The customer got a ready-made solution that met all his expectations. The heating mat controller has been integrated into the Nazca system and the data collected is continuously visualized and redirected externally to the manufacturer's website.

Main description

Foils are a modern heating solution, which is more convenient than traditional methods of underfloor heating, characterized by easy installation and possibility of shape modelling.

After our Partner installed the mats, the first task the team faced was selecting a new wall-mounted controller. Heating foils can be connected to any controller that has a communication protocol and can be managed by the BMS system.

After the successful installation of the controller, the integration work followed - wiring up and getting communication. The next step was to prepare the logic and view in Nazca and the mobile system. The final element was to prepare the data for sharing on the website. Here, the APA team faced several challenges. Firstly, it had to ensure that the site was properly security certified, and secondly, the site could not be static but dynamic, allowing the data on the site to refresh at a set interval.

Because this is a research project to illustrate to customers the viability of such an investment, we assume that this project will evolve over time. We are already planning further development of the functionality - adding the function of converting energy into cost - how much would the investor pay for one hour/day of mat heating for a given area.

Benefits

The completed implementation enables our Partner to present data to investors regarding:

• electricity consumption costs per m2 of heated space;
• the time it takes to reach the desired room temperature, relative to the outdoor temperature;
• time of the last cycle;
• system capabilities: in the case of a larger number of rooms to be controlled, it is possible to group and control selected elements, an entire floor, or several rooms simultaneously. Moreover, it is possible to set time schedules from the phone or from the Nazca operator station interface.

In addition, graphs visualizing the collected data show that the film does not heat up all the time, which makes it possible to use it even in installations that are not adapted to such solutions. How is this possible? In single-phase circuits, the power consumption could lead to an overload of the network, but with the cyclic operation of the mats, it is possible to switch on another device, such as a washing machine or dishwasher, which would operate alternately with the mats.

To sum up, thanks to our solution, a Dream Heat customer has an opportunity to check the efficiency of heating mats before the purchase and choose the optimal power for their apartment/residence. At APA, we verify the manufacturer's information, increasing its credibility.

Curiosity

Before the work began, the room had only conventional heating - radiators. Unfortunately, they were installed in such a way that they heated the workers' backs, which caused discomfort by making the room not evenly heated. The installation of the film was followed by the complete abandonment of the radiators. The mats have a very pleasant effect and even though they are installed locally, only in certain places, the room is heated perfectly evenly, thus increasing the comfort of work, and temperature jumps are not perceptible.

The operation of the film can be seen live in the APA Black House technology showroom.