Energy-Saving Solutions of Industrial Switches in Building Automation: An In-Depth Analysis from Technical Core to Scenario Implementation
Driven by the "dual carbon" goals, Building Automation Systems (BAS) are evolving from single-function control to intelligence and low carbonization. As the core equipment of building networks, industrial switches not only serve as the "blood vessels" for data transmission but also become an "invisible engine" for energy conservation and consumption reduction through technological innovation. This article systematically analyzes how industrial switches contribute to building energy efficiency from three dimensions: technical principles, core functions, and scenario solutions, and explores technology implementation paths by combining typical products such as USR-ISG.
The demands for network equipment in building automation scenarios far exceed those in traditional commercial environments: subsystems such as elevators, air conditioners, and lighting need to operate 24/7, with equipment distributed widely and in complex environments (e.g., dampness in underground garages and high temperatures in equipment rooms). Industrial switches build fundamental differences from commercial equipment through four technical characteristics:
To reduce costs, commercial switches often use plastic casings and consumer-grade chips, with a design lifespan of only 3-5 years and no heat dissipation optimization, leading to a surge in energy consumption during long-term high-load operation. Industrial switches, such as USR-ISG, adopt full-metal casings and fanless designs, reducing power consumption through natural heat dissipation. They also use automotive-grade chips (operating temperature range: -40°C to 85°C) to minimize performance degradation due to overheating, extending equipment lifespan to over 10 years and reducing energy consumption and replacement costs from a full lifecycle perspective.
Traditional switch power modules have an efficiency of only 70%-80% and cannot dynamically adjust power according to load. Industrial switches introduce Intelligent Power Management (IPM) technology to dynamically adjust supply voltage and frequency by monitoring port traffic in real time. For example, USR-ISG supports the IEEE 802.3az Energy-Efficient Ethernet (EEE) standard, automatically entering sleep mode during low-traffic periods (e.g., at night), reducing power consumption by over 60%. A single device can save an annual electricity consumption equivalent to reducing 1.2 tons of CO2 emissions.
Commercial building networks often adopt tree topologies, where single-point failures can easily cause widespread outages, leading to increased energy consumption from backup equipment activation. Industrial switches support ERPS ring network protocols (e.g., USR-ISG's millisecond-level self-healing ring), enabling the construction of ring topologies. When any node fails, the network automatically switches to a backup path in less than 20ms, avoiding repeated device startups or manual interventions caused by network outages and indirectly reducing energy consumption.
Building automation involves multiple protocols such as BACnet, Modbus, and KNX. Traditional switches require gateway conversions, increasing protocol parsing energy consumption. Industrial switches directly integrate multi-protocol support (e.g., USR-ISG supports BACnet/IP, Modbus TCP, OPC UA, etc.), eliminating protocol conversion links, reducing packet processing delays and power consumption, while supporting deep integration with Building Management Systems (BMS) to achieve on-demand control of lighting, air conditioning, and other equipment.
The energy-saving value of industrial switches stems not only from hardware optimization but also from the four core functions they carry, which directly address energy consumption pain points in building automation:
In building networks, traffic from video surveillance, access control systems, etc., exhibits distinct spatiotemporal characteristics (e.g., high surveillance traffic during the day and low traffic at night). Industrial switches prioritize bandwidth for critical services (e.g., fire alarms) through QoS policies and traffic shaping technologies while limiting or compressing non-critical traffic (e.g., background music) for transmission. For example, USR-ISG can be configured with 8 priority queues, setting the transmission priority of air conditioning control instructions to the highest to ensure real-time performance and avoid increased energy consumption from frequent air conditioner startups and shutdowns due to network congestion.
In traditional building networks, equipment failures (e.g., port aging, fiber attenuation) often lead to data retransmission or redundant link operation, increasing energy consumption. Industrial switches integrate Port Mirroring and SNMP trap alert functions to track parameters such as traffic, error rates, and temperature for each port in real time. The cloud management platform of USR-ISG can also generate equipment health reports, providing early warnings of potential failures and avoiding energy waste caused by abnormal equipment operation.
Devices such as IP cameras, wireless APs, and smart sensors in buildings require power over Ethernet (PoE), but traditional PoE switches only support 30W power, failing to meet the needs of high-power devices and requiring additional power adapters, increasing energy consumption and wiring costs. Industrial switches support the IEEE 802.3bt PoE++ standard, with a maximum output of 90W per port, directly powering devices such as PTZ cameras and LED displays, reducing the number of power adapters. The PoE++ ports of USR-ISG also support intelligent scheduling, dynamically adjusting power supply according to device operating status (e.g., reducing power to 5W when cameras are in sleep mode at night), saving over 50kWh of electricity per port annually.
In building automation, a large amount of data (e.g., temperature, humidity, and light intensity) needs to be uploaded to the cloud for analysis before feedback control instructions are sent, leading to transmission delays and cloud computing energy consumption. Industrial switches, by integrating edge computing modules, can process simple logic locally (e.g., automatically adjusting curtain opening and closing based on light intensity) and only upload abnormal data to the cloud. The edge computing function of USR-ISG supports Python script development, allowing users to customize energy-saving strategies (e.g., "Automatically turn off the air conditioner when the indoor temperature exceeds 26°C and no one is present"), reducing data transmission by 80% while lowering cloud server loads.
