At 47 stories tall and over one million square feet of space, Miami Tower is one of the most prominent buildings in downtown Miami.
Constructed in 1983, the building was outfitted with a Johnson Controls system which included a JCI 85/40 front-end with FPU and DSC controllers for HVAC control.
As the years went by, the building upgraded its building automation system by adding a small number of JCI Metasys (N2) controllers and a Metasys front-end. At the time, the building used JCI’s NCUs to control the old FPU and DSC field controllers. They also added some newer AHU and VAV controllers which also communicated via the N2 protocol.
Years later, JCI added another head-end computer along with their latest BACnet controllers. This new addition created a major issue for the building staff. The new headend and controllers utilized a newer version of Metasys that was incompatible with the legacy controllers, meaning the two systems could not communicate with each other! The only way the facilities team could have a single integrated Johnson Controls system was to completely replace the legacy equipment.
In March of 2017, Computrols began the first of three phases to integrate the HVAC control systems while improving the facility’s fire and life safety system. The initial integration project involved Computrols technicians replacing the two JCI front ends with Computrols Building Automation Software (CBAS). Unlike the Johnson Controls head-end computers, CBAS is able to communicate directly to all legacy JCI controllers. Computrols also replaced a number of the existing controllers with its flagship X-line controllers which carry the industry’s only lifetime warranty.
This JCI integration project yielded results almost immediately, reducing energy consumption and operating costs significantly. Year over year, the facility’s kWh consumption was reduced by approximately 10-15%.
The second phase of the project encompassed replacing the fireman’s override panel. The new panel, along with Computrols 32X-SC controller, also integrated with the building’s HVAC system as a means of smoke control/exhaust in the event of a fire.
The third and final phase of this venture was comprised of adding Computrols DDC controllers to every air handler, chiller and cooling tower in the building for more reliable control and increased energy savings. The addition of these controllers further decreased the kWh consumption of the building by nearly 25% on average.
Now that all three phases are complete, Miami Tower’s tenants and visitors enjoy an even more comfortable and safe environment. When considering only energy savings, Computrols was able to help save the building’s ownership approximately $250,000 a year. In addition to these savings, the engineering team was able to eliminate the service contract with their previous vendor as they are now able to operate the system themselves through Computrols intuitive front-end software. They also receive 55% fewer hot and cold calls from the building’s tenants.
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