Retrofits, renovations and rewiring new and existing facilities are opportune times to incorporate smart power management measures. If the facility does not have an electrical power management system installed, for example, a renovation with the internet of things (IoT) and connected devices may be a smart choice.

However, retrofitting with electromechanical devices that aid in the overall control of a facility can pose some cumbersome requirements on a retrofit. Switching, sensors and other controls may require more disruption as they are installed, in addition to equipment and components. Plus, such analog components are costly, not always reliable, consume more power and usually require more wiring, rip-out and installation.

Solid-state silicon chips may become a new trend in making ordinary endpoint devices, such as switches, lights and other components smarter, without intrusive and disruptive wiring to make electrical systems use IoT technologies and manage electrical power consumption and energy.

Silicon systems-on-a-chip (SOCs) may now be installed right in the switch. The chip will have all that’s needed to integrate with an IoT control system, which is now common in smart buildings. SOCs are the components to incorporate in smart building projects.

A SOC is an integrated circuit with the whole electronic and computer system on a single chip. The benefits of using them is that they allow sophisticated data gathering and computing, and do so with less energy, space and cost.

By reducing the need for additional wiring and replacement parts, this new technology could be a time-saver for electrical contractors, while still offering opportunities for work with installations, retrofitting existing systems with SOCs and service and maintenance contracts to keep them running.

According to Thar Casey, founder and CEO of Amber Semiconductor Inc. (the company that makes the chips), Dublin, Calif., “the small size of these chips allows them to be easily integrated into electrical products within those existing form factors—the single-gang boxes and retrofitted breaker panels—so endpoints can now be designed to include any number of IoT sensors or communication components. The result is that these endpoints can now have expanded functionality and deliver fully connected smart building intelligence without requiring any overhaul of product form factors that would trigger an invasive installation.”