INDUSTRY COMMENT: BCIA


How BEMS is changing building maintenance


Building maintenance has traditionally been largely reactive or planned, with engineers either responding when something goes wrong or inspecting and servicing equipment at predetermined intervals. Both approaches remain essential, but a great deal can happen between those interventions


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EMS data can help fill that gap. Trends in temperatures, run times, energy consumption, control signals and plant behaviour can reveal gradual changes that would be difficult to identify during a single maintenance visit. If a heating circuit is taking progressively longer


to reach its target temperature, for example, there may be good reason to investigate why. A valve that is being commanded closed while downstream temperatures suggest it is still passing could indicate a developing issue, while increasingly frequent cycling might point towards a problem with the equipment, control strategy or wider system. The building may still appear to be operating normally, but identifying changes early gives engineers an opportunity to investigate before they lead to wasted energy, poor comfort, unnecessary wear or equipment failure.


What do we really mean by predictive maintenance?


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As buildings become more connected, predictive maintenance is becoming an increasingly familiar term, but it is important to be realistic about what the technology can deliver. In most cases, a BEMS will not predict that a particular component is going to fail on a particular day. Its value lies in providing a detailed picture of how building services normally behave and making it easier to identify when that behaviour begins to change. More advanced analytics and fault detection and diagnostics can take this further by analysing


multiple data points and highlighting patterns that might otherwise be missed.


This is particularly valuable because many building performance problems do not trigger an immediate alarm. A pump that fails completely will quickly attract attention, whereas one that continues operating but is working harder than it should can be much easier to overlook. Looking at BEMS trends and operating histories allows engineers to move beyond asking whether something is working and consider whether it is performing as it should.


A changing role for service and maintenance


The latest BCIA Market Information Report provides an interesting backdrop to this shift. Service and Maintenance revenues reached £56.5 million in Q2 2026, 2.9% higher than the same quarter in 2025, while the rolling-year figure increased by 11.1% to £232.1 million. The figures do not tell us that predictive maintenance itself is driving this growth, but they do reinforce the importance of the work that takes place throughout the operational life of a BEMS. By making better use of the data available, engineers can understand how the wider building services are behaving, where performance is beginning to change and where their attention could make the greatest difference.


Technology still needs engineering expertise Having access to more data does not


automatically lead to better maintenance. Sensors need to be accurate, relevant points need to be monitored and trended, and there needs to be enough historical information to understand what normal operation looks like. Most importantly, the information still needs to be interpreted by someone who understands the building and its systems.


Analytics may highlight unusual behaviour, but identifying why it is happening and deciding what needs to be done requires engineering knowledge. Predictive maintenance should therefore complement engineering expertise rather than replace it, providing better evidence on which to base decisions.


Not every building needs the most sophisticated analytics. The functionality should be appropriate to the building, its complexity and the outcomes its owners and operators need. This principle is reflected in the BCIA BEMS Delivery Framework, which provides six Delivery Levels to help project teams define the required BEMS capability according to operational outcomes.


Before the alarm sounds


Predictive maintenance can provide another layer of understanding by helping engineers recognise when the behaviour of building services begins to change. For building owners and operators, earlier intervention can help avoid unnecessary energy use, further costs and disruption while keeping assets performing effectively for longer. For engineers, it provides a richer picture of what is happening between maintenance visits.


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10/9/26 12:24 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER NOVEMBER 2026 19


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