Feature
Steve Douglas / Unsplash
BUILDING CONTROLS
MORPHS INTO BMS
By Eamonn Ryan
The control of a building ’ s heating , ventilation and air conditioning system ( HVAC ) has over the years morphed into Building Management Systems ( BMS ) which has become an entire industry in itself .
The purpose of a BMS is to control and monitor large energy consuming systems within a building , such as HVAC , lighting , fire and security systems . With advances in technology such systems are just as viable in smaller buildings as they are in larger ones . The benefits are to maintain occupant comfort and ensure occupant safety , all the while delivering energy efficiency and lower operating costs .
Many commercial and industrial facilities were built in an era when technology really came as an afterthought . That was attributable at that time to a lack of feasible technology options which could make managing a building simpler and more efficient . That has all changed . Fast-forward 40 years and the industry today features advanced solutions that , short of running a building on auto pilot , offer efficient , optimised and sustainable solutions that catapult facilities into a new era of sophistication .
Typically , sensors and control signals will be hardwired throughout a building at the time of construction for cost control purposes . Once a building is complete and in operation , retrofitting a BMS system is more costly and disruptive , not to mention putting a strain on the original system capacity . However , it is being done .
Most of a building consists of mechanical plant , highlighting the relationship between BMS and HVAC & R .
A BMS enables a digitally connected building which offers
24 / 7 support for :
• Energy management and building operating systems
• Air conditioning , heating , ventilation , lighting
• Access control and control devices such as : valves , actuators , sensors and meters
HOW IT WORKS The methodology of BMS , whether addressing buildings old or new , is to measure , analyse and put in place systems of control . In the instance of an older building , the key factor is to measure how it uses its energy and how technology can help to optimise energy consumption through metering and monitoring , coupled with smart devices and analytic software . This is a fundamental part of a building ’ s journey to a digital strategy .
In a digitised building , each vital cog continuously provides the data required to obtain operational insight . That data in turn enables analysis for service providers to take advantage of
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RACA Journal I May 2023 www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za