Newsletter – June 2013

THIS MONTH…..
-TRENDS
-DISCUSSIONS
-EXISTING CODE
-SECURITY
-LASTLY

-TRENDS
The stuff going on in the big picture now…..

• AquaSmart will manufacture and market an energy-saving, remote control system for electric water heaters. The system includes a thermostat-style wireless transmitter that can be installed next to a home’s regular heating-cooling thermostat and a receiver that is wired into the water heater itself.
• The introduction of energy smart meters in 30 million UK homes will be delayed for more than a year, because the industry needed more time to design, build, and test the communications’ system required.
• Experts say smart meters need to be harder to hack, raising concerns about lack of addressing multiple attack vectors and the potential strategic vulnerability of a nation’s entire power grid.
• A smart energy project to create software for in-home displays is piloted at Southampton University, to discover if software can change our energy habits.
• A set of calculations for the processing power used to mine for new Bitcoins show a staggering amount of energy usage. An additional article finds Bitcoin is facing fresh scrutiny after a report revealed the power requirements of the currency’s miners. This provides evidence that computing infrastructure is becoming an increasingly significant part of the world’s energy demand.

-DISCUSSIONS
The stuff we are talking about now…..

ACCESSIBILITY
We are capturing additional display requirements that tablet computers and smart phones place on the GNU remotecontrol interface. A new version release with improvements in the code will follow soon. Laws addressing the need to provide web accessibility of web pages and support for assistive technologies are influencing our code development.

-EXISTING CODE
The stuff you may want to consider…..

BUGS
We have 0 new bugs and 0 fixed bugs since our last Blog posting. Please review these changes and apply to your GNU remotecontrol installation, as appropriate.

TASKS
We have 12 new tasks and 0 completed tasks since our last Blog posting. Please review these changes and apply to your GNU remotecontrol installation, as appropriate.

-SECURITY
The stuff you REALLY want to consider…..

NIAGARA VULNERABILITY
A vulnerability in the Tridium Niagara AX Framework allows an attacker to remotely access the system’s config.bog file, which holds all of the system’s configuration data, including user-names and passwords to log in to operator work stations and gain control of the systems that are managed by them.

-LASTLY
Whatever you do…..don’t get beat up over your Energy Management strategy. GNU remotecontrol is here to help simplify your life, not make it more complicated. Talk to us if you are stuck or cannot figure out the best option for your GNU remotecontrol framework. The chances are the answer you need is something we have already worked through. We would be happy to help you by discussing your situation with you.

…..UNTIL NEXT MONTH!

Newsletter – May 2013

THIS MONTH…..
-TRENDS
-DISCUSSIONS
-EXISTING CODE
-SECURITY
-LASTLY

-TRENDS
The stuff going on in the big picture now…..

• Energy firms must pass on smart meter savings to the consumers in the UK, concludes the Public Accounts Committee of MPs. Following the announcement of legislation to introduce Demand Response in the UK electricity industry the Committee of MPs cautioned, “No transparent mechanism presently exists for ensuring savings to the supplier are passed on to consumers, and the track record of energy companies to date does not inspire confidence that this will happen.”
• Smart meters will save power for customers up to £64 each across Wales on average, report says. The report was generated by British Gas and business analysts Oxford Economics.
• Warning over smart meters presents a privacy risk. Concern is focused around the usage of the data.
• Even water is going wireless. The public infrastructure is growing to include many components that are now remotely monitored.
• A new term of negawatts has come forth, where big electricity consumers are paid to voluntarily reduce their power usage. This is an incentive for the adoption of Demand Response.
• Recommendations provided about building a Green Consumer. The article identifies energy users need financial incentives, but money alone is not enough to change customer behavior.
• Consideration if consumers should participate in their Energy Supplier’s Smart-Meter program.
• A survey by Digital Realty Trust shows mediocre results for data center energy efficiency. This is a strong indicator that large energy consuming is not occurring in an efficient manner.
• Evidence that Green Buildings are taking hold, but wasted energy abounds. This is another sign that energy waste is still prevalent in many domestic, commercial, and industrial facilities.
• A forecast with the proliferation of online storage of user data and applications. By 2015, the energy used to run data centers will be a “drop in the ocean”, compared to the wireless networks used to access cloud services. This is clear proof Information Technology is a strong driver of increased energy usage.
  

-DISCUSSIONS
The stuff we are talking about now…..

SMART GRID TECHNOLOGY CONTRIBUTOR
We are in discussion for how we can contribute to the larger picture of the Smart Grid. Topics of discussion include feature additions to GNU remotecontrol and interfacing with other systems, such as Automated Meter Reading. This is still a formative discussion.

