flowing in pipes.

Slide 28
Where might we measure static pressure? Typical locations include the outside air, the controlled space,
stairwells, air ducts and water pipes. For a quality environment in most cases, the indoor static pressure
must be slightly higher than the outdoor static pressure. Otherwise unconditioned air will tend to enter the
building from outside, and if the difference is extreme enough it can be difficult to open exterior doors.
However, in environments where it is extremely cold outside, it can be better to maintain a slightly lower
indoor static pressure. Otherwise, if condensation forms inside the building, it can be forced into walls if the
indoor static pressure is higher, and this can lead to conditions favorable for mold growth.

Pressure control in stairwells is a smoke control issue. Static pressure in ducts or pipes is typically used to
control the speed of fans or pumps.

Typical locations to measure differential pressure include across fans, across pumps, across filters, in
flowing airstreams and in flowing water streams. The differential pressure across a fan or pump tells us if it
is functional and how hard it is working. Differential pressure across a filter tells us how dirty the filter is.
Differential pressure in a flowing airstream or flowing water stream can be used to calculate the flow rate of
the air or water.

Slide 29
Pressure sensors are comparable to temperature transmitters in that they are designed to produce either a
0 to 10 VDC signal or a 0 to 20 milliamp signal that will be sent to the controller.

It is important to select the right type of sensor for the application, and with the correct range. To measure
pressure up to 1 bar or 10 PSIG, don’t select a sensor that works up to 10 bars or 100 PSIG.

Proper sensor location is also critical to good control system performance. Wind can affect the readings
from an outdoor pressure sensor. A sensor installed too close to an elbow in an air duct system will deliver
erroneous numbers.

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Compared to temperature control, pressure control in a building control system is much more difficult and is
a common problem area.

Slide 30
Flow meters are used to measure the volume or mass of air or liquids flowing within a pipe. This may be
relevant to know the amount of air being supplied to a zone, or the amount of chilled water being supplied
from a chiller.

In general there are two ways of determining the flow. The first is to discover the velocity, and multiply that
by the cross-section area of the pipe to determine the flow rate. This is the volumetric flow – what volume of
fluid is flowing. To obtain the mass flow, you need to know the density of the gas or fluid in addition to the
volume.

There are four main types of flow meters, each of which measure flow in a different way
• Differential Pressure
• Positive Displacement
• Velocity
• Mass Flow

There are also meters for measuring flow in open channels: but these have little application in building
control. Manufacturers will state the maximum and minimum flow that can be measured by each type of
device.

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Flowmeter images courtesy of Spirax Sarco

Slide 31
A differential pressure flow meter obstructs the flow, and measures the pressure drop across the obstruction.
This can be achieved in a number of ways, for example with an orifice plate or a flow nozzle. Another
example is a Pitot tube. This is a tube positioned to point directly into the fluid flow. Fluid will enter the tube
and create pressure. This pressure reading is compared with the static pressure to calculate the velocity.

Slide 32
The positive displacement flowmeter contains precisely engineered rotors which turn with the flow. With
each turn of the rotors, a specific volume of fluid passes. The rotations are counted and the volume and
flow rate are calculated. These devices are very accurate and can handle a wide range of flow rates.

Slide 33
A velocity flowmeter measures the speed of the flow and uses the cross-sectional area to calculate the
volume that has passed through. An example is a turbine flowmeter. Similar to the positive displacement
flowmeter, the turbine blades will turn in an airflow. The flow is calculated from the rate of spin.

Another example is a calorimetric flowmeter. This uses two temperature sensors. One of the two sensors
is constantly heated, but as the fluid flows over it, the sensor is cooled. The difference between the sensors
is used to calculate the flowrate. If no fluid is flowing the difference between the two sensors will be
constant. If the flow increases, the heated sensor will be cooled and the difference between the two
sensors will be decreased. From this the flow rate is calculated.

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Slide 34
Mass meters measure the mass flow rate directly instead of calculating it from the velocity. They can work
even if the density, pressure and viscosity is changing. Thermal mass flowmeters introduce heat into the
flow and use a sensor to measure how much heat the flow stream is conducting away. Coriolis flowmeters
rely on the Coriolis effect. The fluid flows through specially shaped tubes, which vibrate when there is mass
flow. Twisting forces cause vibration which can be measured and used to determine the mass flow rate.

Slide 35
Electrical sensors have a wide range of applications. They measure the status, or level of electrical current
in a wire. The three most common are current sensing relays, current transducers, and kW transducers.

Slide 36
Current sensing relays are simplest. The relay monitors the amount of current flowing through a wire and
when the level rises above a specific threshold, a set of electrical contacts are closed. When the level of
current measured falls below another specific threshold, the contacts are opened. The status of the contacts
is monitored by the DDC controller and as such the system knows if the system is under load or not. The
threshold values can be fixed or adjustable based on type of current sensing relay purchased. For a more
sophisticated DDC system, purchasing current sensing relay with adjustable thresholds can be valuable. An
interesting example would be a fan with a broken fan belt. The motor will draw a small amount of current but
the fan is not under load. The contact closure threshold would be set to a value higher than the free
spinning current level. Typical DDC control strategies compare the start stop command to a device with the
status of the current sensing relay. If the command has been on for a period of time and the current sensing
relay contacts remain open, an alarm is initiated. Current sensing relays are considered to be digital inputs
to a DDC system.

