| Feature
Smart Savings!
With technology advancing at the speed of light, it has made
inroads into our living spaces too. With the number of working
couples on the rise, smart home solutions have become the
need of the hour. The latest revolution in technology offers
you the luxury of automating the daily niceties in your immediate
or distant environment. Today, a smart building controlled
by a building automation system is referred to as an intelligent
building system. The biggest advantage of building automation
is its capability to save energy. A building automation system
controls energy-consuming equipment in a building to reduce
energy use while maintaining a comfortable environment. This
is one of the biggest factors driving its growth, especially
in the commercial sector. However, it is yet to catch on wholeheartedly
among all commercial building managers as some of them are
still unsure about prospective energy-savings benefits and
first costs. A building automation system might go into a
building that has no existing system, replace outdated pneumatic
controls, or replace an existing direct digital control system,
but ultimately energy savings will depend on how inefficiently
the building was operating before installation.
Understanding building automation
The term 'building automation' actually describes the functionality
provided by the control system. The control system is a computerised,
intelligent network of electronic devices, designed to monitor
and control the mechanical and lighting systems in a building.
So, it is very possible to make some generalisations about
cost savings. This can give energy managers who are considering
implementation of a building automation system a place to
start and help them work with energy providers to attain financial
support. So, building management systems can also aptly be
called energy management systems. They may incorporate energy-efficiency
measures in any or all of the following areas:
Controllers
Occupancy sensors
Lighting, air handlers
Constant volume air handling units
VAV hybrid systems
Central plant
Chilled water systems
Condenser water system
Hot water system alarms and security
Room automation
It is also important for commercial building managers to
realise the core functionality of building automation systems.
The core functionality keeps the building climate within a
specified range; provides lighting based on an occupancy schedule;
monitors system performance and device failures; and provides
email or text notifications to building engineering staff.
It also reduces building energy and maintenance costs compared
to a non-controlled building. Other features that can be included
in the system are maintenance planning, fire and physical
safety functions, and security services.
How much does it save?
The biggest energy need in a building is electricity, which
is met through the captive power plant built within the compound.
The high consumption of electricity is the result of air-conditioning,
lighting and running other utilities such as safety and security
systems. An effective energy management system functions by
proper integration of all four parameters. When it comes to
saving energy, it is also quite natural to use sunlight and
accordingly adjust internal lighting so that adequate intensity
of lighting is provided for maximum comfort.
Studies show that the implementation of building management
systems has helped companies to achieve annual savings of
more than 30 per cent. In case of older or poorly maintained
buildings, these savings can be even higher. Building automation
systems also cut down on work staff costs by allowing companies
to manage all their systems from one building and reduce maintenance
costs by helping plant managers monitor building equipment
performance. Even more significantly, they reduce the cost
of operations by increasing employee comfort.
Quality control
It is also important to know that only installing a building
automation system may not guarantee energy savings and cost
reductions. One must also focus on commissioning-the quality
control aspect of a building automation system. This process
is necessary, especially for buildings with LEED certification.
Commissioning includes reviews and detailed inspections throughout
the design and construction process as well as rigorous performance
tests that move the system through its sequences of operation
before the building is occupied.
It is also vital to ensure that the system continues to work
properly over time. There must be periodic verification of
energy consumption data and other aspects throughout the lifecycle
of a building. This helps to identify failures or malfunction
in the system. So, building managers must implement this process
from the very beginning to further boost energy efficiency.
Tech today
As Internet and IT technologies have become more affordable,
building automation systems are using them to give real-time
access and control over systems through web browsers. One
area of facilities management that building automation systems
have proven especially useful for is energy procurement. Building
management systems let companies extract critical energy data
from their systems for analysis regarding energy procurement.
And while most commercial organisations are opting for building
automation systems to save costs, other significant benefits
include greater convenience, privacy, security, control and
aesthetics. Indeed, the expanded use of the Internet and other
IT technologies gives plant managers the ability to define
an ever increasing number of areas and comfort ranges to best
suit climate control requirements. In days to come, building
automation systems are expected to become even more intelligent
with technologies like web services having a greater impact
on the system. With this, the concept will further penetrate
into the commercial as well as residential space.
About the author:
Emmanuel Cantegrel is General Manager, Somfy.
Super strategies
Here are strategies building automation systems use to save
energy:
Scheduling: Scheduling turns equipment on or off depending
on time of day, day of the week, day type, or other variables
such as outdoor air conditions.
Lockouts: Lockouts ensure that equipment doesn't turn on unless
it's necessary. For example, a chiller and its associated
pumps can be locked out according to calendar date, when the
outdoor air falls below a certain temperature, or when building
cooling requirements are below a minimum.
Resets: When equipment operates at greater capacity than necessary
to meet building loads, it wastes energy. A BAS can ensure
equipment operates at the minimum needed capacity by automatically
resetting operating parameters to match current weather conditions.
For example, as the outdoor air temperature decreases, the
chilled water temperature can be reset to a higher value.
Diagnostics: Building operators who use a BAS to monitor information
such as temperatures, flows, pressures, and actuator positions
may use that data to determine whether equipment is operating
incorrectly or inefficiently, and to troubleshoot problems.
Some systems also use the data to automatically provide maintenance
bulletins.
Key facts
• 40 to 48 per cent of total energy is consumed by
buildings
• 35 per cent is consumed by lights
• 40 per cent is consumed by HVAC (heating, ventilation
and air-conditioning)
• The oil reserve in India is estimated to last for
just 19 more years
• 86 per cent of oil consumed in India is imported
• 35 per cent of power consumption in a building is
on account of lighting
• 40 per cent of power consumption in a building is
on account of AC systems
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