We have developed and sell a Driver (a small piece of software, aka a .jar file) that can be installed in a JACE that communicates with our eSPACE Event Scheduler module, allowing the Event Scheduler to communicate with your HVAC systems. We are compatible with versions of Niagara up to version 4.13.
Both Event Scheduler and COOLSPACE are needed on your eSACE subscription in order for this integration to work. Before making any additions to your eSPACE subscription though, please schedule a demo with a salesperson in order to see how this integration works, make sure that your HVAC system is compatible, and understand the additional cost of the driver that must be purchased.
Driver and Niagara Compatibility
- Each driver is specifically made and can only be designed to work with one version of Niagara and the Host ID of the JACE it's installed on. Therefore, if you ever update the JACE to a new version of Niagara, you will need to purchase an updated driver from us that is compatible with the Host ID and new version of Niagara on the JACE.
How Schedules Make it to the JACE
Once the driver is installed and programmed according to our integration guide it will reach out to your eSPACE-Event Scheduler account and grab the next 24 hours of approved events. After your controls programmer has set it up, the units on the JACE will then “pull” the events from the driver to their Special Events Schedule tab so the HVAC units on the JACE know when to engage or disengage the HVAC.
- For the Excel spreadsheet, the header for column A must be "Space" and the column header for B must be "Name" in order for the HVAC units and spaces assigned to be uploaded into the customer's FACILITeSPACE account.
How HVAC Schedules are Calculated
- If the events have setup and tear-down times, eSPACE will use that as the start and end time for the HVAC.
- If there are no setup or tear-down times entered, then it will look at the event start and event end times.
- You can also add ramp times for each unit in eSPACE so that is added to the start/end time or setup/end teardown time of the event as well.
Overrides for the HVAC
If you are using the Event Scheduler module and are an Admin, you have the ability to override the HVAC system. You have the ability to turn off the HVAC for the event, or simply override the HVAC start and/or end times as shown below.