ASHRAE has assigned its 1,000th vendor ID for its building automation and control networking protocol (BACnet). The recipient is Ekon GmbH located in Bruneck, South Tyrol, Italy.

ASHRAE began assigning vendor IDs to organizations implementing BACnet products with the initial publication of ASHRAE Standard 135: BACnet®-- A Data Communication Protocol for Building Automation and Control Networks in 1995. Standard 135 defines data communication services and protocols for computer equipment used for monitoring and controlling HVACR and other building systems.

The BACnet protocol has been designed specifically to meet the communication needs of building automation and control systems for applications such as HVAC; fire and other life safety and security systems; energy management; lighting control; physical access control and elevator monitoring systems.

“ASHRAE and Standing Standard Project Committee (SSPC) 135 are pleased to welcome Ekon GmbH into the BACnet community, and we thank all of our vendors for their support of the BACnet standard,” said Bernhard Isler, chair of ASHRAE SSPC 135. “Watching the continuous high rate of new BACnet vendor ID assignments from 49 countries shows there is an unbounded global interest in implementing BACnet, making this an exciting time for BACnet. The ongoing maintenance and evolution of Standard 135 continues with support for new application verticals such as lighting and access control and embracing and adopting new network and datalink technologies such as IPv6 and Web Services.”

The BACnet protocol provides mechanisms by which computerized equipment of arbitrary function may exchange information, regardless of the particular building service it performs. As a result, it can be utilized through mobile and cloud-hosted devices, head-end computers, general-purpose direct digital controllers, and application-specific or unitary controllers.

“We are delighted to receive the 1,000th BACnet vendor ID,” says Weidacher Hartwig, CEO for Ekon GmbH. “BACnet enables our customers to better manage everything from heating to ventilation to lighting to fire control and alarm systems.”