The Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy of the Department of Energy defines building automation systems as “control systems that consist of sensors and actuators that are programmed using control logic to monitor and regulate the operation of building equipment and systems (e.g., HVAC, lighting, and plug loads) in a coordinated fashion to optimize performance and energy use.”
Building automation and control systems have been growing in popularity in recent years. An article in Electrical Contractor magazine gave differing estimates as to the size of the market, with one report speculating a growth of $98.6 billion by 2022 and another estimating growth of $100.6 billion by 2022. Despite these differing figures, what remains certain is that there will be considerable growth in building automation systems in the near future, much of which can be attributed to the savings it affords building owners and operators in time and money.
Below, we outline five of them:
Greater energy efficiency
It comes as no surprise that the regulation building automation systems (BAS) provide yields noticeable savings in energy costs. Since the sensors, sub-meters, meters, and other methods of monitoring energy usage can be manipulated remotely, the facility manager is able to set whatever controls are best for the building depending on the needs of its occupants, and in that way avoid the waste that comes from manually operating the systems in a building.
Lower maintenance costs
Building automation and control systems help lower your maintenance costs by giving you greater insights into the health of the equipment in your building or facility. Through predictive maintenance, that is, by setting your BAS system to alert you when a malfunction has occurred, or even when signs leading to a previous malfunction are reoccurring, you can save time (and money) on repairs.
Travel costs
With building automation and control systems, you eliminate the need for manual system checks, which can save you time and money, especially if you operate multiple facilities. The insight gained from the system can also be conveyed to repair personnel before they show up on-site, meaning that there’s less time running diagnostics or returning to the site for the appropriate repair equipment and more time addressing the cause of the equipment failure.
Improved longevity of building systems
A working building automation system will help prolong the life of your building equipment since you will be carrying out maintenance as soon as they are due and long before they can fall into disrepair and cause lasting damage. You’ll be saving money on having to replace expensive equipment.
Increased building comfort
You may not think that the comfort of building occupants has anything to do with your bottom line, but building automation systems improve the indoor air quality in a building, leading to greater productivity among workers. Moreover, happier and healthier employees cost companies less in sick time and turnover. If your building is residential, you will experience less turnover from building residents, saving you vacancy costs, and other costs associated with tenant turnover.
Would you like to find out what it would take to install a building automation and control system in the Culpeper, VA, and surrounding areas? Contact us today for a quick consultation.
