New Functionality in Johnson Controls TEC3000 Series Smart Thermostat Helps Reduce the Concentration of Airborne Pathogens

• Building operators can now configure air changes to help reduce the concentration of airborne pathogens to promote healthy buildings
• New functionality enables demand control ventilation and advanced control ventilation
• Adheres to guidance from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) for building reopening and readiness during the Covid-19 pandemic

MILWAUKEE – (March 8, 2022) – Johnson Controls, a global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, and provider of seamless occupant experiences with OpenBlue connected suite of technologies, today launches one of the first-of-its-kind advanced control ventilation configurations for thermostat controllers. Designed for the TEC3000 Series Smart Thermostat, the feature adheres to guidance from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) for safe building reopening and readiness during the Covid-19 pandemic.

New Ventilation Options

The new TEC3000 Series feature allows building operators to configure air changes to improve air quality and help reduce the concentration of airborne pathogens keeping occupant health and safety top of mind. Users can choose from two ventilation options to flush out stale air before, during and after a building is occupied -- demand control ventilation or advanced control ventilation.

When demand control ventilation is configured, users can set desired parameters such as the pre-occupancy air purge time. When advanced control ventilation is configured, the pre-occupancy air purge time will default to the ASHRAE-specified duration of two hours. Additionally, the post-occupancy purge time can be set for a desired duration before switching to unoccupied schedule settings to maintain temperature, humidity and ventilation in the zone.

“As buildings fully reopen, this software update helps to provide confidence that HVAC systems are being operated safely and in line with industry standards,” said Terry Pierson, director, Product Management, for Controls Products at Johnson Controls.

Demand control ventilation and advanced control ventilation work with Johnson Controls’ proprietary “Optimal Start” algorithm. When enabled, the algorithm will take control actions dynamically prior to the scheduled occupancy time to achieve a zone’s temperature and humidity setpoints -- even if the outdoor damper stays open -- to meet advanced control ventilation needs. When it comes to ventilation setpoints, users will be able to configure options for CO2, outdoor air temperature, and supply air temperature.

The advanced control ventilation configuration also allows building owners to take advantage of additional options that provide more flexibility during these unprecedented times. Users can enable minimum ventilation when a zone is unoccupied, which keeps the zone filled with fresh outside air if outdoor air temperature permits. Setting the unoccupied damper minimum position allows the user to adjust the outside air damper opening percentage during unoccupied hours.

Additional Features

Available as a software update, the new features also provide a humidity alarm that can be enabled during occupied or unoccupied hours that will alert users when zone humidity is out of the desired range. Additional service alarms will notify users of five T24-specified ECON faults on the device home screen and in BACnet and N2 communication modes for conditions such as the following: air temperature sensor failure, not economizing when it should, economizing when it should not, damper not modulating when it should, and excess outdoor air/damper not closed when it should.

TEC3000 Update

This update comes on the heels of a recently released update for the TEC3000 Series that offers enhancements including a new rooftop and heat pump dehumidification feature and a minimum hourly fan circulation feature. Together, the new features help to serve the company’s mission of reimagining building performance to support healthy people, healthy places and a healthy planet.

The new feature set includes:

• Demand control ventilation with pre-occupancy purge time and minimum ventilation setting
• Advanced control ventilation with ASHRAE-compliant pre-occupancy purge time, post-occupancy purge time, minimum ventilation setting, unoccupied damper position, and humidity alarm
• Ventilation setpoint options, including CO2 setpoint, low outdoor air temperature setpoint, and high and low supply air temperature limits
• Occupant sensor ventilation to reduce the rate of outdoor air flow when occupants are not present
• Icons to communicate more information like damper position and CO2 level
• CO2 sensors and monitoring over BACnet, including trend screen to show levels over time
• Fault detection and notification for conditions such as air temperature sensor failure
• Rooftop and heat pump dehumidification
• Minimum hourly fan circulation

More information on the new functionality in the TEC3000 Series Smart Thermostat can be found online.

To learn more, visit: JohnsonControls.com.

Media Contacts:

Michael Pflughoeft
Public Relations Director, BVK
Work + 1 414 247 3854
Mobile +1 262 389 0270
Michael.Pflughoeft@bvk.com

Ryan Nolan
Global Public Relations Program Manager
Building Technologies & Solutions, Johnson Controls
Work + 1 414 524 6170
Mobile + 1 414 378 9641
Ryan.P.Nolan@jci.com

About Johnson Controls:

At Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI), we transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. As the global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, our mission is to reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people, places and the planet.

With a history of more than 135 years of innovation, Johnson Controls delivers the blueprint of the future for industries such as healthcare, schools, data centers, airports, stadiums, manufacturing and beyond through its comprehensive digital offering, OpenBlue. With a global team of 100,000 experts in more than 150 countries, Johnson Controls offers the world’s largest portfolio of building technology, software and service solutions with some of the most trusted names in the industry. For more information, visit www.johnsoncontrols.com or follow us @johnsoncontrols on Twitter.

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