BUILDING CONTROLS BSEE
Handover – the vital time for buildings I
n January, Innovate UK published its report Getting the best from buildings. The analysis of 50 buildings (including schools, supermarkets, offices and health centres) showed that, on the whole, buildings are not performing as they should. And that’s in terms of occupant satisfaction as well as energy use.
Malcolm Anson, President of the Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA), explains why better handovers are vital for better buildings, and for controls in particular.
EPCs (Energy Performance Certificates) may be a good predictor of the energy a building may use in theory, but the EPC often has little to do with actual energy use. This report looks at why some buildings work better than others – for example, there was ‘hardly any link between air tightness and carbon performance’. An important point, though, is that good commissioning and handover are vital but so often, these areas suffer from lack of time. For controls and BEMS, good handover is particularly important because this has a major bearing on how well the BEMS are used.
Confidence
Controls and BEMS are the interface between a building and its occupants (which includes the FM team). Yet Innovate UK points out that this
‘
Controls and BEMS are the interface between a
building and its occupants (which includes the FM team). Yet Innovate UK points out that this relationship is not always as good as it could be.
’
relationship is not always as good as it could be. The report states that controls were a problem and were confusing to users who lacked confidence in dealing with the BEMS. The main reason for this? Lack of good handover or training. BCIA members are all-too familiar with this. There is always too little time at the end of a project for training on the BEMS. In fact, Innovate UK points out that, in a number of cases, clients themselves were asking that commissioning was brought to a close early, even though the process was incomplete.
Time constraints are not the only issue. When a building is being handed over to the client there are any number of important issues to deal with, meaning controls might take a back seat. And even if time was set aside for the BEMS, it’s unlikely to be enough to get to grips with
the complexities. Innovate UK says that controls are ‘too
complicated for people to use confidently’. If this was said about any other IT system in a business, the answer would involve better training for staff. The BEMS in the average office building has growing similarities with IT systems, yet very few businesses would regard it as an area requiring training.
Complexity
The controls industry has responded to the challenge of complexity, and I agree that it’s something we need to keep focused on. In the past our systems have been built by engineers for engineers. Now, we must think of non-expert users when designing the human interface of our products and systems.
But only so much simplification can be achieved. As we move towards more demand- management (driven by National Grid), the BEMS will be expected to do more. As an industry, we need users to understand their controls because these are not fit- and-forget products. So I would say that one of the key solutions to challenges identified by Innovate UK is that both sides of the equation should commit to training. Control systems should be revisited post-handover, providing a better point at which clients will be more prepared for training on the BEMS and controls.
This could be combined with requirements for seasonal visits to adjust the controls system, while also providing ongoing training for at least the first year of a building’s occupation. We need to work harder to achieve a better handover, even if it takes longer. The BCIA will be one of the hosts of the Building Services Summit on 23rd November*. This will be a chance to raise awareness of these issues with government and building managers. Join us to help ensure that we are delivering the right messages about the benefits of building controls.
uBCIA President Malcolm Anson is also Managing Director of Clarkson Controls.
*
www.buildingservicessummit.co.uk
www.SmithsEP.co.uk @SmithsEP_UK
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www.bsee.co.uk BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER OCTOBER 2016 9
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