Slide 37
A current transducer is similar to a temperature transmitter in that it measures the amount of current flowing
in a wire and produces a linear signal of 0 to 10 VDC or 4 to 20 milliamps. The DDC system receives the
linear electrical signal and translates that into the amount of current flowing. This type of sensor may be
used on a large mechanical system like a chiller or on the electrical service to a building. If we know the
voltage generating the current and the number of phases of the electrical service, knowing the amperage
allows us to calculate power and energy consumption.

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Slide 38
More sophisticated transducers can also measure voltage along with the current and can be configured to
measure power or kilowatt hours. The sensor will translate the kW value into a linear electrical signal of 0 to
10 VDC or 4 to 20 milliamps for input to the DDC system.

The system can track kW over time and produce energy consumption values (kWh). As the system tracks
kW over time, it can determine trends and predict the anticipated level of kW in the future, say 30 minutes
from the current time. With this information decisions can be made to lower the demand of the building to
avoid expensive surcharges by the utility company. This is called demand control.

Slide 39
In most industrialized regions, there are mandates for human protection on levels of various gases. Some
gases are lethal quite quickly, and others while not lethal in low doses can contribute to a sluggish work
environment and may still result in dangerous conditions.

The purpose of gas sensors is to measure the presence or level of lethal gases in an environment, for
example refrigerant leaking from a chiller, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, smoke, radon, or hydrogen
sulfide. Oxygen may also be measured. Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide measures are commonly
critical, especially in buildings pursuing energy conservation.

Slide 40
Carbon monoxide is a by-product of combustion. It is odorless and colorless, so it is not readily detected
and can cause fatality or serious injury.

Exposure is commonly caused by combustion exhaust gases leaking back into a room. These leaks can be
exacerbated by back drafts or blockages in the chimney or flue pipe where these gases are supposed to
escape. Another common place these gases will come from is automobile exhaust.

Slide 41
Carbon-dioxide is breathed out every time you exhale. It is also odorless and colorless. High levels of
carbon-dioxide are usually due to improper ventilation, or unqualified ventilation. Some larger rooms can
have a wide range of occupancy load, or people present in that room. When a room is heavily loaded with

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people, it makes sense that this room will more quickly have a higher level of carbon dioxide. In this case,
the room would need a higher level of ventilation to dilute the level of carbon dioxide in the space.

Slide 42
These gases may be chlorofluorocarbons, also known as CFCs, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, known as
HCFCs, or hydrofluorocarbons, known as HFCs. CFCs are often known by the DuPont trade name “Freon”.
They are very stable in the atmosphere, but are being phased out by the Montreal Protocol because they
contribute to ozone depletion. HCFCs tend to break down more quickly in the lower atmosphere, and HFCs
break down more quickly again. This is desirable, since if the compounds break down in the lower
atmosphere, they are not present in the higher atmosphere to damage the ozone layer.

The toxic and pollutant effects of refrigerant gases vary depending on the gas. In general, refrigerant leaks
must be prevented to avoid atmospheric pollution. In a building environment, if a chiller leaks the
refrigerant; the gas tends to push the air out of the room and dilute it to a very thin mixture. If the quantity of
refrigerant is large enough, there may not be enough oxygen left to support respiration. Thus, a non-vented
leak can be harmful or fatal to humans due to asphyxiation. Refrigerant gases can also lead to formation of
lethal phosgene gas if exposed to high temperatures.

Slide 43
Carbon monoxide is lethal at levels far lower than carbon-dioxide. Low levels of carbon-monoxide cause
fatigue in healthy people and chest pain in people with heart conditions. High levels cause headaches,
dizziness, confusion, vision impairment, nausea, and can cause death.

With carbon-dioxide, usually increased heart-rate occurs first as the body attempts to pump blood faster to
deliver what little oxygen it can as quickly as possible. Shortly after, shortness of breath and dizziness will
occur.

These levels are shown in percentages but they are often stated as parts-per-million. Mathematically, 1-
million parts per million would be complete saturation. Most countries define guidelines for acceptable
levels.

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Slide 44
Both carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide can be measured with the same type of sensor technology, just
calibrated differently for the sensor purchased for the application. These sensors are called non-dispersive
infrared sensors (NDIR). These rely on the different light-absorbing properties of the gases to detect their
concentration.

These sensors often have lifetimes of 5,000 to 10,000 hours before the infrared lamp fails.

In general for building automation, gas sensors are used for indoor air quality, places where there are
combustion or gas-burning processes, greenhouse farming, enclosed parking garages, and gas leak
detection.

Specifically carbon monoxide sensors should be installed wherever there are combustion processes present.

Carbon-dioxide sensors should be used wherever there might be wide variations of people in a space. They
can also be used as an energy saving measure to dynamically change how much outside air is pulled into a

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building. If temperature or humidity renders the outside air unfavorable, the system can scale back how
much is brought in, as long as carbon-dioxide levels stay within safety limits.

