A Building Automation System Overview:

The term Building Automation refers to an intelligent network of programmable controllers and a software package running on a standalone or networked server that monitors and controls the mechanical heating, the ventilation and air conditioning equipment, and indoor and outdoor lighting in a building. The primary function of a building automation system or energy management system is to increase the efficiency of a building and reduces energy and maintenance costs.

A BAS system’s main goal is to provide a much more efficient way of heating and cooling your building and aside from the environment impact that comes with that (which could be substantial) it saves a tremendous amount of money/resources and over time it will more than pay for itself.

Building Automation systems optimize the performance and maintenance of multiple building control systems including:

• Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) – These systems include central plants, air handling units, package units and fan coils.
• Lighting systems – including indoor and outdoor systems.
• Metering systems – including electrical meters, gas meters and BTU meters.

There are two major components to building automation systems; the user interface software and the controller. The user interface is typically a computer based graphical software application that allows the user to interface with the system and provides the user full control over the building automation system.

A controller is an electronic device that monitors and changes the operations of a specific system. The operational conditions include output variables of the system which can be affected by adjusting certain inputs. For example, an HVAC system in a commercial building can be equipped with a controller for sensing air temperature (output variable) which can turn on or off a heater when the air temperature becomes too high or too low. These controllers come in a wide range of sizes and varying functionalities that control several devices in a building.

Thank you for your patronage,

The MidwestBAS Team