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BSEE-NOV21-PG26.qxp_Layout 1 25/10/2021 11:34 Page 26


BSEE W


BCIA vice­ president Graeme Rees compares the advancements in automobile care to the operation and maintenance of building management systems.


hen considering either a new or a replacement building


management system (BMS),


the primary factors to consider have to include an open protocol system from a supplier who has an open route to market.


Open protocol also ensures flexibility and simplifies options to integrate with other building systems in a simple and cost-effective manner. The combination of these two open themes greatly supports the future proofing of the system and protects the customers investment. With the majority of systems now benefiting from the speed and range of connectivity options that IT systems provide, it is also essential that our building control systems are designed, installed and indeed operated and maintained with strong security in mind. There are horror stories almost daily where individuals and businesses fall victim to cyber criminals, fortunately there are fewer where building systems are subject to attack but there are sadly some high profile examples where insecure building systems have provided hackers with a route into clients’ IT networks causing not only data loss but mass disruption to the business and their operations. Where systems were once secured by obscurity, there are now industry standards, protocols and procedures to follow to ensure systems are secure by design.


Clients should understand not only their present needs but the needs they may have in the future and be sure systems that are being considered can meet these needs with features and benefits that support. I often recall a simplistic quote from a business leader I worked with in the past.. “all we do is control the temperature and movement of air and water”.. which pretty much sums up the fundamental task of a traditional BMS, but with the demands of our buildings increasing to include energy management, occupancy levels and density, air quality and natural ventilation, lighting controls and levels even colour rendering and a raft of analytical information derived for the wealth of data within later systems – the choice of system and provider can be a daunting prospect.


BUILDING CONTROLS & TECHNOLOGY Giant leaps in building management systems


Driving sensibly


We all know that to get the very best from our car – regardless of age and model – we should ensure it is well maintained. There are simple things that even the non-technically minded can undertake themselves, such as checking oil and fluid levels, ensuring the tyres are at the correct pressure and driving sensibly to ensure a decent mpg.


The same is true with the basics of a BMS. Keeping check on setpoints and time scheduling, being sure any temporary overrides put in place are returned to normal operation and that all sensing devices are kept clean and away from any erroneous influences that may alter readings will pretty much ensure as designed operation. Calling on the services of a professional BMS company to provide any software and security updates to system software, providing software backups and exercising of the slightly more advanced technical system elements and any modification requests, will keep a system running smoothly and cost effectively when conducted on a regular basis. With building control systems now managing hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of data points, the analysis of this data can provide a rich source of information


to help direct and indeed predict maintenance activity. It can also provide insight on the operating health of the system itself – just as the modern car does.


Analytical software is available that uses the mass of data from our building systems to identify how effectively the systems are operating and also identify issues that are normally hidden even to the trained eye – cooling systems working unnecessarily for example to compensate for heating systems left overridden on or valves not properly closing off. They are even able to identify trends and predict when maintenance or replacement parts might be needed.


Just like our cars telling us and the dealerships what needs to be done and when, so our BMS can tell us and our control specialist what is happening, what can be done to improve and when it will need to be attended to. To benefit from these advances, it is of course necessary to ensure systems are cyber secure and open protocol such that the wealth of data can be collected and analysed.


We are happy for the car systems to tell us when we need to go to the garage and what to do and we must also therefore use the intelligence within our building systems to direct our efforts and attention.


Driving forward


Now, imagine a time when your car not only informs you of a service due date, but actually checks your diary for you, finds a slot and makes the service booking with the garage on your behalf. Not only that, it gives advance information to the garage of issues to be attended to and pre- orders necessary parts required. Can you imagine it also knowing your preferred hire car company and making a reservation for you such that a temporary vehicle is delivered to you at the same time the garage collects your car for servicing and arranges collection when yours is returned?


Whilst that might sound a little futuristic from a car perspective the equivalent with our building systems is here today. With integration to workplace management software systems (IWMS) similar building scenarios to that described above are quite achievable.


A typical scenario could be that the BMS identifies an issue with the cooling in a meeting room which effectively puts the room out of use. Integrating with IWMS would enable the maintenance contractors to be made aware of the issue and the spare parts required to facilitate a fix. It would previously check that the maintenance contractors are approved to do the work on the site and that specific system and that there are no other issues preventing an automatic work order to be issued to them.


It would also inform users who are booked to use that space that the room is no longer available and automatically move their reservation to another space, date or time while also triggering the occupancy and control of the new space through the integration with the building control system. Upon completion of the work, it would not only return all systems to normal operation and reinstate room bookings, it can also take care of works reports, even invoicing and departmental billing. This might sound like science fiction, but it is quite possible today and makes for a truly smart building.


26 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER NOVEMBER 2021 Read the latest at: www.bsee.co.uk


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