Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON), based in Charlotte, NC, and Analog Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADI), headquartered in Wilmington, MA, announced at CES 2024 this week that they have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the digitization of commercial buildings by upgrading to digital connectivity technologies without replacing existing wiring. The companies believe that such an approach will help reduce cost, waste, and downtime in automating building management systems.
Digitizing building management systems will allow managers to reduce energy consumption through real-time decisions, while upgrading a building’s network performance and security to current IP standards without extensive costs and remodeling, the companies say.
Many U.S. commercial buildings, especially those built before 2000, are outdated and inefficient, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Additionally, organizations are relying on networking technology to transmit escalating volumes of data, causing a surge in demand for cloud storage and processing speed.
Honeywell plans to adopt ADI’s single-pair Ethernet and software configurable input/output solutions into its building management systems. ADI’s single-pair Ethernet enables long-reach Ethernet connectivity with the possibility of reusing a building’s existing wiring, thus reducing installation time and cost.
Single-pair Ethernet complements existing Ethernet connectivity in building management systems, bringing enhanced connectivity from the edge to the cloud, helping eliminate data islands and better utilizing assets, according to the companies.
ADI’s offering would also enable Honeywell to build a single version of the product that provides adaptive control and automation for different needs, either when a building is remodeled, or if operating requirements change. ADI says this approach helps increase the speed of installation, reduces inventory, and makes changes easier and less expensive.
Martin Cotter, ADI SVP Industrial and Multi Markets, points out that the MOU provides a way to move ADI technologies beyond factory automation and into Honeywell’s building management system. This capability helps customers reduce building energy consumption, saving money and improving resiliency, while lowering emissions.
Suresh Venkatarayalu, Honeywell CTO, says, “This collaboration with ADI would offer building owners the ability to upgrade and enhance their wiring without a significant upfront investment, and with less labor and environmental impact.”
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