Carrier and REGEN Energy Inc., based in Ontario, Canada and developer of the patented wireless Swarm Energy Management electrical demand management and dynamic load control technology, have signed an agreement to provide a field-installed accessory to assist with energy management on Carrier’s commercial rooftop units. Carrier, the world’s leader in high technology heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions, is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp.
Swarm Energy Management by REGEN Energy can now be integrated into the Carrier WeatherMaker, WeatherMaster, and WeatherExpert product lines, dramatically reducing peak electrical usage when installed as accessories to these rooftop units in commercial and industrial properties. Swarm Energy Management controllers utilize REGEN Energy’s patented swarm logic to provide intelligent load management and substantial energy savings – all without sacrificing occupant comfort. This system programs each unit in the network to communicate with each other every few minutes, with individual elements making an operating decision every 10 minutes to ensure units support the most efficient use of energy.
According to information found on REGEN's website, REGEN Energy’s patented load management methodology implements swarm logic, described as "a brilliant strategy found in nature, whereby colonies of organisms frequently sample their environment and make independent and autonomous decisions that benefit both each organism and the swarm."
Swarm Energy Management employs swarm logic to allow equipment in buildings to communicate and coordinate to minimize the number and size of loads unnecessarily running concurrently, thereby reducing peak demand. This strategy can be used as an excellent, fine-grained load control strategy for Demand Response (DR). It provides more effective management of occupant comfort during DR events than conventional load limiting or setback strategies.
This accessory offers customers the ability to avoid load stacking and to smooth out spikes in power usage. In addition, the system offers customers the opportunity to participate in Automated Demand Response requests from local utility providers to further reduce peak energy demand. The energy management technology also enables Carrier customers to easily access their analytics through a secure, web-based portal.
“Our customers turn to Carrier for market leading, energy efficient solutions,” says Greg Alcorn, vice president, commercial sales and marketing, Carrier. “Our agreement is a significant step forward in energy management and we are delighted to add the Swarm Energy Management technology into our product offerings,” Alcorn says.