Building automation is experiencing exponential growth rates across the globe, with 60 per cent of the market growth going into commercial applications.
The development of this market is outlined in the March edition of Climate Control News magazine which will be available later this month. The feature examines the latest trends in HVAC integration, BIM, sustainability, standards development and environmental technology.
A common integration approach which is becoming standard practice is building automation and control systems (BACS) integrated with HVAC sub-systems such as chiller plants, fan coil systems and rooftop units.
Several building automation systems are being integrated together, mostly within multi-building sites, establishing central monitoring and control.
BACS integrated with other systems such as lighting, access controls and fire is seen in smaller-scaled projects and is still considered a relatively small market.
It is rare for BACS to be integrated into other enterprise systems, such as the accounting system, HR software, or reporting dashboards.
However, some IT applications are being implemented for reporting purposes. For example, there has been a dramatic rise in building energy management systems (BEMS) computer-based software for controlling and monitoring the energy usage of building sensors.
In Europe this market is growing at a rate of 15 per cent per year.
The market is defined by two groups – building automation companies that have developed their own BEMS to augment and supplement their BACS, and in the second group, stand-alone systems and software with a standard interface able to talk to any BACS company or protocol or connected to the smart meter.
There is also plenty of market activity in Asia. Smart buildings will double in size by 2020 in this region with China controlling half of the market with 36 'Smart Cities'. Rapid urbanisation is a massive driver.
BEMS is highly competitive segment of the market, made up of hundreds of vendors offering thousands of products aimed at using building-related energy data to reduce energy costs.
These offerings vary based on the types of data sources used, the algorithms that analyse that data, and the ways in which the data is presented and reported.
Vendors have historically focused on BEMS based on a single source (building automation system (BAS) data, utility bills, operational data, etc.), but an increasing number of players are looking to integrate multiple data sets into powerful, enterprise-level energy management platforms.
To date, the two main functions of a BEMS have been energy visualisation and energy analytics to provide basic dashboard views and recommendations regarding potential energy conservation measures.
These will remain the foundation of BEMS in the future. However, other applications, such as demand response, operations/facility management, continuous commissioning, energy procurement, and rapid energy modelling, are starting to enhance and differentiate certain vendors’ BEMS offerings.
In the future, it is thought that BEMS will serve an important role in enhancing building-to-grid and vehicle-to-building interconnections through the intelligent use of digital building-related energy data.