Schneider Electric : Importance of an Effective Building Management System

Building management systems are essential for large-sized facilities like data centers, hotels, schools and colleges, hospitals, offices, commercial establishments, etc. let's say you are the manager of a large building with several rooms. Every room is fitted with numerous lights and fans. They each have an entertainment system, air conditioners, heaters and other devices that run on electricity. As the building manager, it is your responsibility to reduce energy wastage, reduce unnecessary maintenance costs, and add to the longevity of the devices and the building.

Wouldn't you be exhausted at the end of the day trying to achieve these aims? You would have to employ a considerable number of employees who will take care of individual floors. Not to mention, there is always a probability of human error, and the personnel may forget to check one room. It could lead to energy wastage for as long as this goes unnoticed. It seems like a pretty daunting task. Well, this is why we have building management systems.

What Is A Building Management System?

A BMS System is also known as Building Automation System (BAS). It is a centralised control and monitoring network that is computer based. It helps facility managers to monitor and manage critical power equipment like HVAC, lighting, surveillance systems, fire systems, etc. Building management helps smart buildings become power efficient and reduce operational and maintenance costs. It is a combination of specific software and hardware that automates the flow of operational data and communication between the operators and the devices.

With building management systems, you can enjoy benefits like:

• Centralised control over devices in a building to achieve higher energy efficiency, reduce energy wastage, and understand energy consumption patterns. With building automation systems, you can also customise the control according to your requirements.
• Ensure a comfortable environment inside the building that is consistent and safe for occupants.
• Receive important energy-related data like device performance and utility reading, etc., that will help you identify loopholes and make better decisions related to the management of your facility.
• Reduce the involvement of human resources, eliminating the chances of errors and preventing the job from becoming expensive and cumbersome.
• Receive alarms and notifications about possible faults and prevent hazardous accidents.
• Control devices in the building and monitor them remotely.
• It stores energy data for future use.

Conclusion

Due to these unique benefits, we see a rise in the demand for smart buildings. This is chiefly because of the fact that we are running out of resources while the population is growing steadily. Today, we have advanced building management systems that combine the power of IoT to offer better and improved services. With these systems, you can even control and monitor areas like the gallery, parking space, and building corridors.

Schneider Electric India recently introduced their future buildings and latest building management solution- EcoStruxure ™ Building Operation. This solution provides functions like alarm supervision, control logic, trend logging and ensures connectivity and communication to field buses. To know more, visit them today!