Priva keeps ongoing control at Dubai hotel
In the five years since the installation of control technology from Priva Building Intelligence in the Grand Millennium Dubai 5-star 343-room hotel, the system has continually proved its flexibility. It was installed by the BMS Division of Optima International, and business-development and commercial manager Michael Scriven says, ‘We pitched for the project based on the use of Priva BMS technology, and it was the flexibility of the equipment that won the tender. it was one of our first jobs with Priva.’
He continues, ‘One recurring theme with hotels is that they are an ever-changing environment. In the blink of an eye, bedrooms change to conference rooms, and bars change to restaurants, for example. This is where the flexibility of the Priva technology is priceless.’
Hotels are fairly typical projects for Optima, and the Grand Millennium is a particularly large facility. Electricity in Dubai is about four times the UK cost and has doubled in the last three years.
‘Electricity is the biggest operating cost by far for the hotel. This is exaggerated by colossal air-conditioning costs in the summer when the average outside temperature is 40°C.
‘A BMS can save a fortune here by monitoring and controlling services.’
The solution for this hotel was based on the Compri HX suite of products, principally the HX 8E, which is well suited to managing large to highly complex automatic-control installations. There is a universal link for BACnet servers , and BACnet MS/TP networks are deployed at the hotel.
Among other Priva technologies on site are HX 4 and HX 3 base-unit controllers, Comforte CX multi-functional room controllers and a Comset HX touchscreen. These units control the entire HVAC system.
‘We are five years down the line, and we’re now looking to install the latest version of Priva’s Compri HX WebEngine,’ Says Mr Scriven. ‘This will provide extra functionality, such as being able to monitor building controls remotely and facilitate the installation of TC Energy.’
TC Energy is the web-based low-cost energy-monitoring solution from Priva.