OPEN ADR GAINING MOMENTUM WORLDWIDE
Open ADR Alliance reaches a milestone of 100 members, through growing global interest. This milestone builds our confidence in this developing standard is the probable way Demand Response will occur in the near future. We are expanding our research to determine how we need to interface with Demand Response technologies.

-EXISTING CODE
The stuff you may want to consider…..

BUG FIXES
We have 0 bugs and 0 fixes since our last Blog posting. Please review existing patches and apply to your GNU remotecontrol installation, as appropriate.

-SECURITY
The stuff you REALLY want to consider…..

FBI ISSUES ALERT
The FBI issued an alert to businesses in July 2012 after unknown attackers breached a computer used to control the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system of a New Jersey company, accessing a graphical user interface for the system, including a floor plan layout of the company’s office. Talk to us if you would like further information on addressing HVAC security concerns.

-LASTLY
Whatever you do…..don’t get beat up over your Energy Management strategy. GNU remotecontrol is here to help simplify your life, not make it more complicated. Talk to us if you are stuck or cannot figure out the best option for your GNU remotecontrol framework. The chances are the answer you need is something we have already worked through. We would be happy to help you by discussing your situation with you.

…..UNTIL NEXT MONTH!

Newsletter – April 2013

THIS MONTH…..
-TRENDS
-DISCUSSIONS
-EXISTING CODE
-SECURITY
-LASTLY

-TRENDS
The stuff going on in the big picture now…..

• PG&E has early results, showing their customers like to control their thermostats with their smart phones. These results come from researching how utilities are embracing smart thermostats to help manage energy grids.
  
• Sprint is expected to reduce their retail energy costs by 15 percent, a $1.5 million annual savings, with an 18-month payback on the program.
• There are, clearly, several thermostat options available for single user scenarios. What is not in place, at the Power Distribution Provider level, is a way for those thermostats to be managed, en mass.
• The GNU remotecontrol development team is now working on our first large scale deployment. We hope our Thermostat API Emulator will demonstrate that the GNU remotecontrol can withstand the network and system demands of large scale deployments, and do it without the cost and restrictions of proprietary licensing.

OPEN GEOSPATIAL CONSORTIUM
The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is an international industry consortium participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available interface standards. OGC Standards support interoperable solutions that enable the Web, wireless, location-based services, and mainstream IT. The standards empower technology developers to make complex spatial information and services accessible and useful for all kinds of applications. OGC has a desire to get their project running with equipment inside buildings. An example of this usage is when indoor temperature and humidity sensors are moved, but that move was not widely communicated to the rest of the energy management team. Sensor location very much matters when reviewing captured data. GNU remotecontrol will observe this emerging standard from afar, to see if we need to support any communication standard they come up with.

SMART ENERGY PROFILE
The Consortium for Smart Energy Profile Interoperability has developed the Smart Energy Profile (SEP) 2. This is a forthcoming standard for applications that enable home energy management via wired and wireless devices that support Internet Protocol. The founding members HomePlug Alliance, Wi-Fi Alliance and ZigBee Alliance continue to clear a path to SEP 2 interoperability for consumer benefits in the smart grid market. GNU remotecontrol will observe this emerging standard from afar, to see if we need to support any communication standard they come up with.

-DISCUSSIONS
The stuff we are talking about now…..

SECURITY ENHANCED LINUX
We reviewed, in 2009, what it would take to get our application running under SELinux. We have a good understanding of what those requirements are, and have interest in completing this effort. We realize being able to operate in the Smart Grid requires that we demonstrate our security capabilities. We expect having this enhanced security configuration integrated with the core GNU remotecontrol implementation will aid adoption in the United States. SELinux is the best option we have found to demonstrate our security capabilities. The Nagios part of our framework already works under SELinux.

-EXISTING CODE
The stuff you may want to consider…..

BUG FIXES
We recently resolved 2 bugs. Please review and apply to your GNU remotecontrol installation, as appropriate.

-SECURITY
The stuff you REALLY want to consider…..

SCADA RESEARCH REPORT
Leyden reports on research from Trend Micro. The article shares how simple SCADA security oversights can disrupt entire systems. It is not worth suffering a compromise of your systems due to not implementing simple security measures. Talk to us if you would like further information on addressing HVAC security concerns.

-LASTLY
Whatever you do…..don’t get beat up over your Energy Management strategy. GNU remotecontrol is here to help simplify your life, not make it more complicated. Talk to us if you are stuck or cannot figure out the best option for your GNU remotecontrol framework. The chances are the answer you need is something we have already worked through. We would be happy to help you by discussing your situation with you.

