Schneider Electric’s Room Controllers bridge the gap between standalone sensors and intelligent building management systems (BMS), delivering simplified automation and communications to a broad range of building types. They allow you to take full control of your buildings HVAC whether you are retrofitting existing systems with technologically-advanced room controllers or opting for an easy-to-install & commission alternative for new projects. Facility managers can benefit from a selection of built-in, application specific control options, which have been designed to simultaneously increase the overall comfort of building occupants while reducing energy costs.

To help you get a better understanding of all that Schneider’s Room Controllers can do for you here are the most frequently asked questions brought to you by Schneider Electric!

Room Controllers FAQ

• What exactly is a Room Controller?
  • Room Controllers are fully configurable and application-specific Terminal Unit Controller. They have built-in space temperature with an option for remote temperature sensing. In addition, room controllers can be configured with onboard humidity and occupancy (PIR) sensing or those sensors can be external to the controller. There are additional inputs and outputs available for use with sequences that relate to the specific terminal unit requirements like outside air, mixed air, discharge air CO2 control, air flow control etc. You can also add a ZigBee wireless communication card that allows for remote wireless occupancy, door, and window monitoring for HVAC sequences. The SE8000 always has BACnet on board is the wireless temperature sensors, humidity sensors, and CO2 sensors. All models are capable of adding BACnet or ZigBee communications. All the HVAC control objects on board the controller are BACnet objects and can be read/written to when part of a communicating BMS.

• What types of terminal units can room controllers be applied to?
  • Fan coil units 2/4 pipe, rooftop units, heat pumps, and indoor air quality applications can all have room controllers applied to. There are two series available, the SE7000 and the SE8000. The SE7000 series has a built-in user interface with a built-in configuration utility and an LCD display. Models are selected based on output configuration. The SE8000 was the natural progression of the SE7000 with all the same capabilities. The SE8000 has a color touch screen interface with a built-in configuration utility; it also comes with wired BACnet communication on board. The SE8000 always has the temperature on board and like the SE7000 you can add humidity, CO2, and occupancy sensing. Configuration selections are prompted and descriptions are in a language that HVAC proficient technicians can understand. There are more than 200 points on a single controller. The room controllers are manufactured with default parameters that allow them to provide control as soon as they are powered and connected.   

• Can I have on board schedules on a room controller?
  • In the SE7000 product line, only the rooftop units and heat pump controllers (SE7600 series) have an integrated schedule. Although, on-board schedules are available in all models of the SE800 product line. 

• What about changing the readout for Celsius or Fahrenheit?
  • All Schneider room controllers can display Celsius or Fahrenheit. In addition, the SE8000 series supports up to 22 languages.

• How is it installed?
  • Typically, the unit is hardwired to the HVAC terminal unit and if it is a retrofit, you can reuse existing wiring. There is no specialized labor needed and you can install one device in less than 15 minutes. You can network controllers via BACnet MSTP or ZigBee (requires a gateway to convert points to BACnet IP) and some models in the SE7000 series will support LON. The SE8000 can support two networks simultaneously (BACnet MSTP and ZigBee wireless).

• Is it suited to any building type?
  • Schneider’s Room controllers have been used for hotels, dorm rooms, K-12 classrooms, college classrooms, commercial buildings, retail spaces, historical buildings, medical centers, airports, and so much more. Hotels like the SE8000 because of the ability to change the language, screen, or logo right on the device. You can also connect via ZigBee to additional sensors such as window and door contacts. And, it will integrate with the property management system (PMS). Schneider has a lot of heritage buildings where a hardwired solution will not work within the building aesthetics. You will find the multi-zone controller in office buildings and leased space because of its wireless network capability. Today, Schneider has over a million room controllers installed. It is also a favorite with schools because you can send custom messages to the screen for notifications and alerts. The controllers are often used with Building Expert, our “out of the box” BMS specifically designed for the small to mid-size building.

• Can it be customized?
  • Only in the Schneider’s SE8000 product line can the room controller be customized. Schneider has a library of LUA (open source programming language) scripts for most applications. Their engineering team also works with customers if they have unique requirements. Tower Equipment’s Professionals can also help with any issues or questions you may have. 

• What are the advantages of using a Room Controller?
  • Schneider’s Room Controllers have an easy to understand user interface that gives you a thermostat like user experience. The interface can be customized to increase ease of use and aesthetics. The controller comes with an onboard temperature sensor and you can embed humidity sensing, CO2, and occupancy sensing. You have up to 4 AO/5 DO and seven additional external inputs and the ability to add 10 wireless children. All of this adds up to flexibility allowing for use of the standard included and non-standard sequences of operation. No specialized installation is required; the controllers are configurable so you don’t need to be a programmer or engineer.

• Are there any new advances coming this year?
  • This year, Schneider launched the embedded CO2 sensor. They also recently released a wireless Temperature, Humidity, CO2 sensor and VAV specific to the SE8000.

Interested in Schneider Electric’s Room Controllers? Contact Tower Equipments professionals today for pricing, information, or with any questions you may have at: