Five Reasons Integrated ELV Systems Reduce Cost
As enterprises switch their operations to energy efficient smart premises, they aim to complement their growth through enhancing productivity and run building operations that can support sustainability. A smart building is secure, reliable and runs on economical operational costs. From corporate head offices, data center, airports to shopping malls, Infrastructure owners invest in various systems – HVAC, Security, and Access controls, etc., all packaged under Extra Low Voltage (ELV) Systems.
ELV systems are essential for smart building, making the infrastructure more intelligent, interconnected and energy efficient. ELV systems are used for security, communication, lighting, air conditioning, heating, CCTV, PABX, IPTV, structured cabling, fire detection system, voice evacuation, voice & data communication, intrusion detection, audiovisual, cell phone & wireless distribution and other peripheral systems.
As different services might require sub-ELV systems, integration of these sub-systems on a common network platform is becoming essential. ELV system systems integration supports the installation of common cabling and pathways instead of individual improving overall monitoring and management with significant cost reduction. Such comprehensive turnkey solutions require serious domain experts that can design, integrate and deliver Integrated ELV Systems meeting diverse needs in the facility management sector. Some of the key benefits include:
Unified Cabling: IP based ELV design requires all systems to use common data network contributing to significant cost reduction on cabling and pathways. This requires involvement of EVL systems in early stage of facility planning, so optimal routes can be identified by network designers at the beginning of the project.
Less Interference: ELV systems on the back of a digital IP based backbone prevent issues in the likes of grounding, cable and connector quality, electrical, which are normally prevalent in an analog system.
Scalability: With new IP based ELV solutions, the network cloud consisting of less expensive fiber cables or microwave links, larger areas can be seamlessly interconnected at a fraction of cost of traditional solutions needed for analog cabling.
Management: IP-based unified ELV solutions are by far easier to manage and troubleshoot, due to centralized cabling and connections.
Remote Management: Unlike traditional analog solutions, IP-based systems can be remotely managed and reconfigured, with minimum physical changes. This saves considerably on maintenance costs while bringing many new features and possibilities.
Costs savings are not the only benefit of modern IP-based integrated ELV systems – ELV systems can cover a wide spectrum of functionalities and features, with expandability without redoing the basic infrastructure, continuous software upgradability and ability to integrate with new systems. The results of the above benefits are overall efficiency at lower OPEX and CAPEX costs, and reduction in risks of delay.
Article by Viren Desai, Sales Manager – ELV & Cabling, Alpha Data.