…..UNTIL NEXT MONTH!

Newsletter – March 2013

THIS MONTH…..
-DISCUSSIONS
-EXISTING CODE
-NEW CODE
-LASTLY

-DISCUSSIONS
The stuff we are talking about now…..

DEMAND RESPONSE
Many discussions about Demand Response have been taking place recently. Check the February 2013 Blog paragraph on this topic, for more detail. Here is a pretty good video explaining more about Demand Response. We found the National Grid encourages energy efficiency with a new Smart Grid Pilot. We are thinking of starting development in this direction, by setting up an Open ADR server and polish GNU remotecontrol to be able to receive and respond to Demand Response messages. This will more accurately inform your electricity and/or fuel provider of your future energy demand expectation. We are thinking of basing this on historical/seasonal consumption data trends, but with the ability to override manually with a different profile. The benefit is to help you get better pricing, if you reduce your consumption of electricity and/or fuel from your provider, at times of peak energy demand. It will also help you with your Operation and Maintenance efforts, by helping to monitor your energy consumption relevant to your usage of your assets.

POWERLINE COMMUNICATION
This is still in the works. Check the February 2013 Blog paragraph on this topic, for more detail. Good discussions occurring, but things are not clear yet on the type and amount of demand for this technology from the Power Distribution industry and what GNU remotecontrol needs to do about providing capability for using the technology.

-EXISTING CODE
The stuff you may want to consider…..

SECURITY
Strong security protocols are priceless, period. Security considerations remain at the forefront of managing an HVAC system, given the Stuxnet headlines in the news not so long ago. Is it time to hire HVAC Security? Most likely, if you are looking at GNU remotecontrol or remotely accessed thermostats, it is that time. Siemens came out rather quickly with a posting for Building a Cyber Secure Plant, following the Stuxnet outbreak. There is a growing urgency to protect the Electrical Grid, before a large scale attack occurs. The reality is that threat has been here for decades. Talk to us if you would like further information on addressing HVAC security concerns.

-NEW CODE
The stuff we are working on now…..

THERMOSTAT API EMULATOR
We are scaling up GNU remotecontrol to furnish the capability for a POWER DISTRIBUTION PROVIDER to service their customers. We are building an IP enabled thermostat emulator, to facilitate understanding of how this can be achieved from the END-USER perspective and test the robustness and resilience of our software. This technology capability means several HUNDRED-THOUSAND messages going to several HUNDRED-THOUSAND IP enabled thermostats, all at once. It also means you DO NOT have to purchase, install, or modify any IP enabled thermostats to start using or testing GNU remotecontrol. Talk to us if you are interested in running in GNU remotecontrol in large deployments.

ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
This is still in the works. Check the February 2013 Blog paragraph on this topic, for more detail. Talk to us if you want us to pursue developing this code sooner than later. We will most likely build it at some point in the future. It is a matter of how important it is to the folks using GNU remotecontrol right now.

-LASTLY
Whatever you do…..don’t get beat up over your Energy Management strategy. GNU remotecontrol is here to help simplify your life, not make it more complicated. Talk to us if you are stuck or cannot figure out the best option for your GNU remotecontrol framework. The chances are the answer you need is something we have already worked through. We would be happy to help you by discussing your situation with you.

…..UNTIL NEXT MONTH!

Newsletter – February 2013

THIS MONTH…..
-DISCUSSIONS
-EXISTING CODE
-NEW CODE
-LASTLY

-DISCUSSIONS
The stuff we are talking about now…..

DEMAND RESPONSE
People have asked us about Demand Response. This technology involves receiving XML messages to change device settings. These messages come from your electricity and/or fuel provider, when their electricity and/or fuel grid is under stress and cannot cope with supplying the total demand to their customers. Say, for example, the Super Bowl just went dark and they need to find some electricity to light the game back up. Demand Response enabled technology then receives a computer generated message from your provider, asking you, as their customer, to either reduce or stop consumption of electricity and/or fuel for a while. The provider has a contractual agreement to compensate their subscribers when they do what the provider is asking for; easing their normal consumption level for a while. For us, this involves GNU remotecontrol being able to receive Demand Response messages and being able to send message back to them, telling your electricity and/or fuel provider what your future demand expectation is for your system. The benefit is to help you get better pricing if you reduce your consumption of electricity and/or fuel from your provider for that given time. More to come on this next month.

