The days of walking into a building using multiple complex passwords to disable a security system, manually turning on/adjusting light switches/dimmers, and walking across the room or an entire floor to manually adjust a thermostat may soon become tasks of the past. Advancements in building automation system (BAS) technologies are allowing building owners to save hundreds of thousands of dollars annually by automatically managing their systems. These automated systems also allow utility companies to more accurately bill for water, gas, and electricity. In addition, customized lighting control systems now allow employees to better control the light in their workspaces, which improves efficiency levels.
BAS defined
The word “automation” is key when describing a building automation system. The word is derived from the word “automatic,” which is simply defined as having the capability of starting, operating, moving, reporting, and/or shutting down independently. Another definition for automation in this field can include using various control systems for operating equipment such as machinery, robotics, and other operations with minimal human interaction.
A BAS incorporates many different types of automation, such as discrete control (on-off), continuous control, open and close loop, sequential control and logical sequence, or system state control and computer control. A BAS is simply defined as the automated control of the various equipment and systems that make up how the building operates on a day-to-day basis for the comfort and safety of the tenants and the efficiency of daily operations. This includes heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), fire control, boilers, lighting, and any other systems (or sub-systems) that affect the building’s water, air, gas, electricity, and steam supply sources. The Figure (click here to see Figure) shows a simple BAS architecture.
The main players
Historically, BAS providers were a division of mechanical contracting organizations. This was due to early BASs primarily covering HVAC systems, which were controlled via air logic or pneumatic control. Quite simply, air and water remain the responsibility of the mechanical contractor. Due to the advancement of BAS technologies, professional service firms have begun to incorporate BAS into their solutions and deliverables. Within the industrial, general building, and data center market segments, the BAS is becoming a layer in between the enterprise resource planning (ERP) layer and down line systems. Enterprise business intelligence is requiring more and more actionable data to be delivered to the right people, at the right level, and at the right time to help increase energy efficiency and utility cost reduction. What was once simple pneumatic systems are now complex, integrated programmable logic-controlled devices connected via multi-tiered computer networks.
Visualization, monitoring, reporting, and control
A significant value of a BAS is its ability to provide building owners, facility, and sustainability teams with the real-time information required to drive efficiency of daily operations and reduce the costs of utilities and energy. However, you can’t change what you can’t measure. Therefore, there is a need for visualization, monitoring, and reporting prior to developing control strategies and continuous improvement initiatives.
Effective BAS visualization offers the ability to “tell the story” of building performance to management, engineering, building operators, and executives. Visualization in all BASs is provided via the collection of multiple data points — from field devices up through the BAS controllers. Once the data is collected, it can be transformed and parsed into actionable information that can be displayed on a computer screen(s), graphical user interface (GUI), and smart devices like phones and tablets. The same data can be used to develop and automatically distribute customizable reports for different rolls within the building management organization via text or email. From this data, a baseline is determined from which to measure the effect of any control changes or continuous improvement initiatives. This is where you can begin to see changes in utility and energy effectiveness.
Why, when, and how building automation systems are implemented
When considering new construction, it’s imperative to meet with the building owner and key decision makers early and often as to the depth of energy visualization and building automation control they require in order to meet the goals of the BAS implementation. BAS can provide a wide range of functionality, and the more advanced BAS implementations can be quite expensive and time consuming to implement. Is the building owner looking for the new building to be LEED certified with advanced monitoring and control of water, air, gas, steam, electricity, and chilled media? If not — and the owner is really only interested in understanding occupancy — rudimentary lighting control and electricity monitoring and visualization of the main building, then that’s a whole different ball game. This type of system will be significantly less expensive, less time-consuming, and less difficult to implement. These decisions will have a dramatic impact on the return on investment (ROI) and lease per square dollar for a multi-tenant building owner.
While it is more difficult and inherently more expensive to implement a BAS in an older building/facility, it can be done within a reasonable time frame and with a manageable return on the required investment. New metering and sub-metering devices could be installed at key energy delivery and use locations in an existing building. Upgrading thermostats can be more challenging based on the ability to integrate them with variable airflow valves, which may or may not exist in an older building. Upgrading the control of rooftop units will be dependent on the ability to communicate with its controllers. Communication protocol should be taken into consideration along with the network communication layer, as many older buildings simply do not have a network architecture that can support a BAS. Installing this communication layer will often be the limiting factor as to the level of automation that can be achieved.
What energy sources can BAS effect?
The quick and easy answer is, all of them. This includes water, air, gas, steam, and electricity (WAGES). While a BAS can be separate from an energy management system (EMS), integrating the two advances the functionality and capabilities of both.
