How Smart HVACR Systems and AI Are Revolutionizing Remote Monitoring, Diagnostics, and Energy Optimization

AI is coming to HVACR. In some cases, it’s already here. And for the manufacturers that haven’t launched AI-enabled products and systems yet, they’re working on it right now. 

That was the takeaway from six different HVAC manufacturers at AHR Expo, whose new products provided a glimpse into smart systems today and what’s coming down the road with AI in the next five years. 

Keep It Simple 

Ryan O’Grady has a mantra for smart controls. 

“If it doesn’t act like an iPhone, it’s not good enough.” 

That’s the guiding principle behind Fujitsu’s Airstage Cloud, a virtual building management system (BMS) that manages HVAC for multiple properties. It works on Fujitsu VRF systems, as well as multiple other manufacturers’ air handling units. 

“The Airstage Cloud system is designed for somebody with zero IT experience to be able to use in this day and age,” he explained. O’Grady is sales manager, cloud services, at Fujitsu General America Inc. “We want somebody to be able to configure Airstage Cloud and have an operational system within one to two hours.” 

EASE OF USE: Fujitsu’s Airstage Cloud system is designed for somebody with zero IT experience. (Staff photo)

To do that, Fujitsu has made it a configurable system, as opposed to a programmable system. It has fewer choices, but they’re all drag-and-drop choices. 

“When you set the system up, you take your VRF unit, you drag it into the zone that you want it to be in, and it automatically populates,” O’Grady said. “You add a schedule to it, and then it’s on and it’s running. You don’t have to go in and write complex code for each individual zone. So it’s simple. It’s easy to set up, and there’s multiple features that allow you to bulk edit so that you can do all of your building at the same time.” 

Many people in the HVAC industry think VRF is complicated. The AI makes the VRF experience much simpler through user data that allows Fujitsu to understand where contractors are failing in commissioning. 

“We can then create AI chatbots to walk an installer through the process,” he said. “My end goal would be for a tradesman just out of HVAC trade school to be able to open up the Airstage Cloud app, and the app walks you through how to install a VRF system. You hold your phone up to the indoor unit, it automatically analyzes it to make sure that it’s been wired properly, that all of the common problems can be solved through AI, and then that data is automatically stored, saved in the system, and it makes everybody’s life easier.” 

ClimateMaster takes a similar tack with their iGate 2 smart thermostat, developed specifically for contractors to provide a remote servicing function. 

“They can log in from their office and see all the system information,” said Amanda Diaz, engineering director – controls and electronics at Climate Control Group. “It also sends warnings of when it’s operating out of its normal envelope, normal parameters to alert — ‘Hey, something’s not right here’ — and also the fault history.” 

Data from ClimateMaster’s systems is already in the cloud. 

“It’s chewing it up,” Diaz said. “AI is the next piece of that.” 

And what will it spit out? Troubleshooting assistance. And that’s going to be increasingly important as the next generation enters the workforce.  

“When you look at the workforce coming on board, their training is a lot different than their predecessors,” said Scott Carpenter, senior product manager – controls, Climate Control Group. Looking ahead, “[we’ll have] the ability to provide them better information through AI and say, ‘OK, this error occurred, and based upon historical data, it’s typically this issue. Start looking at this, and then, if it’s not that, then try that.’ So AI will get to the point where it can assist them so they’re faster in the diagnostics. Instead of not knowing exactly where to begin, the AI will lead them in the right direction. We’re at the tip of this happening in a very, very cost-effective way.” 

Show Me the Data 

The visibility AI and smart systems provide into HVAC system performance is valuable to a whole variety of users, from the manufacturers themselves to the utilities that power them, the contractors who install them, and of course, the end users whose homes they heat and cool. 

At WaterFurnace International, that monitoring system is called Symphony. It’s an add-on that gives full monitoring and performance of the equipment. Contractors can assess the equipment before they go out to service it, and it even has a sales tool that can average how much it costs per month to run a certain piece of geothermal equipment in a certain state, based on actual data. (In Indiana, it’s $56.) 

“The need for monitoring is growing tremendously, not only from a consumer standpoint, but when we’re putting units in as a utility,” said Bruce Cole, vice president of sales and marketing at WaterFurnace. “Utilities want to be able to see that monitoring and see how it’s performing. We level-load the energy demand across the peaks and lower the peaks. They want to be able to actually validate what was installed delivered those savings.” 

That’s what Symphony does in a big way, he said. 

“It allows us to actually see the true performance. The utilities … want to prove that that’s happening. We can provide real-time data that’s actual information on the performance of the equipment.” 

Looking ahead, Symphony will be WaterFurnace’s stepping-stone into the world of AI. 

“I think the visibility for us, on our equipment, is going to be the same as what we’re doing in our cars — where you get in and the dashboard is telling us what’s going on,” Cole said. “This is going to really change the nature of what people experience with the equipment. They won’t experience failures. They’ll just experience that something happened, and the technician showed up to fix it ahead of that, preventing them from having the uncomfortable situation of either no air conditioning or no heating.” 

