Feature
BMS provides benefits that extend beyond the financial . It results in an improved experience for the occupants of a building . Kinnear describes it : “ With a proper BMS , we monitor air quality so as to be able to improve it when it gets bad . Staff feel better and more energised . Air conditioners can be connected via Bluetooth to an individual ’ s smartphone so they are in control and can change the set points . How far you want to take the benefits is limited only by your capex budget and your imagination . We can automate everything .”
BMS INTEGRATION THROUGH OPEN SYSTEMS A further evolution of BMS has been from proprietary to open systems . Today ’ s open BMS system integrates multiple systems for centralised , real-time control and management across either single or multiple-enterprise buildings , assisting managers and owners to understand and monitor their facility ’ s energy usage .
“ It was 20 years ago that open protocols came about . Industry decided that all these proprietary communication protocols were locking in clients forever – something skewed in favour of the system provider rather than the user .
“ Now we have open protocols like BACnet , Modbus and Dali – but BACnet in South Africa is the primary open protocol . This evolution forced the proprietary companies to change their model – manufacturing products worldwide that integrate with open systems .” Kinnear explains that this is precisely iLED ’ s business : developing building management systems consisting of a multitude of products that are capable of integration using BACnet or Modbus .
As to where technology is taking the BMS market , Kinnear admits his bias to Distech Controls : “ Distech is on the cutting edge of technology . Where technology is rapidly progressing is towards the Internet of Everything ( IE ), with some doing it better than others . With the Internet of Things , some devices were going on the internet – but with IE every device is going to be connected to everything else . Everything ' s becoming smart and communicative – not only your fridge and TV , but your microwave , kettle and everything .”
BMS is not the domain of the ‘ IT guy ’ says Kinnear , due to the latter ’ s obsession with firewalls and passwords . BMS has to work in a more interoperable manner .
“ We build our own OT ( Operational Technology ) structure within a building and link it to the IT guys ’ business system – if they need it . It happens that when we plug it into the client ’ s system as a part of their network , it crashes the entire system because of the volume of data in BMS . So we typically provide them just as much data as they need .”
“ BMS provides benefits that extend beyond the financial .”
IOT IN REFRIGERATION Sebastian Hills , sales director of Staycold International , says : “ We implement technology such as telemetry in our refrigeration units , which allows one to remotely monitor a unit ’ s condition thereby improving preventative maintenance by showing compressor and fan runtimes . It can also monitor the usage of the unit , ensuring the tavern owner is correctly operating the refrigerated unit – for instance , by taking advantage of the eco energy option at night .
“ Our units can be fitted with a device that plugs into our energy management system , which then transmits over the USSD network the unit ' s location through GSM triangulation . This is key for larger users in terms of asset management so as to monitor energy consumption of their fleet of units at any one time .”
Hills adds : “ Our devices have a remote two-way communication capability . We have complete visibility with all the details of , say , a freezer in a supermarket , with access to the model of the unit , its condition and operation . Some customers want a daily report , and others hourly – it shows , amongst others , the internal cabinet temperature , the condenser temperature , the overall status , loadshedding schedule and many more – essentially whatever the controller knows , you can know including how many times the door has been opened .
“ We can change the eco-parameters and also some quite nice things like turning the lights on and off . This can all be integrated into a building management system if the customer requires it to . We currently have our own standalone portal for viewing of data ,” he adds .
IN CONCLUSION The future of BMS lies in being in the cloud or it loses all practical application . The second requirement is for it to help building owners and occupants to achieve the sustainable development goals set by the UN , at least not the ones related to the built environment , and to achieve a better quality of life for building occupants , which is the core of our profession as facility managers in HVAC & R . Without smart systems , we can ’ t have smart buildings , smart communities , or smart cities ... RACA
Staycold
Sebastian Hills , sales director of Staycold International .
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RACA Journal I May 2023 www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za