Slide 45
The next topic we are going to discuss is switches. Here we are looking at automatic switches, not manually
operated ones.

The purpose of a switch is to detect the presence or level of a substance and make or break a circuit
accordingly. For instance, if pressure gets too high in duct work, a pressure switch will detect the level of
pressure is too high and break the power. Likewise, a smoke detector would detect the presence of smoke
and disable a fan from operation.

Switches are often used for safety purposes. They are also used for other purposes. Many flow switches
are used as an indication of status on fans. Many pressure switches are used as indication of flow of
pumped fluid.

A switch does not necessarily, if ever, respond to a command from a controller. The most common are
smoke, high and low limit, flow, and pressure.

Slide 46
Smoke Switches are typically used to enable an alarm and/or a sprinkler system to extinguish any fire.

Slide 47
High and Low Limit Switches are used to make or break a process. For instance, one type of high
temperature limit switch is flame roll-out switch. If this sensor detects flame outside of the burner cavity, this
safety switch will turn off the gas valve, thus stopping the flow of fuel to the flame.

Another example is a low-temperature cutout, sometimes known by a slang name of freeze stat. Imagine a
situation where outside air has to be brought into the building to maintain good indoor air quality. This
outside air may pass over a cooling coil, which provides cooling in summer. The cooling coil is still present
in the winter, with water inside it but not circulating. In the winter, if the outside air has a very low
temperature, it could freeze the water in the cooling coils. If the water freezes, it will rupture the pipes coil.

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There are a variety of ways the system might be set up to prevent this, but one example is using the low-
temperature cut-out switch to enable pre-heating the air.

Slide 48
Flow Switches are found in electrical heating applications. For example, an electrical heat coil may heat air
that is distributed throughout a space. First, the fan must be blowing air across that coil for the heat to kick
on. If the fan was not blowing air and the heating coils came on, a fire could ensue. The flow switch must
be enabled to allow the heating element to be enabled.

Slide 49
Pressure Switches are used in boilers to prevent overly high pressure, which can cause catastrophic failure
resulting in building destruction and death.

Slide 50
Occupancy sensors detect the presence of people in an area. That area may be inside a room for
conditioning and lighting or outside for security. An occupancy sensor can be as simple as a push button
when you walk into a room. At the simplest level, an occupancy sensor gives recognition that someone is in
the room. Once presence in the room is detected, then a control system can decide what that person gets.
For instance, a building may shut down its primary cooling after 6pm. However, between the hours of 6pm
and 11pm, it may offer a certain duration of cooling to someone that triggers the occupancy sensor.

Then after 11pm, if the building is scheduled this way, the occupancy sensor may allow nothing to happen
no matter if the occupancy sensor is triggered or not. Therefore, an occupancy sensor doesn’t guarantee a
response from the control system; it simply alerts the control system that the area is occupied.

These occupancy sensors now come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but the two primary technologies that
drive these are infrared and ultrasonic sensors.

Slide 51
The infrared technology uses sight recognition. If a room and most objects in it are around 22-24oC / 72-
75oF, the human body, being 37oC / 98.6oF, will stand out in a thermal comparison. Infrared technology
uses thermal imaging. When motion is detected, especially motion tuned to a warmer range matching the
human body, the sensor will detect that the room is occupied. At that point, the controller decides what to

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owners.
do now that the room is occupied.

Slide 52
An ultrasonic sensor does not use sight but sends out a signal and then listens for the signal to bounce back
to it. It’s a signal that’s far out of the human range of hearing. When the position of something in the room
changes, or if something new is introduced, the sound wave going back to the sensor is different. Because
this is not a line of sight device, like the infrared sensor, the ultrasonic sensor can also see around corners.
However, a sudden change in temperature can change the property of the way sound travels in air, and thus
can trigger an ultrasonic sensor to think someone is present. Many times, the ultrasonic and infrared sensor
are combined into one sensor, and then both the infrared and the ultrasonic have to recognize motion for
the sensor to trigger positive recognition of occupancy or a presence in the room.

New technologies are emerging constantly in this area. As these sensors are used to detect a presence,
they also have a wide use for security as well, which can be incorporated into a building automation system.

Slide 53
Let’s summarize some of the information that we have discussed in this course.

Sensors measure the data that the controller uses to make decisions based on its set of programmed
standards and set points. Sensors are the first step of control. The communication from the sensors to the
controllers is almost always electrical. The firmware in the controller is designed to interpret changes in the
electrical inputs that it receives from the sensors. Sensors must not be too far away from their controller, or
losses due to electrical resistance will cause measurement errors

Today we talked about many different types of sensors; each suits a different purpose within an energy
efficient building control plan.
• Temperature sensors
• Relative humidity sensors
• Pressure sensors

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owners.
 • Flow meters
• Electrical sensors
• Gas sensors
• Switches
• Occupancy sensors

Sensors must be correctly positioned, e.g. outside temperature sensors should not be positioned in full sun.

Slide 54
Thank you for participating in this course.

© 2023 Schneider Electric. All rights reserved. All trademarks provided are the property of their respective
owners.