BSEEBUILDING CONTROLS


Jon Belfield, President of the Building Controls Industry Associaon (BCIA), discusses how taking into account the 108010 rule from the outset of building projects greatly helps the industry to meet stringent legislaon through the use of eecve building controls…


n last month’s BSEE column, I introduced to you the 10-80-10 concept which refers to the total lifetime costs of a building. Just to recap, you may be surprised to learn that only 10 per cent of costs are invested at the construction stage while a staggering 80 per cent is spent on the operating and maintenance of a building. The remaining 10 per cent is therefore accounted for in the demolition of a building.


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Take a moment to let those figures sink in - the difference between the initial investment compared to the running and maintenance costs of a building are astronomical. But why does it cost so much to operate a typical commercial building?


Well there are a variety of reasons, for example, unforeseen breakdowns or malfunctions within building services that require urgent repair work and/or maintenance. Perhaps you work in a typical office where a colleague turns the heating on but then opens a window as the room starts to get stuffy. Without an effective building control system in place, there will be no way of overriding a common instance such as this, which clearly wastes energy and leads to a rise in running costs. The simple answer is that without the implementation of adequate building controls from the outset to efficiently manage energy and the comfort levels, a building will not perform to its optimum and ultimately this will contribute towards higher operational costs through energy, breakdown and productivity. This is why there such an onus on bearing in mind the 10-80-10 concept at this pivotal stage?


Adversing: 01622 699116 Editorial: 01622 687031 Control and comply Reduced operaonal costs


Using effective building controls can dramatically reduce operational costs but not only that, they can help meet a wide range of legislation. A great example of this is the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) that came into full effect earlier this year. MEES has made it unlawful for a landlord to let or renew a lease on a property if the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating is F or G. Therefore, a common goal for many building owners and landlords is to significantly increase energy efficiency. Innovative building controls are integral to ensuring a building complies with stringent legislation, whether it’s a new or existing commercial building. By simply installing intelligent thermostats or smart lighting controls with occupancy sensors, you can give your EPC rating a welcome boost and substantially lower unnecessary energy consumption. However, the best results are only achieved when a suitable controls system has been implemented at the design stage of a building, as it is at this point when you can establish a sensible budget and set reasonable deadlines. Therefore, planning is key to ensuring your building performs efficiently over the years saving you both time and money in the process.


Futureproofing buildings


The topic of energy efficiency is one that we must continue to address and it’s critical that we future-


proof today’s buildings. With a vast array of sophisticated and effective building controls on the market, there is no reason why we cannot be confident that all commercial buildings can perform efficiently.


I genuinely believe that times are changing and that the real value associated with investing in smart BMS solutions is increasing so, let’s gently steer the wider industry to consider 10-80-10 from the outset of building projects. By taking control at the design stage and implementing an intelligent building controls system, more and more commercial buildings will comply with current and new legislation over the upcoming years while keeping operational costs down and productivity up. All our collective BMS systems control a phenomenal amount of building space and energy - the future is in our hands.


www.bcia.co.uk


18 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER DECEMBER 2018


VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.bsee.co.uk


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