| Building management systems |
|
|
|
| Written by Alan Aldridge, Executive Director, ESTA, July 2004 | |
|
In responding to current energy-based legislation, building performance could be compromised without well-trained and resourced active management. One solution is Contract Energy Management (CEM), which has resources in the form of knowledge, building services management expertise and available funding.
Modern buildings include in their design, almost by default, a variety of management systems aimed at producing a building that operates efficiently and that means at the lowest operating cost. Included in 'management systems' are: building management and control, metering, monitoring and targeting, CCTV and security, fire alarms and more. In a majority of cases, these systems find themselves in a tug-of-war with organisations seeking to evaluate whole life costs in order to determine their role and scope, while at the other end of the rope are contractors concentrating on installing each system at the lowest cost to them within the shortest time. The considerations of the client who requires a productive working environment that is easily managed are so often conveniently ignored. ESTA maintains that in many cases the very structure of construction contracts work against the interest of the client. Therefore, it would be reasonable to go back to basics and see why these systems are used, their role and the benefits that they bring to users. Safe and productiveThe primary role of building services and their management systems is to provide a safe, productive working environment. When regarding the building as an asset, building services and management systems are there to protect the building from damage, as caused by frost for example, and to provide some degree of support to ensure that the building fabric does not deteriorate through mould and damp. This frequently requires automatic actions to be taken outside of normal occupation hours.Similarly, the business needs protection from internal environmental elements, whether it is storage of documents, keeping machinery in prime condition or ensuring that the IT system stays operational through a wide variety of supply conditions. Personnel and visitor safety is a legal requirement which impacts on fire alarm, evacuation and ventilation systems. CCTV and other security systems have the ability to keep a business operational through the early identification and management of acts of terrorism, vandalism and sabotage. Security also means continuity of the business operation and an uninterrupted services supply is often the lifeline of a business. For example, a services failure in an insurance company or travel agency that leaves them isolated can cause hundreds of thousands of pounds in lost revenue. The workspace is serviced by the HVAC and electrical systems and monitoring their individual performance and their interaction with other systems will minimise the risk of failure or performance deterioration. Finally, providing a comfortable environment for staff, visitors and customers is paramount. Surveys have shown that often up to 85 per cent of running costs are related to staff, while in retail, hospitality and leisure outlets it is a well-known fact that poorly serviced customers rarely return. Reducing emissionsThe Government programme for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions is on course to meet the Kyoto targets of 12.5 per cent, but the internal 20 per cent CO2 target is at risk. The current measures that impact on building and process operations and for which management systems are an essential tool are Climate Change Agreements (soon to be extended), Emissions Trading (soon to be the EU scheme), Energy Performance of Building Directive (to result in substantial updates in building regulations and including building energy certification or labelling), and an EU Energy Services Directive.However, even with these measures it appears that in order to achieve the Government's 20 per cent CO2 target additional measures will be required and it is very likely that business and the non-housing public sector will be asked to make major cuts. When responding to legislation it should be remembered that no matter how efficient the building technology is (e.g. natural ventilation, heat pumps, VSD, etc.), building performance will be severely compromised if due attention is not paid to providing well-trained and resourced active management. ESTA has many examples of buildings that, given sustained management attention for just a few months, have produced anywhere between 25-55 per cent energy savings. The Energy White Paper's view is that energy efficiency is the "cheapest, cleanest and safest way of addressing our energy policy objectives". Furthermore, it encourages innovation, requiring "smarter ways to satisfy our energy needs". In most cases the solutions have been simplistically easy: setting accurate occupation times, ensuring plant is not left permanently running, changing temperatures to reflect actual use, ensuring lighting is controlled in small zones, etc. But the difficulty lies in not being able to quantify the savings being achieved unless plant is being regularly monitored. Event monitoring allows every change to be noted and checked against current demand, enabling efficiency adjustments to be made, plant failures to be rectified (and with the right data, even anticipated) and the early analysis of future best practices. Best optionOn most sites investment in setting and maintaining the management systems is by far the best low-cost measure that owners can take. With this in mind, ESTA contends that management systems need to be viewed as having the same priority as the physical plant and building services. Furthermore, training in the operation of the site's management systems and its basic plant should be another primary objective. ESTA runs courses that cover the essential and advanced requirements in building services control and these are open to everyone. |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
.gif&contenttype=gif)
