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A Building Management System(BMS) is a computer-based control system installed in buildings that controls and monitors the building’s mechanical and electrical equipment such as ventilation, lighting, power systems, fire systems, and security systems. A BMS consists of software and hardware; the software program, usually configured in a hierarchical manner, can be proprietary, using such protocols as C-bus, Profibus, and so on, recently, however, new vendors are producing BMSs that integrate using Internet protocolsand open standards such as DeviceNet, SOAP, XML, BACnet, LonWorksand Modbus.

 

A BMS is most common in a large building. Its core function is to manage the environment within the building and may control temperature, carbon dioxidelevels and humidity within a building. As a core function in most BMS systems, it controls heating and cooling, manages the systems that distribute this air throughout the building (for example by operating fans or opening/closing dampers), and then locally controls the mixture of heating and cooling to achieve the desired room temperature. A secondary function sometimes is to monitor the level of human-generated CO2, mixing in outside air with waste air to increase the amount of oxygenwhile also minimising heat/cooling losses.

Systems linked to a BMS typically represent 40% of a building's energy usage; if lighting is included, this number approaches 70%. BMS systems are a critical component to managing energy demand. Improperly configured BMS systems are believed to account for 20% of building energy usage, or approximately 8% of total energy usage in the United States.

As well as controlling the building's internal environment, BMS systems are sometimes linked to access control (turnstiles and access doors controlling who is allowed access and egress to the building) or other security systems such as closed-circuit television (CCTV) and motion detectors. Fire alarm systems and elevators are also sometimes linked to a BMS, for example, if a fire is detected then the system could shut off dampers in the ventilation system to stop smoke spreading and send all the elevators to the ground floor and park them to prevent people from using them in the event of a fire.

BMSs are usually delivered as fully integrated systems and services through companies such as Siemens, Honeywell, Johnson Controls, Trend Controls, TAC(Now Schneider Electric), Traneand others. Independent services companies use solutions from companies such as Rockwell Automation, KMB systems, BBP Energies, Delta, Distech, Circon and KMC controls. New, more flexible solutions that link BMS systems to enterprise management software include SAP, OpenView, Archibus, Maximoand other smaller companies including ( Peekaboo! )Augusta Systems, GridLogix, Network Harbor, North Building Technologies Ltd., and Tridium.gkug/ih/khkbkvkv

Some of the newer systems allow control of plant such as boilers, air handling units and cooling towers to be controlled via a simple graphical interface in a web browser

Functions of Building Management Systems

To create a central computer controlled method which has three basic functions:

  • controlling
  • monitoring
  • optimizing

the building’s facilities, mechanical and electrical equipments for comfort, safety and efficiency.

A BMS system normally comprises

  • Power systems
  • Illumination system
  • Electric power control system
  • Heating,Ventilation and Air-conditioning HVACSystem
  • Security and observation system
  • Magnetic card and access system
  • Fire alarm system
  • Lifts, elevatorsetc.
  • Plumbing system
  • Burglar alarms
  • Other engineering systems
  • Trace Heating

Benefits of BMS

Building tenant/occupants

  • Good control of internal comfort conditions
  • Possibility of individual room control
  • Increased staff productivity
  • Effective monitoring and targeting of energy consumption
  • Improved plant reliability and life
  • Effective response to HVAC-related complaints

Building owner

  • Higher rental value
  • Flexibility on change of building use
  • Individual tenant billing for services facilities manager
  • Central or remote control and monitoring of building
  • Increased level of comfort and time saving

Operations

  • Low operating cost
  • Efficient use of building resources and services
  • High productivity
  • Rapid alarm indication and fault diagnosis
  • Good plant schematics and documentation