Building Automation

Simply put, building automation is the digital control of a building. A link is created between multiple systems with the goal of automating and improving all processes within a building and making them more user-friendly. Automating and making processes more efficient is getting increasingly essential and (therefore) increasingly complex. Other developments like the Internet of Things (IoT) have led to major changes in the field of building automation

Thanks to IoT, devices and systems are interconnected and can be programmed and centrally controlled in user-friendly ways. Buildings are becoming smarter and are Smart Buildings now: buildings known for ease of use and a safer, more positive working environment and atmosphere. A big additional benefit is that this saves a considerable amount of time and money. In short, building automation is an efficient total solution.

The basis of building automation includes data and energy management. In addition to Smart Buildings and Internet of Things, the terms IT (Information Technology) and big data are common in building automation. Data are crucial to any automation. The need for data within the utility is increasing, as is the need for the proper interpretation and integration of all data in processes and systems. Good collaboration between Building Automation and IT will automatically display the huge flow of data in dashboards to control processes. Or in other words, important decisions are made automatically based on data.

So, Building Automation truly reveals the real value of data. The combination with energy management will show any high (hidden) energy consumption and other energy problems. You may find that staff in one department always leave their computers on. Or that on certain floors the lights are not turned off at night. In other words, you will have new insights into the energy consumption of a floor, building or multiple locations and discover the potential for savings.

Building automation in the form of building management systems (BMS) and energy registration and monitoring systems (EBS) helps to discover and exploit this potential. Both BMS systems and EBS systems are primarily aimed at automatic control of devices and minimum energy consumption of systems. In addition, they focus on providing a healthy, safe and comfortable working environment within buildings. These smart systems provide insight into the distribution of the total energy consumption over the building (which HVAC systems, climate control systems, etc.

are present?), the habits of all users (for example, how many people are present in the office every day and how often are meeting rooms used?) and the technical installations (for example, what is the energy consumption of the canteen and what is the energy consumption of the entire 1st floor?). By applying home automation based on the results, systems like lighting and ventilation can be computerized. Consider, for example, motion detectors that automatically turn on lights when they detect motion.

Applying building automation and home automation creates coherence between network infrastructure, operating systems and applications. Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), Programmable Automation Controllers (PACs) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and CODESYS software, can be used to program and control systems in a user-friendly manner. PLCs and PACs are simple and user-friendly to program, CODESYS and SCADA are highly user-friendly, scalable and flexible native software types, and OPC UA is an open source and easily extensible data exchange standard that allows effortless connection of different systems. Systems like turning lights on and off at certain fixed times are controlled by pre-programmed logical circuits and conditions. When building automation is used optimally, the data may be communicated through BACnet, Modbus, M-bus, 4G, KNX or Ethernet and data such as energy management is visualized and analyzed. In this way, there is consistency between network infrastructure, operating systems and applications.And we can turn every building into a Smart Building. What are the benefits of building automation? As mentioned, the biggest benefit is the time as well as cost savings it provides.

This is because user costs can be saved and fewer staff are needed. The security of a building is also improved considerably; you can determine who has access to certain areas and when. And you may computerize the fire protection system which makes for a safer building. Another priority in building automation is sustainability. Computerizing systems like lighting, blinds, ventilation and heating through home automation and the use of solar panels, will eignificantly reduce the energy consumption of a building. Good for our environment! In this aspect building automation fits in perfectly with society’s desire for continuous availability in a sustainable manner. Last but not least, employee productivity will increase. The working environment is improved due to better air quality and optimal temperature control. Also, the ease of use of all installations present in a building increases significantly. These systems are interconnected and they can be controlled remotely by means of mobile devices, wherever and whenever the user wants. This gives the user complete freedom. What if the user needs to make any changes at a later stage? Changes are easy to make through to the application of PLCs, PACs, CODESYS, SCADA and OPC UA and other systems as mentioned.

Investment costs of implementing building automation can be significant. You can choose to automate all systems in a building, but you may also start small with only lightning, for example. In short: building automation as it suits you best. Investments in building automation, in whatever form, will be recouped quickly with processes that are much

more efficient and more time and cost effective than without any form of automation. Are you thinking of improving or applying Building Automation within your company? We would be happy to advise you on the products and software types that are ideal for your situation. Contact us directly.