Your BAS Guide: How It Works & Why You Need One?

To reduce the negative effects of climate change and create a sustainable environment, making buildings environment-friendly is crucial. Incorporating a building automation system (BAS) into facility operations can make buildings safer and more cost-effective, which can reduce the operational inefficiency. Let’s understand BAS in detail!

What is a Building Automation System (BAS)?

BAS is an intelligent system of both hardware and software that connects heating, venting, and air conditioning systems (HVAC), lighting, power incomers, refrigeration and other building systems to communicate on a single platform. It delivers crucial information on the operational performance of a building and enhances comfort of the building occupants.

A smart or connected building has BAS in place. It maintain indoor air quality and energy efficiency by tracking the building equipment easily. Not just one building, facility managers can manage a portfolio of buildings through a single dashboard with this advanced technology.

Whether you are making a new building or retrofitting an old one, installing a building automation system can help you reduce energy consumption & maintenance costs and improve occupants’ comfort & productivity effectively.

How does a building automation system (BAS) work?

Most building automation or building management systems (BMS) come with five main components such as:

• Sensors
• Controllers
• Actuators
• Communications protocols
• User interfaces (UI)

They work together to gather, process, and adjust information. If you want to adjust the building’s settings, the interface signals the individual system controls through the output devices and makes adjustments. An Internet-powered BAS even gives centralized control for a large campus or multiple buildings.

In short, BAS works just like a human brain that tells building equipment what to do, just like your brain tells your hands and legs to move. Its core functionalities are to keep the heating, cooling, and ventilation within a certain range, humidity control, lighting based on an occupancy schedule, proper functioning of the elevators, fire prevention, safety, and other crucial systems in the building.

Here are some of the building equipments that can be incorporated into BAS:

• HVAC systems
• Lighting
• Security systems, including surveillance cameras and alarms
• Refrigeration
• Energy Incomers
• Fire alarms, and other emergency systems

Why is there a need for building automation system (BAS)?

Facility managers face multiple challenges while handling building operations. BAS can address all of them effectively! Let’s understand how:

1. High Operational cost

If you are concerned about the high operational costs in a building, BAS can help you out. With this technology in place, you can track how your systems are performing and know what needs to be repaired and when. It’ll help you make informed decisions and ensure lower maintenance costs.

Managing large portfolios of buildings gets simplified with BAS.

2. Better indoor air quality

As per government regulated building codes like GRIHA, ECBC, EPBD etc, its important for building owners to comply with certain standards. BAS can automate indoor air quality monitoring that helps facilities to ensure the safety and comfort of occupants. If CO2 reaches unsafe levels, it will send you an alert and automatically activate the ventilation system to start pumping fresh air. In this way, indoor temperature monitoring and management become smart with BAS.

3. Environmental impact

HVAC systems consume a higher amount of energy in buildings. 50% of the total energy produced is wasted due to inefficient building automation systems (BAS). There is a need for 100% efficient systems that drive HVAC automation systems.

With well-implemented BAS, facilities can improve the performance of HVAC systems that reduce energy wastage and help businesses meet environmental goals.

4. Occupant’s comfort

BAS effectively tracks temperature and humidity in a building, giving an optimal level of comfort to occupants. Coming to official spaces, BAS can lead to a higher employee referral rate, a lower vacancy rate, and better sales for your commercial development.