n Annual operating and maintenance costs (e.g., staff, training, IT support
and management reporting) for an integrated system are 82% less than a
nonintegrated system.
n Integrated systems saved 10% in utility costs (including integrated lighting
and HVAC, improved load factor, coordinated supply and demand strate-
gies) as compared to energy costs for nonintegrated systems.
n The NPV of the life-cycle costs of an integrated system (10 years with a dis-
count rate of 9%) was 24% less than a nonintegrated system.
Systimax, a Commscope Company that manufactures and distributes the
physical layer (cable, cable pathways, connectors, etc.) for smart building sys-
tems, prepared a cost model primarily related to initial cabling and infrastruc-
ture costs for technology systems and the ongoing costs related to the “churn
rate” of moving, adding, and changing services. This model was based on a
typical 100,000 sq. ft. five-story commercial office building using the same
cable for all technology systems and a common pathway for all horizontal
low- and high-voltage services. Systimax’s conclusions that follow are from
Cost-Reducing Construction Techniques for New and Renovated Buildings/Cost
Models, White Paper Issue 2, March 2004.
n The cable and cable pathway installation costs for integrated systems were
16% lower than nonintegrated systems and required 44% fewer labor hours.
n The cable and cable pathway costs for addressing moves, additions, and
changes over a five-year period for integrated systems were 39% less than
nonintegrated systems.
Another study in 2005 by a consortium known as the Converged Building
Technologies Group (CBTG) concluded “there is a strong case for the utilization
of the integrated approach. There is clear evidence that there are both commercial
and technical benefits. The system is effectively scalable over the life of the build-
ing, thus obviating large upgrade costs and minimizing ongoing OPEX.”
The study specified a typical building: an eight-story office building with
headquarters facilities, a total of 13,500 square meters of space with a ratio of
80:20 net to gross floor area and a maximum capacity of 1500 people. The model
building had the building plant on the roof as well as in the basement and a cen-
tral core 10 meters from the edge on three sides and 16 meters on the fourth side.
It also included a BMS system with 2500 points, day 1 support for 1100 users plus
peripheral devices on an IP network, 400 fire devices, 400 speakers, 42 cameras,
46 access control card readers, and 15 intruder alarm points.
The cost comparison of the integrated system approach versus the tradi-
tional approach to system installation showed the integrated approach to be
166 Smart Building Systems for Architects, Owners, and Builders