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ED Modular and EllisDon

Cence Power Case Study

ED Modular and EllisDon

At A Glance

TECHNOLOGY
Low-Voltage DC Power distribution, Digital Twin Software, Wireless Sensors (Daylight and Motion), Wireless RF Mesh Network for IoT devices, Wreless Light Switches
CONNECTED DEVICES
LED lighting, HVAC - fan coil unit and 6-way valve, Motorized roller shades (Somfy Sonesse 30 DCT), Keyless entry (Camden Controls Electric Door Strike)
CENCE PRODUCTS
Cence LV, Cence Switches, Sensors, the Cence App (Digital Twin Software)
CLIENT
ED Modular, a division of Ellis Don that specializes in prefab and modular construction
SPACE
Relocatable Prefabricated Residential Module
LOCATION
Hamilton, Ontario
DEPLOYED IN
March 2021
SAVINGS SUMMARY
CapEx: roughly 50%, OpEx: roughly 30%
ED Modular and EllisDon

About the Client

ED Modular is revolutionizing building construction by creating individual blocks, that stack on top of each other like LEGO to create a full building.

  • ED Modular is Ellis Don's prefabrication and modular division, with a 300,000 sq/ft facility located in Hamilton, Ontario.
  • They make steel-ribbed offices and other building blocks that revolutionize that way buildings are constructed; making it easier for war torn countries, for example, to rebuild.
  • ED Modular is an innovative company, that was looking for an innovative electrical system to match their products, and the sustainability goals of their company.

ED Modular Vice President Xavier Toby said this about the new ED Modular plant in 2020:

"The [ED modular] plant will be the biggest modular building facility in Canada...It is really about bringing a new technology and a new building method to the industry" - Xavier Toby
ED Modular and EllisDon

The Challenge

A large part of ED Modular's innovation efforts include ensuring that the power systems for their buildings are able to reduce energy consumption for occupants, and installation costs for ED Modular. This is key to reducing the cost of producing modules, and reducing the cost of operating them in the field.

ED Modular partnered with us, here at Cence, to provide a superior, more energy efficient, and less expensive electrical system for their relocatable prefabricated/modular residential suites.

The Solution

At Cence, we decided that implementing Cence LVDC (our low-voltage DC power distribution system) would be the best solution to fulfill EllisDon’s request for a more energy efficient and less expensive electrical system.

The technology and Cence products we used to achieve ED Modular's results include:
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The combination of these technologies creates a centralized, intelligent automation system for all connected devices, such as lighting and HVAC.

Devices connected to the Cence system:
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By integrating these devices with indoor environmental quality (IEQ) sensors, occupancy sensors, and our digital twin software, we enabled ED Modular to monitor, control and automate electrical loads based on real-time sensor data. This allows ED Modular to optimize energy consumption, as well as occupant comfort.

Deployment Photos

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The Results

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Target specific rooms with full, data-backed, control over lighting and HVAC systems.

Data collected from occupancy sensors and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) sensors allows ED Modular to control lighting and HVAC based on room occupancy, temperature inconsistencies, air quality, lighting inline with circadian rhythms, natural daylight in a space and more.

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Lifetime of LED light fixtures lasts about 4x longer; extended to 100,000 hours.

This is an inherent benefit of DC power distribution, and if you'd like to learn more about why, we've written an entire blog post on the topic: LEDs don't last as long as advertised, here's why.

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Eliminate inefficient AC to DC conversions

Cence LVDC supplies DC power directly to Ed Modular's DC powered devices, such as LED lighting. Without Cence LVDC, the LED lighting would receive AC power (because that's what power grids deliver), and so the light fixtures would need to convert the AC power they would get, into the DC power they need, which can be an inefficient process. Supplying DC power directly to ED Modular's lighting and other DC devices, saves about 30% of energy consumed by devices. Without DC power distribution, this energy would've been wasted by AC to DC conversions.

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Intuitive control with digital twin software

The cloud app is optimized for use with BACnet, and is also an intuitive app with a user friendly interface. The Cence App includes digital twin software that produces a digital floorplan or layout of a physical space or system. This way, lighting, and other systems and devices in the modular suites, can easily be controlled in real-time.

Financial Results

50% Capital Expenditure Savings
  • A standard Power over Ethernet (PoE) system would’ve been roughly 50% more expensive than our hybrid PoE solution.
  • Our system does not require conduit or mechanical protection for wires on low-voltage runs.
  • Unlike with traditional PoE, we were able to use normal LED lights, and no expensive ethernet switch is required.
30% Savings on Operational Costs
  • Roughly 30% reduction in energy consumption across lighting and HVAC.
  • LED light fixture lifetime extended to 100,000 hours (inherent benefit of DC power distribution), this reduces maintenance costs.
  • Savings from Daylight Harvesting (enabled by our IEQ sensors)

All in all, since the implementation of our system, ED Modular has been able to save energy costs, reduce emissions, improve occupant comfort, and decrease the frequency LED fixtures need to be replaced.

the Cence Power team, Bolis, Sagar, Will and Bill

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