North Building Technologies

Building management has been around for some time. In the past, it has been achieved through what were originally Energy Management Systems (EMS) or Building & Energy Management Systems (BEMS). Primarily, BEMS was designed for the control and energy-efficient use of Heating & Ventilation and Air Conditioning systems (HVAC). The increased uptake of BEMS in the nineties brought with it a number of manufacturers whose equipment was flexible enough to allow the monitoring and control of other systems within the building. By the mid-nineties, BEMS was being used to control and monitor these other systems using hard-wired interlocks and overlay hard-wiring. Gradually, BEMS became known as the Building Management System (BMS), an all-encompassing title which denied the fact that the managment of non-HVAC systems was at best rudimentary. BMS has several drawbacks :

• Limited and expensive connections to the secondary systems by the use of hard-wired connections.
• Designed primarily for the control of HVAC plant, and not for the control of non-HVAC technologies.

In the late 20th century, packaged plant overtook the supply and installation of separate plant and engineered solutions, with HVAC equipment such as Air Handling Units (AHU’s) Boilers and Chillers being delivered to site with complex control systems already on-board. At the same time, the development of intelligent Fire Systems, Lighting Control Systems, Elevators, Smoke Control, and Access Control systems continued apace, and nearly all started to provide a communications interface, through which information is available for the total monitoring and control of the system.

This fact alone has impacted the way the communications and management infrastructure for all the systems in the building is being designed. Total Facilities Management (TFM) is a truly integrated technology of it’s own, which was designed from the beginning to allow the management and optimisation of all the microprocessor-based systems installed in a building by the use of the manufacturer's communications interface. TFM puts the BMS back to it’s original use as a HVAC control system and brings the benefits of all the building systems (including HVAC controls) together onto one platform.

TFM provides a number of benefits for the building and it’s owner:

Management

• TFM provides a single point of entry to the complete network of building systems, including all the various disciplines. This allows for the command and control of all systems through a common user interface, utilising modern information technology infrastructures to allow the interaction with the building systems from any location.
• TFM provides the ability to locally or remotely manage non-electronic aspects of facility management. For example, through TFM, a remote user can examine the effectiveness of cleaning strategies and personnel by the use of remote or local CCTV systems. In addition, maintenance issues, such as a sticking door, can be entered into the TFM as a manual incident. These incidents reside alongside electronic system generated incidents on the TFM database for the location.

Cost Benefits

Using this approach, energy management for the complete building becomes a reality. The TFM communicates with all systems in the building and can therefore take advantage of the energy efficiency information available from each of the systems. The system communicates directly with intelligent meters through their own on-board communications for consumption at the electricity, gas or water supplies. Most electrical switch control systems in the building sub-systems already come complete with such systems. For example, a Merlin Gerin electrical distribution system provides communications for electrical consumption, power factor, and efficiency as part of the installed system. Traditionally, extra metering equipment would be installed and wired back to the BEMS using hard-wired inputs. Where multiple sites are concerned, all the information for all the buildings can naturally be gathered at any location within the entire network and used for the procurement of electricity and gas contracts for the whole group. Using this technique of bulk purchasing, enormous energy cost savings can easily be achieved.

As mentioned earlier, the supply and installation of packaged plant including air conditioning, chillers and heating systems overtook the supply of traditionally supplied and installed systems a few years ago. Traditional methods would procure the heating and ventialtion plant (boilers, chillers, air systems, and so on) as separate items from mechanical supply companies. The controls and switchgear for these items would then be tendered and procured from separate control systems engineering companies. Packaged plant comes complete with controls and switchgear on board. This packaged plant has complex microprocessor based controls and a communications interface. The communications interface connects to the TFM and the TFM optimises the operation of the plant by the passing of start/stop signals and set points in conjunction with the complete strategy for the whole building. There is no longer a requirement for the separate procurement of a control system and the expensive associated engineering costs.

Furthermore, all the systems in the building need to be controlled in conjunction with a time schedule and comfort control strategy for the entire building. This strategy effects more than just heating and environmental controls but should naturally include lighting controls, which run on the most expensive utility - electricity. It is not possible for the EMS to perform such optimisation strategies for all the systems within the building. On a time and comfort strategy, the TFM can optimise the comfort levels through the EMS, the operation of the elevators, lifts and lighting control systems in accordance with a global time control profile. In addition, other systems such as access control can be controlled to manage the flow of individuals through the building or complex at certain times of the day.

In terms of maintenance, the use of packaged plant together with an integration interface provides savings which can trim the cost of repairs by up to two thirds by the use of the detailed information available. When the manufacturer's equipment fails, a complete and detailed report is available to inform the management personnel exactly what has gone wrong. This in itself has further benefits:

• There is no longer a requirement for on-site skilled maintenance personnel as the system itself does its own fault-finding. This allows for the centralising of the skill base, directing them to the problems and reducing the number of personnel required.
• When a repair is required, there is no longer the need to go and take a look at what is wrong. The exact part is known at the point of the incident. Most packaged controlled plant will offer a range of fault codes. These codes include critical and non-critical faults. These codes, in conjunction with the manufactures guide lines offer the exact fault and it’s method of rectification.
• When a non-urgent fault is reported, this is used as an alternative to planned maintenance. If a fan belt becomes loose, this will not stop the unit today but will need resolving before a critical fault develops. The reduction or eradication of preventative maintenance, sometimes based on guesswork, is another area for huge savings. In a similar way to most modern vehicles, packaged plant will offer advice as to when and what is required in terms of maintenance.
• The knowledge of the exact part required makes it possible to repair the fault without holding stock of most items.
• Load shedding is available for all systems in the building to control maximum demand for electricity management. For example, the water features can be switched off if there is an impending charge from the electricity supply company if the usage for this half hour period exceeds the agreed level. A system of priority load-shedding can also be employed as part of the TFM.

Multi-Site communications

TFM is based on modern communications infrastructures. These infrastructures allow the total control of the building and it’s performance management from any location in the world. World-wide networks are no longer a dream and these technologies are harnessed within TFM. This approach allows for the centralising of management and command and control at any location across the system - in other words - from any building. It is possible for the skill base to manage and control the connected systems from any building location to any other building location. There is no longer a need for dedicated rooms for the operation and management of the buildings and should one location become unavailable for the management, another location can be used immediately. In the current world-wide climate of vigilance against terrorist activity, this is now becoming essential.

Ged Tyrrell is Managing Director of Tyrrell Systems Ltd, a North Approved Systems Partner. Tyrrell Systems provide advanced integrated Total Facilities Management solutions to end-users and OEMs. You can contact Ged at ged.tyrrell@tyrrellsystems.com.

The views expressed in this article are not necessarily the same as those held by North Building Technologies Ltd.

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