Watertown, CT -- Siemon announced the launch of its ConvergeIT green intelligent building cabling program, which it says combines the company's network infrastructure expertise and global technical and installation support capabilities with its structured cabling product line to provide a straightforward process for the implementation of a converged, IP-based intelligent building cabling systems.
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The company maintains that the ConvergeIT program also drives a greener, more sustainable smart building. Growing in global popularity, the intelligent or "smart" building concept combines multiple data, low voltage and building automation applications onto one centrally managed network. These converged systems can include voice/data, video surveillance, access control, digital signage, audio/video, fire alarms, energy management, HVAC and more.
According to a study conducted by the Continental Automated Building Association (CABA), properly planned intelligent buildings can cut energy costs by up to 70% and the US EPA states that these smart platforms can enhance building asset value by 2-32 times initial investment.
Siemon says its ConvergeIT program takes the intelligent building approach a step further, supporting the facility's various low-voltage applications on a single IP-based structured cabling system rather than on separate and often proprietary cabling plants. "IT structured cabling is the ideal solution for a converged intelligent building cabling infrastructure," explains Robert Carlson Siemon's Vice President of Global Marketing. "It provides the flexibility and performance to support multiple critical building systems at the highest reliability levels."
The ConvergeIT approach to smart buildings also offers strong cost reduction and simplified system management benefits, contends Siemon. By eliminating multiple proprietary cabling types in favor of a single structured cabling plant, material and labor costs can be cut significantly. According to CABA, overall intelligent system cabling material costs can be reduced by up to 33%. This consolidation of infrastructure may also drive up to 40% savings in pathway material costs. Because the structured cabling plant can be deployed by a single IT contractor as opposed to the multiple specialized installation groups often required with proprietary systems, ConvergeIT can reduce overall low-voltage building cabling and pathway installation labor costs by 28% or more.
"ConvergeIT also drives a greener, more sustainable smart building," adds Carlson. "The energy savings enabled by power management systems like automated HVAC and lighting controls as well as cable and pathway material reductions not only save money, but are key elements of green building initiatives such as the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification system."
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Beyond reduced deployment costs and sustainability improvements, the ConvergeIT program can cut ongoing maintenance and management costs. Converged IP-based cabling can cut intelligent system-related move, add and change costs by 20% versus multiple systems, maintains Siemon. The centralized smart cabling plant approach may also reduce the reliance on multiple specialized installers in favor of a single IT cabling contractor, saving up to 15% in service contract costs.
The company notes that this operational efficiency extends to facility maintenance and IT personnel. The simplified system management capabilities of IP-based intelligent building cabling allows critical information to be more easily shared between building systems and enables staff to access system information from anywhere on the network. This can help minimize staff resource requirements while simultaneously reducing response time to minimize costly business disruptions.
To learn more about Siemon's ConvergeIT intelligent building cabling program, visit www.siemon.com/convergeit.