ITcon Vol. 17, pg. 43-62, http://www.itcon.org/2012/3

A wireless sensor network for intelligent building energy management based on multi communication standards – a case study

submitted:December 2010
revised:January 2012
published:May 2012
editor(s):Ghang L.
authors:Hanne Grindvoll, Research Scientist,
Department of Communication Systems, SINTEF ICT, Norway;
Hanne.Grindvoll@sintef.no, http://www.sintef.no/Home/

Ovidiu Vermesan, Chief Scientist,
Department of Communication Systems, SINTEF ICT, Norway;
Ovidiu.Vermesan@sintef.no, http://www.sintef.no/Home/

Tracey Crosbie, Dr,
Centre for Construction Innovation Research, Teesside University, UK;
t.crosbie@tees.ac.uk, http://sst.tees.ac.uk/ccir/

Roy Bahr, Research Scientist,
Department of Communication Systems, SINTEF ICT, Norway;
Roy.Bahr@sintef.no, http://www.sintef.no/Home/

Nashwan Dawood, Professor,
Centre for Construction Innovation Research, Teesside University, UK;
n.n.dawood@tees.ac.uk, http://sst.tees.ac.uk/ccir/

Gian Marco Revel, Assistant Professor,
Department of Industrial Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, Univerità Politecnica delle Marche, Italy;
gm.revel@univpm.it, http://www.univpm.it/English/Engine/RAServePG.php
summary:This paper presents a case study of a wireless sensor network (WSN) to support energymanagement utilizing Web services and middleware technologies. The approach presented proposes theintegration of WSNs with Ethernet/Internet/XML/Web Service communications into a ‘knowledge andinformation services’ platform to support energy management which can be accessed via a Web service tosupport inhabitant actions to reduce energy demand. It is based on the idea of collecting energy informationusing various wireless devices operating with different communication standards. This is important as there arevarious communication standards developed for WSNs including ZigBee, 6LoWPAN, Wi-Fi, WirelessHART andISA100.11a. The hardware components which are needed for a system using one specific communicationstandard cannot be used directly within another system, due to differences in firmware, radio components,communication standards, and in some cases profile parameters. This is problematic because the components ofdifferent systems cannot be mixed and used in combination in order to take advantage of the most useful aspectsof products from multiple vendors. The concept and initial testing of the WSN presented in this paper goesbeyond current approaches as it uses various wireless devices operating with different communicationstandards, which can support Web based services for building managers, owners and inhabitants.
keywords:Wireless sensor networks, communication standards, energy management, building
full text: (PDF file, 1.181 MB)
citation:Hanne Grindvoll, Ovidiu Vermesan, Tracey Crosbie, Roy Bahr, Nashwan Dawood, Gian Marco Revel (2012). A wireless sensor network for intelligent building energy management based on multi communication standards – a case study, ITcon Vol. 17, pg. 43-62, https://www.itcon.org/2012/3