Three Phase Electric Rolls Out Smart Community IoT Service

In a recent release, Three Phase Electric, a provider of electrical services to home owner associations (HOAs) in residential communities across Southern California, announced Common Sense Smart Community, its new Internet of Things service designed to improve efficiencies, save natural resources and improve quality of life for residents.

Working with software company Persistent Systems (BSE & NSE: PERSISTENT), Three Phase Electric employs Persistent’s Software 4.0 to create the Common Sense Smart Community ecosystem.  Implementing sensors and the IoT, proprietary role-based dashboards designed especially for residents, managers and service providers monitor lighting, irrigation, swimming pool water quality and more in real time. The result is that traditionally labor-intensive, field-based operations become more automated and efficient, conserving natural resources and helping to preserve our environment.

The community manager at San Marino Park, a Common Sense pilot site, was notified by the water company that water was running out of the park and down the street. San Marino Park is an active park, with an Olympic-size lap pool, wader pool, multiple covered picnic and BBQ areas, full-sized basketball courts, tennis courts, a large tot lot, walking paths, and a large greenbelt.

After analyzing data using the Common Sense dashboard, it was determined that there was no water usage spikes at the park. More research determined the break occurred at a different park, located across the street. However, if a break had occurred on site, corrective action can be taken before excessive expenses and damages incur.

According to the US EPA, an irrigation system that has a leak 1/32nd of an inch in diameter (about the thickness of a dime) can waste about 6,300 gallons of water per month. An undetected broken sprinkler head that goes off in the middle of a park every morning at 2:00 a.m. (and therefore is never seen) could waste significantly more water and be subject to hefty fines from the local water company.

Common Sense Highlights:

• Lighting: Remote monitoring and control, including street lights, poles, landscape lights, building lights, and more. Supports dimming and alerts. Lighting maintenance vendors no longer need to roll a truck to each site to verify the lights are working.
• Pool Water Quality Control: Automatic monitoring, adjustment and documentation. Pool maintenance crews don’t have to drive to each pool every day (as mandated by CA Title 22 regulations) to verify that the pool water is safe to swim in. Alert is sent in the event of service needs, including problems with pumps and heaters.
• Irrigation: Track water use and shut down a valve when there’s a leak. Automatic notification is sent to landscape maintenance.
• Wi-Fi: Common area community Wi-Fi.
• Resident Portal (APP): Residents can report a problem with map plotting and view the status of existing repairs from their smartphones.

"In this day and age we have a real responsibility to be good stewards of our environment and to be really conscious of our environmental impact that we have on this planet,” said Kimberly Weiss, President and CEO, Three Phase. “The Internet of Things gives us a big opportunity to make a significant change and a significant impact to that end.”

“This is a powerful, real world example of how the Internet of Things offers the opportunity for the most brick and mortar – literally – operations to become software-driven,” said Sanjeev Srivastav, SVP and GM IoT Industrial Solutions, Persistent Systems. “Three Phase Electric’s Common Sense initiative has a profound effect on how HOAs can operate with tremendous upside, not just for themselves, but all the constituents of these housing developments. It offers fast, accurate, and transparent reporting, taking the inefficiencies and delays out of the whole maintenance process.”