ABB and Philips collaborate on commercial building automation

ABB has collaborated with Royal Philips to enable Philips’ lighting systems to connect with ABB’s building device controls. The companies say this will reduce the cost of renovating mid- and small-sized commercial buildings, while benefiting systems integrators, commercial building owners, facility managers and the people who work in these buildings.

Philips’ connected lighting system will interface seamlessly with ABB’s automation software to offer the ability to control a commercial environment including lighting, blinds, building access, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). The introduction of the solution from ABB and Philips will make it simpler to reconfigure spaces. In a hotel this could mean altering the lighting scene after combining several separate rooms into a large meeting room, just through one click. In a shopping complex, a building manager could simply reconfigure the access, HVAC and lighting when a single unit is split into smaller ones.

“Philips’ LED lighting combined with controls can deliver up to 80% energy savings compared to conventional lighting, while providing high-quality light for a comfortable, more productive work environment. Together, ABB and Philips will support our customers by making it easier to introduce the latest technology to drive energy efficiency and increased functionality,” said Eric Rondolat, CEO of Philips Lighting.

Tarak Mehta, head of ABB’s Low Voltage Products division, added: “The future is the ability to reconfigure spaces at the touch of a button, while reducing energy consumption. ABB and Philips will work together to offer a simple, scalable solution to streamline the introduction of this technology in commercial buildings.”

Currently, reconfiguring different building systems requires entering lines of code for each separate element. By enabling the control of all the different elements of building automation through compatible software, building management is simpler and more affordable to install and maintain. 

HVAC and lighting constitute 70% of the energy consumption in commercial buildings and the introduction of building device control can improve energy efficiency by approximately 30%. Upgrading to more energy-efficient systems represents a significant opportunity for building managers to save on operational costs