In our previous blog we explained how a Building Management System (BMS) teamed with Energy data can make a positive difference to your building’s energy efficiency. Here we will go into more detail about the energy saving potential and benefits SIPinsight Energy & Building Information Software (EBIS) can bring to your building.

We have discussed in previous blogs, there is an array of building technology solutions available that can make your building smart, or more intelligent. While there are plenty of options available, the only way to get the best value from these solutions and systems is to deploy them in a way that will help you continuously make improvements to how your building operates. It can be all too easy to install a BMS in your building and sit back and feel that you have done the right thing, and all will work well. Investing in a BMS is most definitely a step in the right direction. However, if you’re truly serious about making meaningful changes to your building’s energy consumption, real, actionable information is required. This information is gained from the building’s data, but before detailed analysis can take place you need to have all the data in one place.

Building managers have access to a vast amount of data, but it only becomes information if it can be properly understood. As technology has evolved, building managers find themselves in a situation where they have numerous different systems operating independently, resulting in the building’s data coming from various sources. This can lead to confusion, longer term energy wastage and the building performing inefficiently. A system which pulls all this data together, such as SIPinsight EBIS from Synapsys Solutions, takes the different data sets and provides a single source of comprehensive data which can be properly analysed.

With SIPinsight EBIS, a building manager can quickly view a wide range of information, with the data being displayed on charts of the user’s preference (e.g. bar chart, line graph etc). Going back to the ‘dashboard’ analogy in our previous blog, the easy-to-read format allows the building manager to make comparisons on energy use, or information on the energy used by core services such as communal areas or lifts. Comparisons can also be made across different buildings in an estate and for the provision of energy usage by type, such as separating the respective energy demands from light and power. By identifying how, when and where a building uses the most energy the manager can develop an effective control strategy that can be tested and implemented to maximise energy saving potential

In order to achieve and exceed the targets that governments and organisations are setting themselves, building owners and managers must make wise choices when selecting the technology systems for their building.

Perhaps it’s time you discovered how SIPinsight EBIS can unlock the real energy-saving potential behind your building’s data.

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Commercial buildings are dynamic entities with constantly changing occupancy and needs. Managing the building’s energy consumption therefore requires continuous improvement – but in order to achieve this real information is required. The widespread adoption of Building Management Systems (BMS) in commercial buildings has for a long time been considered as the route to achieving energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption. This is true in some respects because a BMS that is well designed, installed and commissioned can be invaluable in ensuring that all of the building services are integrated to operate in the most efficient manner possible. However, although a building with a BMS will acquire data, the BMS is really only responsible for running the plant.

In practice, not all BMS operate efficiently all of the time. When they are first installed, and assuming they have been commissioned well, they are using the most up to date information… but a building changes over time. In addition, while they do provide an abundance of data, they are not designed to analyse the data. A typical BMS will provide excellent 24/7 control of a building and once programmed they will run through the control cycle efficiently. But the long term efficiency of a building relies on the input of good data to the BMS. If changes are not made to the BMS, set points aren’t updated or data isn’t acted upon, the BMS is no longer keeping the building operating at optimum efficiency.

In addition, it is quite common to find that individual pieces of building services plant (such as the boiler and the air conditioning plant) each has its own set of controls which are connected to the BMS. If they weren’t commissioned to operate together or weren’t commissioned for seasonal change, even if they are being centrally operated by the BMS, the building will not operate at peak efficiency.

It is important to recognise that a BMS is primarily about real time control of the building’s plant, such as HVAC, lighting, power systems and fire and security systems, but these systems are not designed to deal with historical data or report that data. In order to make meaningful changes to a commercial building simply acquiring the data through the BMS is not enough. The data has to be processed and interpreted, and for it to have any real effect an easy to use system, such as our own SIPinsight Energy & Building Information Software (EBIS) is required; pulling in all the available data from both the BMS and energy data from meters or monitoring systems.

In the same way that it would be unwise to drive a car without a dashboard, it is very hard to run a commercial building efficiently and Reduce energy consumption without access to a dashboard, which provides vital information about what is happening in the building. The SIPinsight EBIS is therefore the car dashboard, allowing you to see all of the data and accurately direct your car based on the information you are given. The BMS is the steering wheel which allows you to direct your car by telling it what to do. Perhaps it’s time you steered your building towards better energy management with SIPinsight EBIS.