Consider the measurement of energy through the system driving both manual and automated improvements up through the BAS. You simply get better control of your energy usage and, therefore, reduce your costs. We can control WAGES through the BAS. We can control energy sources through the BAS, but we can better control energy sources by integrating the EMS with the BAS.
Monitoring facility equipment and assets helps the building owner maximize the use of those resources and assets while saving both time and money. Detecting energy quality disturbances and the status of power system sources aids to ensure availability of supply to connected and affected equipment. At the end of the day, a building owner, facility manager, or sustainability team can:
• Proactively manage energy cost and usage.
• Increase the efficiency of energy usage.
• Better and/or fully utilize energy assets.
• Reduce emissions.
• Improve strategic decisions and energy management best practices.
• Further automate what were previously manual interactions with building systems.
• Dramatically improve the reliability/availability of energy and how it’s utilized and controlled throughout the building.
Lighting control as part of the BAS
Lighting upgrades and new lighting control make up what are usually the first steps in implementing energy management and building management systems. When programed and implemented correctly, a lighting control system can considerably increase the life of ballasts and lamps, thus reducing the funds needed for maintenance and replacement.
The goal of any lighting control system is to ensure the building owners have a reliable way to integrate various lighting sources to provide a comfortable environment while ensuring energy efficiency for the building. Integrating the lighting control system into the EMS and BAS allows the building owner to assess how lighting energy is being used at their site, enables continuous improvement initiatives, and will have a positive impact on overall energy expenditures.
Assuming a building owner chooses to approach their new or retrofitted lighting control system by soliciting a system integrator (SI) or professional services firm (PSF), this engagement should begin with a lighting assessment. This can often be a part of a BAS and/or an energy management assessment.
Let’s walk through the various stages of a comprehensive lighting assessment/upgrade program.
(Discovery) site assessment
An as-is or baseline assessment is required to determine the current state of lighting within the facility. To accomplish this effectively, the following items are essential:
1. Numbers and types of luminaires currently in use.
2. What, if any, automated lighting control is currently in use that could be leveraged.
3. A lighting one-line drawing for all lighting systems, if available.
4. Hours of operation (production, occupancy).
5. Square footage of site and building layout.
Site walk
The SI or PSF will help document areas of interest to the building owner. Once there is an agreement on what areas need to be examined, a facility representative with access to these areas will be assigned to conduct the tour. The number of areas that need to be examined and the size of the plant will determine the time needed to accomplish this part of the project.
An information technology (IT) network map will be important to understand where lighting control panels could be located. The lighting control panels typically rely on a facility’s Ethernet and database infrastructure to route, collect, and consolidate data — and for monitoring and control purposes.
Soft data
Interviews are then conducted with the corporate executives, facility engineering staff, and energy management or sustainability team to gain an understanding of the customer’s goals, initiatives, and needs with their facility lighting control systems. Discussions will include ongoing energy programs as well as tax and utility incentives for lighting upgrades. It’s crucial to gather input from key stakeholders whose work life is impacted by lighting.
Deliverables
The facility owner receives a co-authored narrative detailing the as-is state of their complete lighting system, the future state as co-developed during the site-walk and soft data collection, and the analysis of how to get from the current to future state. This report is customized to a specific location, and should be a co-authored document with the building owner, facility manager, and/or sustainability team. The results of the assessment will drive the content and will typically contain the following:
• Co-authored scope of work based on specific lighting controls decisions made during the discovery/site-walk and soft data gathering.
• Initial costs/budgets and estimated life cycle cost to estimate ROI.
• Review of the benefits of design build, design/bid/build, or integrated delivery.
• Project management and scheduling.
- Definition of the project development and management process. This is typically a combination of the three major, proven processes (i.e., Waterfall / Agile / Scrum).
- Definition of the both sides project teams.
- A timeline based on task items with dependencies.
- System design plan.
- Software development life cycle.
- Open items tracking.
- Quality and test plan.
- Checkout, commissioning and validation planning.
Wrapping it all up
Today’s BASs that incorporate advanced lighting controls tied into EMSs lead to more energy-efficient buildings and spaces with happier, more efficient occupants. These systems can be implemented in a cost-effective manner with proper planning and well thought out execution strategies.
The most successful projects begin with a thorough discovery phase followed by a co-authored scope of work and project execution strategy. Building owners and/or facility managers who slow down and manage their projects correctly can undertake these projects and do so with a reasonable ROI. Just remember, empower your collaborative team by focusing on the extremely important items, follow the project development metrics/plan, keep an eagle eye on the schedule, and give your team the responsible freedom to perform their work and hold them accountable.
Mansfield is group manager of the automation and process control division at Faith Technologies, Menasha, Wis. He can be reached at [email protected].
