Building Automation Systems

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Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA) Proplan has been doing market studies in the building controls segment since the 1980s, and one of the main issues we come across often is the confusing terminology the industry is using when referring to building controls and energy management software.

It makes sense that monitoring energy consumption enables more control over the amount spent on energy. Doing this effectively, however, is not as simple as it sounds.

A look back and a look forward is how Trane is celebrating a century in the HVAC business this year. In addition to multiple employee-celebration events across the country, Trane invited members of the trade press to tour its facilities in White Bear Lake, Minn., recently.

The Universal Communication Gateway is an external, high-performance, low-cost building automation multiprotocol gateway for integrating boiler/burner controls into building management systems. 

The chillers at Broward Health Medical Center were not achieving the kW per ton for which they were rated — a serious problem that they had not been aware of before, and which had probably cost them over $1 million in excess energy use since installation. 

It’s no secret sensors play a critical role in building automation operation and efficiency. Their impact and effectiveness will depend on how the sensors correlate with other devices and components across the greater HVAC system. This requires some emphasis on effective design attributes and integration strategies.