Engineered for Urban Transit Systems to Withstand Harsh Winter Conditions When winter storms roll...
NIBE’s IWS Makes Legacy Systems Efficient, Adaptive, and Cost Saving
Every winter, rail operators face the expensive and labor-intensive prospect of prepping and maintaining rail switch and track heaters to keep rails free of ice and snow. Traditionally, that has meant running rail heating systems nonstop, burning through energy and budgets whether conditions demand it or not.
The benefits of automating a rail heating system are undeniable—from improved performance metrics to reduced labor and maintenance costs to
significant energy savings. But replacing an existing legacy heating system can be cost prohibitive and outside the scope of many railway operators’ budgets.
An efficient, cost-effective alternative to replacing your entire rail heating system, is to retrofit your existing switch heating controller with NIBE Element Rail Solutions’ Intelligent Weather Station (IWS). Using smart sensors, controls, and monitoring, the IWS enables your existing system to respond to changing weather conditions in real time and adjust rail heating accordingly.
Turn Your Legacy System into a Smart, Energy-Efficient Powerhouse
With NIBE’s IWS, you don’t have to choose between outdated inefficiency and expensive replacement. With minimal investment, you get a smarter, adaptive, cost-saving system that pays for itself in energy savings and reduced maintenance.
NIBE’s IWS is easily integrated with your existing infrastructure:
- The legacy controller continues to provide power to the heaters.
- The IWS module automates the legacy heating system.
- Current sensors are attached to the heater lines at the legacy controller and report on heater status and health.
Rail operators have achieved significant energy savings at several U.S. rail hubs where NIBE has installed IWS-enabled rail heating. The benefits of IWS include:
- 60%+ energy savings
- 30–50% lower maintenance costs
- 20–40% overall cost reductions
From “Always On” to “Smart On”
Traditionally, rail heating systems run all winter long. Even on days when the sun is shining and snow isn’t falling, the heaters keep burning, wasting energy and money.
The IWS changes the narrative, tracking weather conditions in real time, including:
- Air and track temperature
- Humidity
- Wind speed and direction
- Rain, snow, or freezing rain
The IWS runs on NIBE’s Blue Engine platform, the same technology powering our advanced BLUE POINT Switch Heating and BLUE WIRE Catenary Heating systems. Using predictive algorithms, IWS determines when and where rail heating is needed, activating and deactivating heaters. Over time, the IWS learns from historical data, refining its responses for even greater efficiency.
Ready to Cut Energy Costs by 60% or More?
Automate your legacy system with NIBE’s IWS and keep your rails running safely, efficiently, and intelligently all winter long—while saving on energy, maintenance, and operational costs. Learn more about NIBE’s IWS here.