On the supermarket side of HVAC, Jacob Wamberg, global head of sales at Danfoss Digital Services, is seeing more and more demand for energy insights as well — “where you actually collect the energy information from the meters that you have in the store, not only for the refrigeration, it’s also the lights, it’s the air conditioning, etc.” 

That data can be used to compare different stores, estimate energy consumption for the coming days, and create a baseline for how the store is run, so operators can get a heads-up if equipment is operating outside of that baseline. 

Danfoss is currently building an update to its Alsense IoT cloud platform, which provides performance insights and alarms for supermarkets down to the individual dairy case, that will allow refrigeration technicians to set up and run a supermarket in specific ways. Called Performance Rules Engines, it allows technicians to create their own rules, based on data collected from the cases and controllers and system manager, to create algorithm-based rules; in other words, if this happens and that happens, and for this amount of time, then make this alert. 

“You can build your own set of rules,” Wamberg explained. “You can look at the compressors, which are kind of the heart of a refrigeration system, and say, ‘Oh, it’s consuming a lot of energy.’ So if the energy consumption is this high, but it’s running at this pressure level, then sound an alert, and we can have a look at it. Or it could also be for early leak detections, if you set in those rules.” 

Looking five years into the future, he expects to see a lot more advanced functionality on top of the data. Right now, Performance Rules Engine is algorithm-based, so somebody has to set the “if this, then that” formulas by hand. In the future, it’ll all be AI-based. 

“You will have an engine that will look into the data and find the patterns in the data and figure out what you need exactly, and then based on data across all supermarkets and across the chains, and maybe globally, it would create this alert,” he said. 

The other capability will be creating a digital twin — meaning, using operating data and software to simulate a supermarket. At that point, a tech could adjust different settings in the simulated version and see if they could make it perform better, before making changes at the actual physical store. 

Taking Input 

Two years ago, Copeland launched its Sensi Touch 2 smart thermostat. From an energy-saving standpoint, it saves customers about 23% on their HVAC energy costs, said Steve Stanze, marketing director – electronics and controls at Copeland.  

Since then, consumers have only added to the number of HVAC accessories in the home. This year at the AHR Expo, Copeland debuted the Sensi EIM (equipment interface module), designed to build heat pumps, IAQ products, smart thermostats, and other accessories into a connected ecosystem. 

SIMPLIFIED ‘STAT: Sensi EIM enables the Touch 2 thermostat to manage household IAQ through three universal terminals. (Staff photo)

“There’s oftentimes the challenge with enough wires in the wall to control all those,” said Stanze. The Sensi EIM mounts onto the system, indoors or outdoors (it’s waterproof). “You basically run your wires into that, and it communicates wirelessly to our Touch 2, using a sub-GHz network — a really reliable connection.” 

Sensi EIM enables the Touch 2 thermostat to manage household IAQ through three universal terminals, supporting humidification, dehumidification, and ventilation equipment. It’s compatible with products from other major IAQ manufacturers, and it automatically monitors a customer’s system to send alerts if the temperature or humidity settings at the house go out of range. 

Copeland hasn’t yet integrated AI into Sensi, but they have just introduced a generative AI feature into the Copeland mobile app. 

CHATBOT: Copeland’s chatbot “Scout,” pictured here at giant scale, uses AI to search the company’s proprietary information and assist technicians with troubleshooting in the field. (Staff photo)

“We’ve named our chatbot Scout, with the idea that it’s helping to provide the user’s navigation where to go to get the right information,” said Lisa Beasley, vice president – information technology at Copeland. Built on Microsoft Azure OpenAI, it’s designed to help HVAC professionals troubleshoot in the field. 

“It is very intuitive,” she said. “You can type in a question, or it’s also voice-enabled, so you can ask it a question, and then it’s utilizing all of our proprietary Copeland content to find the right information and bring it back.” 

Justin Lavoie, vice president of channel development – digital buildings at Schneider Electric, sees the future of AI going in that same direction: a 24-hour advisor. His company just released the SpaceLogic Touchscreen Room Controller (TRC), an AI-driven, advanced integrated device that integrates with a BMS or property management system for end-to-end management. It can save up to 35% in energy, depending on how many integrations are involved. 

“When we talk about optimizing the energy management, we’re talking about automated demand-response for load shedding or pricing applications,” he said. “It’s reading the environment and the weather forecast outside, or ‘hey, this seems like this filter is a little bit clogged.’” 

The TRC’s AI operates on the edge, not on the cloud, which means it’s built directly into the in-room device. 

“This is the industry’s only controller that dynamically optimizes room conditions to ASHRAE 55-compliant comfort standards using AI on the edge fully embedded within the device itself, rather than in the cloud,” the company stated. “This ensures occupant comfort is maintained in seconds and removes the extra complexity and expense of internet and cloud connections and data storage. Having AI on the edge incorporated directly in the TRC enhanced energy optimization and overall occupancy comfort, leading to a reduction in occupant complaints by up to 23%.”