BUILDING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS Net Zero: where we’re going W
Taking some inspiration from a popular sci-fi film franchise, BCIA President Graeme Rees celebrates the diversity of projects benefiting from building controls in the race towards Net Zero compliance
e are now eight years on from 2015, the year that Marty McFly time- travels forward
to in Back to the Future 2. Films like this afford writers some fun and creative licence in forecasting the technological advancements we might witness, and there was much anticipation as we approached the year in question as to what the franchise had got right and where its ideas were a tad ‘ambitious’.
One glaring oversight was the absence of smartphones, particularly given that the ‘brick’ size mobile phones were already in use at the time of the film’s production. And while hoverboards have yet to take off (excuse the pun) and we never got to Jaws 5 never mind Jaws 19, the depictions of videoconferencing, biometrics, flying drones and wearable technology were not that far off reality. In transport and the built environment, we might not have motorways in the sky, but intelligent buildings, and to a lesser extent driverless cars, are now very much a part of the present and immediate future. Intelligent buildings are of course
largely made possible thanks to the technology that goes into them, much of which was celebrated at the BCIA Awards in May.
Perfect snapshot
As President of the BCIA I am in the privileged position of sitting on the judging panel for the BCIA Awards. When I took on the role in March 2022 I could not have foreseen that this year we would not only break the record for the number of entries, but also the number of guests, with more than 600 people in attendance, making it the best attended BCIA Awards since they were first held back in 2007. For the judging aspect of it, what really struck me was the diversity of entries, particularly in the Technical Innovation of the Year in both the Products and Projects category
and they really provide a perfect snapshot of how the building controls industry has changed over the years.
Historically, and certainly in the earliest years, the BCIA Awards have mainly been about heating, cooling and ventilation. However, as the focus on factors like energy efficiency, running costs and indoor air quality has increased, along with occupant wellbeing and visitor management, particularly in the wake of Covid, so has the ever- increasing breadth of the functions of Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) and the innovative solutions that go in to them. The projects that were listed as finalists in the Technical Innovation - Projects category included a bank, a school, a luxury hotel and a college building. The hotel previously had the shame of being the worst performing hotel in its chain in the UK in terms of energy performance, thanks to two end-of-life BEMS supervisory software packages, a dilapidated uncontrolled primary chilled water system and limited visibility and control over the guestrooms. A project aimed at providing greater visibility of the disparate systems and making significant energy reductions involved migrating
both BEMS to a single platform, optimisation of the primary chilled water system and guestrooms, together with the implementation of a temperature-based demand load-shaping strategy, and a 24/7 managed service to underpin the energy savings long term. This was all delivered with a return on investment in less than one year.
A ‘Living Lab’
The winning project combined digital sensor and analytics technologies, artificial intelligence, decentralised energy generation and storage, renewable energy and concepts that help changed users’ behaviour to transform a university campus into the world’s smartest global campus, creating a ‘Living Lab’ where research, teaching and learning all benefit from access to new data and connectivity. The use of sensors, the Internet of things (IoT), and a digital twin of the campus energy system makes it possible to increase transparency on building utilisation, heating and power consumption. Digital sensors, data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning help to provide a reliable basis for comprehensive optimisation of the entire energy system, including distributed power generation from renewable sources, energy storage, HVAC, and mobility. In this way, a reliable road map for achieving both net zero and energy cost optimisation has been developed. On the new product front we have also seen yet more signs of diversity. The winning entry bridged BEMS control with small power outlets, enabling the BEMS to take control of plugged in devices (the classic under desk fan heater that is the bane of every controls and energy manager). Another entry involved the intelligent monitoring of the safety of water supplies – essential in healthcare facilities and where the more vulnerable need additional levels of protection but also a boon in commercial buildings where regular water treatment and testing is needed to be carried out. What is reassuring is that, certainly in recent years, companies and building
20 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER JUNE 2023
owners are more aware of the responsibilities they hold towards their staff, their customers and the environment. In the age of corporate ESG (environmental, social, governance) companies know that falling short in any of these areas will not only reflect badly on them but will also cost them in a number of ways, including commercial income, staff productivity and energy costs. With a much clearer idea of the standard which their buildings should be meeting, managers are becoming much more proactive in realising the potential of building controls, whereas 15 years ago such a concept might have been whispered with no small amount of confusion and quickly forgotten about.
End goal
I have written before about how modern sports venues can really help advance the value of building controls. With huge crowd capacities and widespread media exposure they are much more in the public eye than some other large scale building projects and can therefore inspire further investment in other buildings. For example, if the environmental credentials of a world class venue like the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are well publicised, then perhaps owners of much smaller sports clubs can appreciate the benefits of a BEMS and deploy one at their own venue. The size of the venue really doesn’t matter when the end goal of the BEMS remains the same. Whenever I am addressing an audience on the subject of building controls I often emphasise the fact that when a building is working well nobody really notices, it is only when something is wrong (too hot/too cold) that it becomes a problem, and it will most likely be reflected in the building’s energy bill. If the BEMS has been installed and set up and maintained correctly, then the building’s occupants, whether it’s in a shop, hospital, school or factory, will be able to carry on their business in relative comfort. I firmly believe now that the potential of truly smart buildings is even enough to impress Doctor Emmett Brown.
Read the latest at:
www.bsee.co.uk
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