Computrols Distribution Partner, Dynamic Energy Controls, recently completed another large take over in an integration project at One Post Office Square in Boston, MA. This building is managed by JLL. At 525 feet, 41 stories tall and 832,000 square feet, this skyscraper is one of the tallest in the Boston skyline. With the help of their new Computrols Building Automation System, it may also become one of the most energy efficient. The building is currently Energy Star Certified and LEED Gold.
When Dynamic Energy Controls’ Chris Kelliher was brought into the picture, One Post Office Square was outfitted with an aging Johnson Controls system including DX9100s, UNTs, AHUs, XTs, NAEs, NCEs, and NCM350s. The facility’s staff found the JCI user interface extremely cumbersome to use and were largely reliant on JCI technicians to run their BAS. On top of that, they frequently had different technicians coming out to service the system causing a lack of continuity in the building’s controls strategies.
To give the facilities team a taste of just how easy Computrols Building Automation Software (CBAS) was to operate, Dynamic installed a head-end PC and a 16X controller to do some monitoring on fire pumps and domestic water. Chris knew that if the operating engineers had a chance to drive the Computrols system themselves, there would be no turning back. After a little over a year, the team at One Post Office Square chose Dynamic Energy Controls and Computrols to complete an integration to the existing Johnson Controls system.
The first step was to take control of the existing Johnson system with the Computrols head end. The Johnson Controls boards remained in place, being controlled by the simple to use Computrols’ software which replaced the JCI head end.
The next step was to replace the Johnson Controls equipment with Computrols hardware. The building is now entirely controlled with Computrols lifetime warranty controllers. The building’s facilities team is now comfortable with adding points of control and programming CBAS accordingly. While Dynamic Energy Controls is there to assist when needed, the engineers know the building better than anyone and can now program the controls themselves for better efficiency and comfort.
With a major building repositioning currently being planned and the new Computrols system in place, the JLL engineering team is uniquely positioned to take on the challenging project ahead.