Reducing E-waste, Saving Energy

Other trends have helped mitigate e-waste: Components have gotten smaller. Some devices have been engineered for increased functionality — one “black box” is now able to handle tasks that were previously undertaken by two or three. (Fewer black boxes, of course, mean less packaging — and fewer packages mean a need for less space in a container, and reducing shipping volume nets a reduction in transportation emissions.) Solutions such as AV-over-IP mean that many functions can live on a single network of cabling — and creating and cutting less cable makes less garbage as well.

All of that contributes to resource conservation, of course, and what’s more:

The awareness of energy consumption as a green solution extends to the physical plant, notes Rogers: “We’re committed to the reduction of onsite power consumption by incorporating Crestron’s energy-saving products and solutions into our own facilities.” The strategy includes utilizing natural sources of energy via light harvesting and control features of the Crestron ecosystem.

Into the Water

Daniel Kerkhof, director of Crestron Marine, understands how all of this translates into a more eco-friendly vessel. “Fewer boxes, smaller boxes, and boxes that are more energy efficient — therefore creating less heat — are actually an important step in reducing energy consumption onboard,” he says. “Keep in mind the yacht is a full ecosystem on its own. All the energy needed must be created onboard, and all the heat generated needs to be compensated by air conditioning systems to cool it down again.” There’s another benefit to less onboard gear, “Any weight we add to the yacht ultimately makes the engines work harder to push it through the water,” Kerkhof explains.

“We can’t really overstate the power of the control platform,” says Kerkhof. “The biggest improvement we can make is to make sure that lights, devices, or entire systems are shut down when they’re not needed.” And since yachts spend a lot of time in sunny climes, automated shading can help ease energy consumption by assisting the onboard HVAC.

The Crestron Solution

“Crestron integrates with HVAC providers who can help automate these systems as well,” he adds. “For example: When we know the owners and guests are not on board, the system can tell the HVAC system to go into ‘Eco’ mode. In the evening — when we know, say, the lower deck isn’t going to be used — we can turn off the lights in that zone and switch them back on as soon as someone walks the stairs or calls the elevator.” There are other downstream effects: Devices that are turned off (or even in “standby” mode) when they’re not in use have a longer lifespan, ultimately reducing e-waste.

That functionality is built into the smart control platform that Crestron created, one that’s being constantly updated and refined. “The Crestron 4-Series Control System is very powerful and versatile,” says Kerkhof. “Beyond HVAC, we can integrate with a lot of third-party devices and platforms and control them based on a wide range of commands, scenes, and automated functions.

“Integrating with other systems in the installation through the Crestron control platform is the foundation of our company, and demonstrates another way in which ‘smart’ can mean more than convenience and comfort — it can also mean ‘conservation.’”