College, university building automation and controls

College and university campus buildings have a lot going on—classes, research, dining, and sleeping. Building automation systems must be carefully specified to control the systems within these buildings.

CSE: What factors do you need to take into account when designing building automation systems (BAS) for colleges and universities?

Hassler: One key factor to having a successful energy management system is good service and knowledgeable technicians from your vendor(s). Alarms management, scheduling, what to trend, sample frequency, how long to keep it, and managing the data require different strategies on large campuses compared to a single building. If third-party software is used for integration, then programming is required by the integration vendor also and would need to be included in the project.

Slater: Understanding the needs from the campus is a critical step to ensuring a successful BAS system that will be used. BAS systems have several capabilities that offer control and monitoring to a multitude of building systems. Working with the client may only unveil that they may just want to schedule equipment and alert personnel to critical events. The end result would be a satisfied client that is able to generate financial savings.

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