Elite's Customer Stories

THE MILLENNIUM BUG AND THE HVAC WORLD©
by Bill Smith, president of Elite Software

Through the 90's, many articles have appeared that discuss the "millennium bug" and its threat to nation's computer systems. The reason

for all this attention is that the year 2000 problem, also known as Y2K, threatens to paralyze government and the economy, disrupt air traffic, social security, the banking system, financial markets along with power grids, telecommunications and much more. Other dire predictions of elevators stopping, HVAC units failing and bank vault doors that won't open may actually happen.

In a global economy that relies heavily on technology and ubiquitous computers that do everything, the problem is far reaching indeed. Asia, with its economic crisis, is lagging far behind in dealing with the Y2K problem and some are predicting economic disruption so severe as to cause a worldwide recession. The magnitude of the problem is so great the President has even created a Year 2000 Council that reports directly to him.

But what exactly is the millennium bug and what does it mean to the nation's HVAC community? We should start by asking, "What is so special about the year 2000?" The problem is that when your computer's clock hits midnight on the last day of this century, some software will think the date is not Jan. 1, 2000, but will instead think it is either Jan. 1, 1900 or 1984.

The main problem with the year 2000 is in the way it is stored and manipulated. Back in the early days of computers, it was a common practice and in many cases, even considered good programming technique to store only the last two digits of the year and just assume "19" for the first two digits. For large databases, this technique saved significant amounts of storage space.

The problem is that when the year advances to the year 2000, most of the schemes to print the date or calculate elapsed time will fail, because the "00" year is taken to be the year 1900 or 1984 (the default date stored in early personal computers), depending on your computer and software. At century change, even the experts don't really know how all the various personal computers and mainframes will react.

As a result of this potential Y2K doomsday, many organizations are reviewing their entire inventory of hardware and software and assessing the possible impact on their systems.

The Y2K compliance probably presents the biggest problems to companies that rely heavily on mini and mainframe computers with large databases. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, managers knew of these potential date problems, but thought that their software would be revised or replaced long before the year 2000. Many held onto this belief for so long that some programs written as late as the 1990s still contain the same year 2000 date problems. Unbelievably, some large computers currently being sold will fail on or before the year 2000. With the year 2000 approaching, the time left to correct this problem is rapidly shrinking.

You should take a close look at your computers and software to determine if you might have Y2K problems. Many older IBM-compatible PCs may need some fixing, although desktop computers sold after 1997 are almost universally Year 2000 compliant. However, it's a good idea to actually test each PC. You can obtain a free program to verify that your PC will correctly handle dates of the next century from NSTL at http://www.nstl.com/html/ymark_2000.html. They also have good general information about the problem. Of course, you can see immediately if your computer has a problem by simply by selecting to change the system date to see if it allows you to go past the year 2000.

On the software side, your accounting software should be evaluated especially if it is more than five years old. Your software vendor should be able to tell you whether or not your accounting programs are Y2K compliant. Likewise, service management software that handles dispatching, accounting, warranties, service agreements, etc. should be tested for Y2K compliance. Software for economic payback and leasing analysis, often obtained free from various vendors, should be checked as well. Firms that have developed their own proprietary software need to take a close look at their programs (hopefully they know where the original programmers are). In essence, examine closely any software that measures differences in time and dates.

Most software companies that are affected by the Year 2000 are offering software updates for protection against this problem. Naturally, this is an excellent time to make any long overdue upgrades to your programs. At Elite Software, all of our programs either don't use dates at all, or they use the full four digits to represent years. As a result of this practice, Elite Software products will not be affected by any of the problems associated with the Year 2000.

While software has gotten the spotlight as the major risk of the Y2K problem, there are also many potential problems for devices with embedded chips - those hidden microprocessors that operate appliances such as VCRs and cellular phones. The IEE association defines them as "devices used to control, monitor or assist the operation of equipment, machinery or plants." More importantly, these devices are also used in HVAC system controls, alarm systems, lighting controls, pumps, lawn sprinkler systems, refrigeration controls, and numerous types of plumbing and HVAC valves. These little "computers" control a wide array of automated systems encompassing many building functions.

Although very simple when compared to a personal computer, fixing their Y2K problems is actually more difficult. You can't just change out software, you have to change the hardware itself. The good news is that although these devices are widespread, less than 10% will probably need fixing.

After you have identified machines and systems that likely have embedded chips, contact the manufacturer and see if their system or device is Y2K compliant. Don't rely solely on verbal assurances from sales people or clerks - ask for written confirmation. You need an official letter from the manufacturer stating that their system or device will work as advertised after the century changes. For most situations the letter is all you need. If you don't get a letter of compliance in a reasonable amount of time before the year 2000, make plans to either replace the machine, system or device, or make sure you can do without it.

In all probability, the Y2K problem will have a minimum effect on the HVAC controls industry. Large commercial systems, by virtue of their "leading edge technology" and their relative newness have mostly been designed to accommodate the year 2000. On the residential side, programmable thermostats are basically seven day time clocks. Most only maintain the time of day and the day of the week. The year and the actual date are rarely used in such devices.

While mid size commercial systems sometimes use the date for various scheduling functions, they still care very little as to the year. Most holiday and occupancy schedules are programmed in by the date relating to the present year. For example, a holiday for these systems is input simply as July 4 not July 4, 1998. Many of these systems only use the year values to calculate leap year and subsequently the number of days in the month of February. Again, check with your vendor about Y2K compliance and get it in writing.

With early recognition and resolution, the millennium bug should have little or no impact on your business. If you're interested, some insurance companies are actually offering insurance policies for software and computer failures that may result from Y2K problems. Please note that there are other nuances of the Y2K problem including some transition dates that were not discussed here. Additional information and resources can be found on our website, here. The computer section of your local book store also has more and more titles on Y2K including the inevitable, "Year 2000 Solutions for Dummies."

Mr. Smith welcomes your email about this article. - email