INDUSTRY COMMENT: BCIA
Expanding on the theme of ‘one small change’ introduced last month, Jon Belfield, President of the Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA), explains why the ‘small changes’ we all routinely make on a daily basis are so important
e live in an era of huge technological change and advancement, which is seeking to improve the outcomes for both us and for our planet – the advances in car and battery technology in particular are paving the way for such seismic positive change. The Building energy Management Systems (BeMS) sector is at the heart of similar technological upheaval which will ultimately change the way we control and occupy buildings as systems become ever more integrated to perform better for all occupants. But on the blind side, if we seek to still do the simple things well in buildings that have either ‘traditional’ controls or are ‘state-of-the-art’, the overall impact of these small changes, however seemingly insignificant, will improve efficiency and building performance.
Quick fixes
Last week, I visited a site that has four independent variable temperature heating circuits: the purpose of the visit being to demonstrate how to use the touch screen interface. During the demonstration I saw that two of the circuits were operating correctly and the other two were delivering low temperature hot water (LTHW) at 78˚C even with the three- port valve on bypass and a calculated VT set-point of 58˚C. We were distracted by this and identified that two manual bypass valves had been opened – they just needed closing. It was a simple problem that was quick to fix and a small change that will have a big impact on
the gas consumption of that building over a season.
BSEE
Small change, big outcome W
I am certain that BeMS engineers up and down the land made similar changes that same day as they routinely do, either in response to a reported fault, or because they notice something that isn’t quite right, or they have knowledge that can make something better by making a small change.
If only I could quote the pounds saved, the CO2 not emitted, or the gas not burned for this particular small change, we could add all these savings together and see the impact of our collective ‘small changes’. Perhaps it’s because we can’t see the overall impact, or perhaps we don’t see the small change as being significant, maybe our motivation to seek these changes isn’t always there?
One small change
As part of the BCIA drive to raise standards and building performance wherever possible, this
www.bcia.co.uk
presents an opportunity for us to promote and celebrate the small changes we all make, to recognise their importance and to share them so we manage that ‘e’ in BeMS as carefully as we can.
One small change complements the advances in building services technology beautifully, and also reminds us that even the most integrated combination of intelligent systems requires the simple things to be done well and the small changes to be made so the optimum performance is achieved.
Between us, we control a lot of energy. Think about the small changes you make, share them within your company or on Twitter and LinkedIn, and by doing the right thing, let’s get the momentum for change going and get that ‘e’ even more under control!
Read the latest at:
www.bsee.co.uk
BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER MARCH 2019 13
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