Building Automation Systems

and their role in

Energy Management

Steven E. Jones
The S4 Group Inc.

© 2017The S4The
© 2017 Group, Inc. Inc.
S4 Group,
1
Early Building Automation Systems
(post pneumatic systems)
 A network of dedicated computers, controllers,
sensors, valves, fans, etc.
 Focused on Occupant comfort, i.e. Heating and
Cooling
 Primarily Non-residential
 Every manufacturer used proprietary technology
 The strategy: Get into a building at any cost, bill for
service, and support forever

Little, or no, emphasis on efficiency

© 2017 The S4 Group, Inc.

 The Evolution of Building Automation
Energy Efficiency Driven By The Convergence of Stove Piped Systems

 Heating  Daylighting
 Cooling  Fire & Smoke Control
 Air Flow  Emergency
 IAQ Communications
 Security  Transport

 Lighting  Door and Window Status

 Occupancy  Communications

 Parking  Employee Comfort

 Free Cooling  Building to Grid
 Electronic Signage  Demand-Response
All Monitored, Controlled, and Coordinated by the
BAS!
© 2017 The S4 Group, Inc.
 Free Cooling
 Economizer technology has been available for many
years
 Renewed interest because of its ability to deliver
cooling without chillers running
 Needed to improve IAQ
◦ Technology is necessary to control CO2 levels
 Opening the windows is not always practical or
possible!
 Utility companies are offering significant incentives
Immediate cost savings
Better IAQ resulting in higher employee productivity
Possible incentives depending on location

4 © 2017 The S4 Group, Inc.

 Lighting Upgrades
 Conversion to LED saves bundles (low hanging
fruit)
 Occupancy detection can save even more by

interfacing to other subsystems

 Daylighting and skylights minimize the demand
 Automated blinds and translucent controllable

windows let nature do the heavy lifting

 Again, utility companies are offering incentives

Immediate significant cost savings

Possible incentives depending on location
5 © 2017 The S4 Group, Inc.
 Energy Storage Technologies
 Ice storage leverages off-peak rate hours
 Battery storage technologies minimize the load on the
grid during peak rate hours
 Flywheel Technologies
 Use the stored energy during peak hours
 Reasonable approaches when alternative energy sources
are not available
Converting / storage uses more energy but results in
lower rates

6 © 2017 The S4 Group, Inc.

 Alternate / Renewable Energy
 Solar
 Wind

 Waves
 Hydro Electric?

 Co generation

 Fuel Cells
 Good for the environment

 Love / hate relationship with power companies

Remove dependence on grid power generation

Supports off-grid installations
Provides backup capacity
Incentives or selling excess power to the grid may be a source of
income

7 © 2017 The S4 Group, Inc.

 Demand Response
 Automated curtailment or decrease in demand on
command from the utility
 Better understanding of usage through power

metering and BAS helps make good decisions

Helps utility shave peak loads and avoids construction

of new generation capacity
You are moving demand not lowering overall energy
usage
Significant incentives for participation (even if you are
not called upon to decrease demand)
8 © 2017 The S4 Group, Inc.
 Improved Metering and Monitoring
 Improves control decisions and algorithms
 IoT has a big play here
 Wireless technology allows metering where previously not
possible
 Huge increase in data volumes (Big Data)
 Opens the door for analytics, energy management,
continuous commissioning, and other value added
applications
 Occupancy detection and integration to access control /
security systems can return big benefits
You cannot control what you do not monitor!

9 © 2017 The S4 Group, Inc.

 Cloud Based Systems
 Energy Management
 Analytics
 Continuous Commissioning
 Hotel Property Management Systems
 Tenant Management Systems
 Driving the need for Tagging technology
 Cost effective
 Universal access
 Accelerating change driven by IoT and Big data
 Examples: ecobee wireless stats, Comfy, SkySpark, Coppertree,
Applications
Opendiem, Cube,provide the potential
and a growing to improve
list of others
operational efficiency
Training and commitment to utilize determine what is
actually realized
10 © 2017 The S4 Group, Inc.
 System Re-commissioning
 Correcting shortcuts taken during the installation
process can result in significant savings
 Retro-commissioning of older systems can bring them
back into optimal operational condition and save money
 Continuous commissioning applications tune HVAC
systems and controls in real time producing optimal
results

Investing in tuning up your installation can significantly

improve efficiency

11 © 2017 The S4 Group, Inc.

Standards Facilitate Efficiency and
Interoperability
 The Building Automation industry was formed
around proprietary solutions
 This started to change in June of 1987 when the first

meeting of Standard Project Committee (SPC) 135P

took place at the ASHRAE Annual Meeting in
Nashville, Tennessee.
 Standards facilitate efficiency, interoperability,

competition, and innovation

To be effective, standards need to evolve to meet new

needs and demands

© 2017 The S4 Group, Inc.

 The Promise of BACnet
Building Automation Control network
 BACnet ensures interoperability between devices of different
manufacturers if
◦ all participants in a project agree on certain BACnet interoperability building
blocks (BIBBs) defined by the standard. A BIBB defines the services and
procedures that have to be supported at the server and client end to implement
a particular system requirement.
◦ The protocol implementation conformance statement (PICS) accompanying a
device lists all supported BIBBs, object types, character sets and options in
communication.
 an ASHRAE, ANSI, and ISO standard protocol

© 2017 The S4 Group, Inc.

BACnet International's Objectives

 Support BACnet conformance certification

 Sustain and fund the BACnet Test Lab (BTL)
 Promote interoperability and compliance with the BACnet Standard
 Disseminate the latest information about BACnet technology
 Maintain a single Web site that displays all BTL listed products
 Organize educational events that teach about BACnet standards
 Publicize successful BACnet implementations
 Market and promote the use of BACnet
 Work with other BACnet Interest Groups and other organizations to
promote and improve BACnet 
 New Offering: BACnet Training Institute http
://www.thebacnetinstitute.org

© 2017 The S4 Group, Inc.

Legacy to Open System Migration
(Gateway and Router Technologies)
 S4 Group offering
 Johnson Controls’ Metasys® has been a market leader for many years
◦ Historically based on proprietary protocols
◦ Tightly controlled documentation for legacy protocols
 The S4 Open: BACnet-N2 Router publishes all available information
to BACnet.
 Enables development of single seat operations
 Enables the use of modern applications on legacy systems
 Facilitates the transition to open technologies
 Discussions underway with utility companies about potential rebate
program involving S4 integrations

Enabling technology that facilitates cost effective

upgrading legacy buildings
© 2017 The S4 Group, Inc.
 Share your Ideas and
Experience
What has worked for you?

16 © 2017 The S4 Group, Inc.