AutomatedBuildings.com Interview

Chris Lofaso is President and CEO of Envise, a national building management systems integrator that unites analytics, building automation, and equipment lifecycle management. He can be reached at clofaso@enviseco.com.

IoT has Positively Disrupted Our Industry

The Building Automation industry will continue to accelerate and the cloud will begin to play a much larger role in our industry.

Sinclair: Where do you see building automation heading this year?

Lofaso: I believe that innovation in the Building Automation industry will continue to accelerate and the cloud will begin to play a much larger role in our industry. That said, we have already witnessed certain brands migrating the engineering function to the cloud, which enables remote collaboration and the efficient sharing of resources like never before. This migration to the cloud also provides an optimal platform of system engineering standards for companies with a national or global footprint. Similarly, I envision control functionality itself taking place in the cloud. In the not so distant future, and once technology enables this, it is possible that the actual control algorithms themselves be performed remotely in the cloud. This opens up a realm of new possibilities.

Sinclair: The Internet of Things (IoT) continues to gain prominence in the industry. What is your take on IoT in 2017?

Lofaso: The IoT has positively disrupted our industry and brought us into the forefront of an information revolution. In recent years, building automation systems remained ahead of the curve by doing what other industries are currently trying to apply to the new data that is now readily available from connected IoT devices. The industry shift has also directly impacted various M&A activity where Building Automation companies were acquired for inflated prices.

Sinclair: In addition to IoT, what other innovations and/or improvements around lifecycle solutions do you think will take shape in 2017?

Lofaso: Building performance data. Whether through traditional Building Automation systems or building analytic systems, building performance data will eventually become a driver for construction based decisions. Organizations with foresight are smart enough to look at the total cost of building ownership as opposed to only examining the first cost. Data will play a larger role in these decisions in the future.

Sinclair: Energy costs continue to be a substantial expenditure for businesses. In 2017, what resources and technologies will be critical in helping customers reduce their carbon footprint while increasing cost-savings?

Lofaso: We will look toward building analytics to play a larger role in the decision-making process. Again, organizations with foresight and proactive planning measures will certainly have the competitive edge. Making energy efficient decisions in the construction phase of a project is much more cost effective than an energy retrofit down the road. At the same time, we can continue to leverage building analytics to make more smart cost savings choices in existing facilities.

Sinclair: What can we expect from Envise in 2017? Can you discuss any new projects in the pipeline that will continue to improve building performance?

Lofaso: Envise is on a very steep growth trajectory, and we can expect this to continue as we grow organically, as well as expand geographically. With the integration of energy services into our business, we have seen a rising interest from customers to utilize services under one roof. At Envise, everything we do helps our customers optimize their buildings’ operation. We now have projects in-house where we are not only constructing more efficient central plants, but also expanding our reach into the existing building infrastructure and applying technology to improve efficiency. Our unique blend of services under one roof is truly resonating with the marketplace.

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