[ Spotlight: Building management systems ]
marketing manager at Trend Control Systems, claims: ‘A fully integrated BEMS can have up to 84 per cent of a building’s energy consuming devices directly under its control.’
Spend and save Estimates vary about the exact level of savings that BMS and BEMS can achieve, and this often depends on factors such as the complexity of the system, how it is confi gured and whether the installation is a new build or a refurbishment. Chris Irwin, business development manager for Northern and Eastern Europe at Distech Controls, says: ‘Retrofi tting a BEMS in a building that did not have one could save 50 per cent or more if the plant was “out of control” but, more commonly, fi gures in the 25-35 per cent range are more likely.’ Most manufacturers agree with these fi gures.
However, for those investing in this technology, one of the key considerations is the return on investment (ROI) they can achieve. Again, this is not easy to get fi rm fi gures on, as there are so many variables to consider, but Steve Berry, general manager at ENER-G Controls, says: ‘We carried out some research and found that most customers could achieve an ROI within 12 to 60 months.’
Standard issue BMS and BEMS are not ‘one size fi ts all’ technologies, and should be confi gured according to the level of control required to meet the specifi c objectives of the customer.
Case study: work of art
The Brunei Gallery, part of the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), hosts a programme of changing contemporary and historical exhibitions. Having been awarded a Display
Energy Certifi cate (DEC) operational rating of G in 2009, the Brunei Gallery presented a challenge for the incoming head of energy management for SOAS, Stephen McKinnell. He explains: ‘Considering it was built in 1995, its DEC rating was extremely poor. I soon discovered that although a BEMS from Trend was already installed, it wasn’t playing an active part in controlling energy use.’ McKinnell contacted Trend and
commissioned an energy audit. James Dauncey, the company’s senior engineer, comments: ‘We discovered a number of issues, including setpoints that were incorrectly confi gured and were operating the heating system
when the building was closed. The two chillers were highly ineffi cient and not operating correctly, and it was decided that the best course of action would be to replace them with a single, more effi cient model.’ By working closely together, McKinnell and the team from Trend employed a number of other energy saving innovations to increase overall energy effi ciency, such as the installation of passive infrared (PIR) sensors in the lecture theatres. State- of-the-art humidity sensors were also specifi ed. The Brunei Gallery’s fully optimised BEMS has played a pivotal role in helping it become more energy effi cient and it now uses less than half the gas and 20 per cent less electricity than it did previously. Its DEC operational rating has also gone from G to C, and it is helping SOAS to reach its challenging CO2
reduction targets.
Lighting empty rooms is almost a criminal drain on resources, and many companies are still completely unaware of the issue
Helping accomplish this is the recently revised
standard – BS EN 15232:2012 Energy performance of buildings and impact of building automation, controls and building management. An invaluable resource, it gives examples of how to ensure a BEMS works in the most energy-effi cient manner, grading systems from D to A, with A being the best. It should be used as a guideline for employing controls to improve energy effi ciency and to confi gure payback calculations that highlight the
30 ECA Today September 2013
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