Feature best-in-class operation ( OT ) and IT solutions which unlock the performance of buildings and maintenance of their facilities remotely and proactively . This results in reduction in both energy use and unscheduled maintenance , as well as extends the life of assets .
Bruce Kinnear , BMS sales manager , iLED Building Automation , says : “ Historically , the introduction of systems controls to a building looked initially at the HVAC system – it being the biggest consumer of energy . Later , installers realised the possibility of monitoring all other features of the building such as lighting , generators and more . This came to be known as third party integration . The controls industry does the air conditioning , but BMS has become the umbrella function while the driving force has changed to being primarily focused on energy efficiency . BMS , through systems integration , is what makes a building a smart building .” i4 Group company iLED is a distributor for Distech Controls and fellow company ZUD is a distributor for Siemens , while the group also manufactures its own range called eZicontrols , which complements Distech and Siemens to form a holistic BMS system . Kinnear says : “ We supply product , technology and training to the system integrators of BMS throughout the country . When we do a project , for instance , we take all the information from each unit and visualise it on the BMS . It integrates the generator , the lighting system and the HVAC system , and for instance adjusts the blinds so as to harvest natural light , douses the lighting so it ’ s mostly natural light , moves the air conditioning setpoint to allow for radiant heat , and more . It is all about saving energy and making the building space ‘ green ’.
“ BMS is a simple Inputs-Outputs ( IO ) control – it reads temperature or light and increases or decreases the set point of each according to the set code and visualisation data . It provides real data to support the carbon footprint of a building for companies wanting a Green Certificate . All this data resides in the cloud being part of the Internet of Things , which is today being re-labelled the Internet of Everything as the technology expands ,” he says .
ENERGY EFFICIENCY IS KEY “ Air conditioning is still the biggest user of electricity in a building . A chiller draws massive kilowatt hours – and when talking about energy saving , most electricity bills are calculated on maximum load multiplied by kilowatt hours . If we can reduce the maximum load by say 20 points we can save money . That can be achieved simply by starting the chiller a little earlier or a little later than when everything else is being switched on , thereby preventing a spike in power usage . Lighting doesn ’ t draw a lot of power , but it is constant if left on all day and night – unless managed ,” says Kinnear . “ There is no human interface – the idea is to automate it . If there ' s no movement in an office after 5-10 minutes , the lights switch off . Even that technology has evolved to infrared detection .”
© Eamonn Ryan | RACA Journal © Eamonn Ryan | RACA Journal
Bruce Kinnear , BMS sales manager , iLED Building Automation .
The company iLED is a distributor for Distech Controls and fellow company ZUD is a distributor for Siemens , while the group also manufactures its own range called eZicontrols , which complements Distech and Siemens to form a holistic BMS system .
“ The payback calculations we ’ ve done suggest a BMS pays back its capital investment in about two years on an average-sized office block . A properly engineered BMS is like a toolbox : the tools save time . These provide the maintenance manager with visibility before any complaint or problem arises , letting them know exactly where to go and what tools to take . It can go as far as informing what individual component is required to repair a fan . This saves a huge amount of time – and time is money . Saving energy is really a mindset change .”
A BMS is effective for any size building – whether industrial or commercial – but Kinnear emphasises that the payback is typically longer with smaller buildings , as the average cost diminishes the bigger the system .
“ In addition , it ' s easier to instal a BMS on a new build , as you get to choose appropriate fittings and units better suited to a BMS , whereas with a retrofit you may have to change the fittings if you want that level of interface . For instance , in a new build , you can choose a generator which has a BACnet IP controller .”
www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I May 2023 31