Wago compact controls take control at Airflow Developments academy
The compact size of Wago controllers and I/O modules for controlling and monitoring DALI lighting and underfloor heating in the recently opened academy of Airflow Developments at High Wycombe enabled system integrator Accurro to build a cabinet half the size of that originally anticipated. Harry Lees of Accurro explained, ‘With Wago we can fit far more I/O into a panel. Using such a small cabinet allows the whole service room to be a third smaller than originally designed.’
Michael Tapp, Accurro’s Thames valley regional director, who ran the project, adds, ‘Wago’s DALI controller is 50% smaller than competitors’, and the analogue units we used are 80% smaller. The I/O modules are so small and versatile that if more functionality was required, we could just pop another module on the DIN rail and still have plenty of space to play with.’
Wago supplied two programmable fieldbus controls, the smallest of which is just 50 mm wide. Dozens of Wago relays were used, along with I/O System 750 modules to control heating and lighting while extracting real-time data for indoor air quality and energy costs per square metre etc.
The 500 m2 academy guides visitors through Airflow’s latest ventilation innovations, which are linked to a Wago control system. A screen in the demonstration area displays data on building temperature, atmospheric conditions and energy efficiency to show how these ventilation solutions, combined with effective heating and lighting controls, can help to reduce operational costs.
Paul Carpenter, operations director with Airflow, said, ‘We’ve had great fun experimenting with sensors and sequencing, finding the right levels that will provide the optimum environment whilst also seeing in real time how much we’re saving on our utility bills.’