The energy-saving value of industrial switches needs to be implemented in specific scenarios. The following analyzes how technology translates into actual energy-saving effects from four typical scenarios:
Traditional building lighting uses timed control or manual switching, unable to adjust dynamically according to actual light and人流 (pedestrian flow), leading to the phenomenon of "permanent lights." Industrial switches can build a closed-loop network of "sensors-switches-lighting fixtures":
Deployment Method: Deploy light sensors and human infrared sensors in corridors, conference rooms, and other areas, powered and transmitting data through the PoE++ ports of USR-ISG;
Energy-Saving Logic: The edge computing module of the switch analyzes sensor data, automatically turning off lighting fixtures when the light intensity exceeds 300 lux and no one is present; when someone enters and the light is insufficient, the lighting fixtures are brightened to 50% brightness;
Effect Verification: After application in a commercial complex, lighting energy consumption was reduced by 65%, saving over one million yuan in annual electricity costs.
Central air conditioning accounts for over 40% of total building energy consumption. Traditional control relies on manually set temperatures, unable to match actual loads. Industrial switches can build an intelligent network of "temperature and humidity sensors-switches-air conditioning controllers":
Deployment Method: Deploy temperature and humidity sensors on each floor, connecting them to the switch through the RS485 serial port of USR-ISG (supporting the Modbus RTU protocol), and uploading data to the BMS system;
Energy-Saving Logic: The switch dynamically adjusts the air supply temperature and wind speed of the air conditioner according to instructions from the BMS. For example, when the temperature and humidity in a certain area meet standards, the fan speed in that area is reduced; when the outdoor temperature is lower than the indoor temperature, the fresh air system is activated to replace refrigeration;
Effect Verification: After application in a hospital, air conditioning system energy consumption was reduced by 32%, while indoor comfort increased by 20%.
Independent operation of multiple elevators easily leads to "empty runs" or "concentrated waiting," increasing energy consumption and passenger waiting times. Industrial switches can build a collaborative network of "elevator controllers-switches-scheduling systems":
Deployment Method: Connect each elevator controller to the switch through the Gigabit Ethernet port of USR-ISG, uploading data to the cloud scheduling platform;
Energy-Saving Logic: The switch dynamically allocates elevator tasks according to real-time traffic (e.g., rush hours and off-peak hours). For example, during rush hours, elevators are concentrated on lower floors to reduce empty runs; during off-peak hours, the "energy-saving mode" is enabled to reduce elevator operating speeds;
Effect Verification: After application in an office building, elevator energy consumption was reduced by 25%, and the average passenger waiting time was shortened by 40%.
The integration of building photovoltaic and energy storage systems requires solving the temporal and spatial matching problem between power generation and consumption. Industrial switches can build an intelligent microgrid of "inverters-switches-energy storage devices-loads":
Deployment Method: Connect photovoltaic inverters and energy storage batteries to the switch through the Modbus TCP protocol of USR-ISG, uploading data to the Energy Management System (EMS);
Energy-Saving Logic: The switch prioritizes supplying photovoltaic power to loads such as lighting and air conditioning according to EMS instructions, storing excess electricity in batteries; when photovoltaic power is insufficient, battery power is called upon or electricity is purchased from the grid;
Effect Verification: After application in an industrial park, the utilization rate of renewable energy increased to 85%, reducing annual carbon emissions by 1,200 tons.
As building automation moves towards the goal of "zero-carbon buildings," industrial switches will upgrade in the following directions:
AI Empowerment: Predict equipment energy consumption peaks through machine learning and adjust network resource allocation in advance (e.g., subsequent models of USR-ISG have integrated AI energy consumption prediction modules);
Optoelectronic Fusion: Adopt silicon photonics technology to reduce optical module power consumption, supporting higher speeds (e.g., 800G) and longer transmission distances;
Digital Twin: Map with building digital models to simulate the effects of different energy-saving strategies in real time and optimize control parameters;
Open Ecosystem: Deeply integrate with mainstream BMS platforms (e.g., Siemens Desigo, Honeywell EBI) to break brand barriers.
Represented by USR-ISG, industrial switches are redefining the energy-saving value of building networks through technological innovation—they are not just "bridges" for data transmission but also the "brains" of building energy management. In the future, with technological iteration and scenario deepening, industrial switches will become the core infrastructure for building green buildings, driving the construction industry to accelerate towards a "zero-carbon future."
The energy-saving value of industrial switches in building automation is essentially a victory of "technology adapting to scenarios." When selecting equipment, enterprises should avoid the misconception of "parameter supremacy" and instead focus on the matching degree between equipment and scenarios: for example, damp environments require products with an IP67 protection rating, high-power devices require PoE++ support, and complex networks require ring redundancy capabilities. Industrial switches such as USR-ISG provide a quantifiable and replicable path for building energy saving through "hardware optimization + functional innovation + scenario solutions"—this is not just a technological victory but also a responsibility towards the "dual carbon" goals.