POWERLINE COMMUNICATION
People have asked us about Powerline Communication. This technology eliminates the need to run communication cabling to devices, such as thermostats, wireless access points, video cameras, and a host of other devices. A single set of electrical cabling handles both power and communication with the device. For us, this involves GNU remotecontrol moving communications across the cabling that caries the electricity to the device. The benefit for you is to integrate your GNU remotecontrol with a lot of existing cabling and technology options. More to come on this next month.

-EXISTING CODE
The stuff you may want to consider…..

ADDING DEVICES
GNU remotecontrol is designed to work with any IP enabled thermostat device. Say tomorrow you realize you want to add a new type of thermostat device to your GNU remotecontrol. No problem. All you have to know about that thermostat device is how to CONNECT to it, how to READ from it, and how to WRITE to it, and that is it. It is wise to select a thermostat device that has the ability to download and upload the device configuration, but that is your choice. Talk to us if you want to collaborate on getting that new type of thermostat device running in GNU remotecontrol.

AUTOMATION
GNU remotecontrol does not need to use the GUI to manage your IP enabled thermostat devices. Simply include your list of change instructions in the send_request.php file, and that is that. These change instructions are the names of the thermostat devices and what settings you want to change on those thermostat devices. It is the same list of change information that gets fed from index.php to send_request.php in the default installation of GNU remotecontrol. You sending your list of change instructions to send_request.php overrides index.php to feed your change instructions to your thermostat devices. You can achieve A LOT of different types of automation with GNU remotecontrol.

REMEMBER
GNU remotecontrol is a MANAGEMENT TOOL for your HVAC systems, after you decide what needs to be done to control your HVAC assets. What needs to be done is called the LOGIC SEQUENCE. This logic sequence functions either at will, by you making one-at-a-time changes, or by you using another well-developed program to make those automated decisions for you. We EXECUTE what people want done with their HVAC systems. There are many, and I mean….MANY…..technology options to accomplish this logic sequence. Talk to us if you want some examples.

-NEW CODE
The stuff we are working on now…..

ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
People have asked us about using GNU remotecontrol to run their Multi-Vendor HVAC systems. AWESOME! Unlike Single-Vendor HVAC systems, often referred to as a KIT, Multi-Vendor systems are built from individual components that you pick when designing your own bespoke systems. A Heat Pump is a very common example of a Single-Vendor HVAC system.

Asset Management is the art and science of making the best decisions and optimizing the practice of managing assets to achieve the greatest return. The objective is to minimize the life-cycle cost of your assets. A database to keep up with your HVAC assets is priceless for helping you go home at a regular time each day, versus you chasing down the speed of a fan, the last time you calibrated your sensors, and many other simple but time consuming activities. Imagine how much a database could help you accomplish in managing all of the different fans, cooling sources, and heating sources that cool and heat your large facility. One must have a record of those fans, cooling, and heating components in order to collectively switch them on/off. A database sure is a great way to keep up with that long list of assets. This database is the technological enabler for your Asset Management.

This Asset Management database is a great repository for information on your asset inspection, calibration, maintenance, and repair records. It also helps you know how long a component has been around, helping you prepare for replacing it. Check out the PAS 55 Standard and Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) from the Whole Building Design Guide, for more information. Also, check out Specifying Interoperability and BACnet and the Facility Manager, for some reference information of how a Multi-Vendor HVAC system can work for you.

We have a good list of requirements and a mock-up of the code to set up this Asset Management system. It offers a web based interface for you, really simple to use. You enter or import the information you need in your database, then simply read and review the information in the Asset Management database. What we are not sure of is how badly people want this Asset Management system right now. Talk to us if you want us to pursue developing this code sooner than later. We will most likely build it at some point in the future. It is a matter of how important it is to the folks using GNU remotecontrol right now.

-LASTLY
Whatever you do…..don’t get beat up over your Energy Management strategy. GNU remotecontrol is here to help simplify your life, not make it more complicated. Talk to us if you are stuck or cannot figure out the best option to go with for your GNU remotecontrol framework. The chances are the answer you need is something we have already worked through. We would be happy to help you by discussing your situation with you.

…..UNTIL NEXT MONTH!

Launch of Blog

There has been discussion about doing some type of public information distribution for GNU remotecontrol, shy of a news release and shy of a mailing list that could end up in a L-O-N-G and protracted email thread. The discussion has determined a blog is the best way to deliver this information. Examples of this information include:

• Changes that could be made to the code.
• What it takes to make changes to the code.
• How to make changes to the code.

Most importantly, the ability to get GNU remotecontrol users information that is pertinent, but not critically important to them. Simply stated, this blog is a very good indication of the DIRECTION we are headed with GNU remotecontrol.

This blog will have MONTHLY postings, in a newsletter style format.

WELCOME!