• LonWorks Solutions for Open Systems Building Automation
• Applications Stories
• Defining an Open System
• White Papers
• LonWorks Comparative Analyses
• Network Integrators
• LonMark Interoperability
• LonWorks Technology At Work In Buildings Around The World
• Read about Echelon's New Headquarters in San Jose

Building Standards

LonWorks technology has been adopted by standards-setting organizations and large, globally influential end users worldwide. Within the buildings market, our technology is part of several standards and global specifications.

BACnet

The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has completed its recommendation for an HVAC control standard for the North American building control industry. This standard has been ratified by the American National Standards Institute as ANSI/ASHRAE 135-1995.

The communications protocol for LonWorks networks is part of the MAC layer of the Building Automation and Control Network (BACnet). All LonMark media types are also included. Both LonWorks networks and BACnet will be used cooperatively to meet the needs of the marketplace. LonWorks networks are ideally suited for real-time control with smart sensors, actuators, drives, VAVs, and micro controllers, while the BACnet protocol is best suited for data acquisition and supervisory control.

European Building Controls Standard

TC247, a committee within CEN (the Comit European de Normalisation), has defined standards for Controls for Mechanical Building Services. Working Group 4 (communication protocols) recently completed its work, called EN14908, which incorporates ANSI/EIA709.1-B as a communications standard. The LonMark interoperability guidelines have also been submitted to CEN for inclusion in the standard.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

After a two-year study of BACnet and LonWorks solutions—considering maturity, market adoption, product availbility, and functionality—the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created a specification that calls for LonMark certified products and our LNS network operating system. This specification has been accepted by the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force. Base commanders and facility managers may optionally use the specification when commissioning a new building or retrofitting an existing building's control system. The corps' primary requirement was to create an open procurement environment that prevents suppliers from locking the army into an expensive single-source relationship.

New York City Public School District

The largest school district in the U.S. at 1,200 properties, the New York City Public School District requires the use of LonMark certified products, Echelon's LNS network operating system, and Echelon's i.LON family of Internet servers. Like the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, an open, competitive purchasing/bidding environment was the key requirement underlying the specification.