5 things you need to know about BMS Control Systems (Building Management Systems) in the UK
If you’re searching for BMS Control Systems then the likelihood is your familiar with the term and maybe you’re in the market to have one installed, whether that’s a retro fit or a new build fit. Here at Aspect Energy Management, we offer the full concept to completion installation of Building Management Systems UK and worldwide.
Our team offers the complete BMS service, that means we’ll take your project from initial consultation, design, install and final sign-off of the project – it’s all managed in-house so you can be confident in the finished product being exactly what you require.
Below you’ll find some, hopefully, useful information about BMS systems along with some reasons to choose Aspect as your BMS (Building Management Systems) partner.
1. What is a building management system and what does it do
Simply put, a building management system (BMS) is a computer-based control system that monitors various key indicators across a buildings mechanical and electrical equipment. This could be air conditioning, ventilation, power output, lighting, heating, security and just about any other product that can be automated/observed via a computer. You can read a little bit more of the detail here: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_management_system#:~:text=A%20building%20management%20system%20(BMS,fire%20systems%2C%20and%20security%20systems.]
BMS can be installed in new builds and retrofitted to older existing buildings and infrastructure. Whether you’re looking at a new office complex or a current school or academy, for example, we can design and install the perfect Building Management System for your exacting requirements.
Industry standard solutions include BACnet, KNX, Modbus, Mbus amongst others – and the right solution for your premises will be recommended bases on several factors surrounding your specific BMS requirements and the building set up. If you’d like more information on BMS and the solutions available to you then please email eddie@aspectenergymanagent.co.uk me and the team will be happy to help.
2. The benefits of having a building management system
The main benefit of a BMS system is, of course, automation of a buildings systems, such as security, ventilation, heating/air conditioning, fire safety and more. Allowing them all to be controlled from one central point. As well as potentially efficiency savings this also means you and your team can get a quick overview of any potential issues and address them in a speedy fashion.
In today’s more ecologically aware environment BMS Systems also provide important opportunities to help decrease a buildings carbon footprint considerably, as integrated heating/lighting controls can assist in saving energy at off peak times or when, for example in a University, a room or lecture theatre is not in use.
A recent article by Sustainability Matters [https://www.gbrionline.org/building-management-system/], with research from the World Economic Forum, shows that the real estate sector (offices, school/university buildings, leisure buildings etc.) account for around 40% of annual greenhouse gases. That is a huge environmental impact, and in our opinion, any organisation with a single site or several sites should be implementing a BMS control system to help in significantly reducing these unwanted outputs.
In addition to the above, it has been found that a comfortable work environment can help boost efficiency of the workforce and elicit improvements to mental health. The BMS control system allowing monitoring from a single location also adds to this wellbeing, as your team can react swiftly to changes and pinpoint the problem – making their job easier and allowing them to focus on value adding activities.
3. How to choose the right building management system for your business
There are a number of BMS systems available – and choosing the right solution for your business will come down to a number of factors. We’ve listed a few for you below but this is certainly not an exhaustive list.
- Building size and architecture (e.g. the number of rooms and floors)
- The amount of services you want to monitor (e.g. heating, water, air conditioning, security, fire safety etc.)
- The number of monitoring points you require
- New or existing building
- Any smart features you may require (e.g. automated lighting systems)
- Corporate and social responsibility considerations (e.g. reduction in energy emissions)
Software we offer includes those from leading providers such as Optergy, Honeywell, Siemens. The BMS System Software requirements will, again, depend upon the exact set up of your building and your project goals.
Here at Aspect Energy Management we can advise on a number of solutions and BMS System Software to help you get the right solution for your requirements. We’d love to hear from you and help in your BMS System project, email eddie@aspectenergymanagement.co.uk and we’ll have a relaxed chat about your BMS System needs and considerations.
4. The cost of installing and maintaining a building management system
As you’ll very likely expect the cost of installation can vary greatly dependent on the number of systems you would like to control with a BMS, the makeup of the building, whether the building is existing or new, and the system set up – including software and hardware costs.
Maintenance of the system is charged on a yearly basis, and this is the same across all BMS System installers and suppliers. The rate of the yearly charge will again depend on the exact nature of your project.
The critical thing to keep in mind is that most BMS systems will ultimately pay for themselves over the life of the system – by offering you efficiency savings on staffing, as well as on energy usage. We see a typical payback period of 10 years on most projects.
In addition to the outright cost benefits, there are also the goodwill benefits we discussed earlier. Whether that’s goodwill for stakeholders due to improved energy efficiency and corporate responsibility targets or improvements to the working environment for colleagues.
Again, we love to talk here at Aspect, so give us a call 0114 294 5188 or email eddie@aspectenergymangement.co.uk – let’s have a chat about your BMS requirements and the benefits as we see them.
It’ll be exciting, we promise! 😊
5. How to get the most out of your building management system
Getting the most out of your system comes down to a couple of things.
Firstly, the amount of building services covered by the system, and secondly the training of your staff in the use of the system. We always advise getting as many services as possible on your BMS so that you can make the most of the fantastic efficiency and management savings on offer. We understand that every organisation and every building is different – so we’ll always work with you to offer up the best BMS solutions to you.
Secondly, it comes down to training your colleagues in the use of the system – which then allows them, and your organisation, to generate the greatest benefit. BMS Systems are incredibly intuitive and straight forward to use/monitor. Aspect Energy Management offer BMS system training so that colleagues within the building, and if necessary, at an external monitoring centre, can use best practice to manage your building’s BMS.
We can even provide a BMS System Diagram to give them a thorough overview of how the system works and how it interacts with the building services.
We’ve got an incredibly friendly and approachable team here at Aspect, and we’re sure your team will work well with us in getting the very best from your BMS System – even for those that have not worked with a BMS automated system previously.
We hope this blog on BMS Systems, our information on us as a BMS Installer and the benefits of BMS Systems for your organisation has proven useful for you. If you’d like to discuss anything in more detail or you’d like to start the process of arranging a quote then please call 0114 294 5188 or email eddie@aspectenergymangement.co.uk
Thank you and speak soon!
