Essential Aspects of a BMS: Bridging Technology & Infrastructure

By Brian Uher

CONVERGING TECHNOLOGY & INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT

A Building Management System (BMS), the computer program that orchestrates the mechanical operations in a building or buildings, is the point of convergence between technology and infrastructure management. This is where the physical becomes digital, and analog information like temperatures and motor speeds becomes data. A BMS, therefore, plays a pivotal role in the operational efficiency, comfort, and sustainability of modern buildings, offering the operational advantage of integrating data and the point of contact for new tools and technologies. Likewise, such wins come at a price: a BMS introduces vulnerabilities and maintenance challenges that must be carefully considered and addressed. In this blog series, we will outline the essential aspects of a BMS, discuss its vulnerabilities, and look at its dual role in cost creation and cost control.

CREATING A ROBUST BMS

In this first of three posts, we outline the aspects of building management systems that are essential for the system to operate at full potential and where success is needed to create a truly robust BMS.

Step 1, Integration and interoperability: Perhaps the most fundamental aspect of the BMS is the integration of components that enables interoperability or coordination of their operation. By wiring together or integrating the building’s heating, ventilation, cooling (and other equipment) sensors, other monitoring devices, and the building automation computer system, the equipment can be operated coherently. It is operated with reference to other equipment and what those components are doing. This integration is key to optimizing building performance and energy efficiency and monitoring indoor conditions like temperature, humidity, and air quality. Once this is achieved, the advantages of a BMS become real.
Step 2, Real-time monitoring and control: The integration now allows the BMS computer system to provide real-time monitoring and control of building operations. This enables immediate adjustments in operational parameters to improve efficiency and occupant comfort and to provide a data flow from the BMS to inform maintenance and other operations. Also important, the BMS system is a source for trend or longitudinal data; the time series data for the points of control, sensor outputs (like temperature or motor speed), and other connections to equipment are the basis for analyzing and troubleshooting the building operations.
Step 3, Data collection and analysis: The BMS can be programmed with limited analytics and alarm tools and will provide a solid foundation for managing operations. However, the BMS needs to connect to a system capable of processing vast amounts of data from sensors and subsystems to provide granular monitoring and alerts for optimizing the building’s operations and maintenance. Most often, this involves rolling the data up to larger databases. Doing so supplies the data for advanced building analytics and services. These advanced analytics systems have various names – energy management systems (EMIS), fault detection and diagnostics (FDD), and others. They all use data to generate answers to questions and support operational improvement. It is all collectively known as “smart buildings.” This data is invaluable for making informed and sometimes predictive decisions about building operations, including workorder automation, proactive maintenance, and forecasting future needs, including capital planning.
Step 4, User interface and accessibility: The user interface is perhaps the most overlooked and critical aspect of a BMS (and, by association, the smart building tools that sit on top of the BMS data). Their effectiveness begins and ends with its User Interface (UI). It bears repeating: the ability to maximize return on investment hinges on usability since people make things happen in buildings. An intuitive UI ensures facility managers can easily access, interpret, and act on the data. A set of smart tools that immediately provide intelligible and actionable information shifts the building management job from frustrating to interactive and seamless. While a BMS is not a substitute for well-functioning equipment, it is necessary to make managing a large building more like driving a race car and less like suffering in commuter traffic.

The BMS is the foundation for building energy efficiency and smart building tools. It must be executed thoughtfully and deliberately and maintained like your operational success depends on it—because it does. Stay tuned for our next blog in the series, where we delve into the vulnerabilities of BMS and how to manage them effectively.