Building Management Systems and Climate Change By Marylyn Mumbua

Building Management Systems and Climate Change

By Arch. Marylyn Musyimi

At the recently concluded AAK Annual Convention 2021, the discussion centred around Climate Change. This is an important discourse that continues within built environment professional circles because the building Industry and buildings specifically, are a major contributor to Climate Change. They consume a large proportion of resources in their construction in the form of materials used and the embodied energy necessary for their execution. Throughout their lifecycles, buildings continue to consume resources and in addition, require maintenance and management. The way we manage our buildings presents us with a big opportunity to curb climate change and even perhaps reverse it.

Building Management Systems (BMS) are computerised or automated methods of measurement, control and management of Building Services. BMS’s generally control building systems such as HVAC, Lighting and Security Systems. There are several reasons why building automation is important and a good number of these reasons relate to the management of resource consumption and ultimately the management of climate change.

First, BMS’s help provide improved occupant comfort, increased security and remote access, control and operation. In relation to climate change, automating our buildings helps to increase the efficient operation of building systems, reduce energy consumption, reduce operating and maintenance costs as well as reduce carbon emissions. When deciding what to implement in terms of automation, there are several guiding considerations, among them, the cost of implementation and maintenance, the plans for future expansion or adaptive re-use. Most importantly and connected to climate change, is the consideration for the potential in reducing the environmental impact of our buildings.

Particularly, to reduce the negative environmental impact occasioned by building use, there are several building systems that are prime candidates for automation. . The first system is Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), which is responsible for a significant proportion of total building energy consumption, approximated at 40%. When it comes to automated HVAC, the primary functions are controlled influence on the comfort levels of occupants in terms of temperature, humidity, pressure and air quality. Automating these functions reduces manual manipulation and realises savings in energy consumption while at the same time increasing efficiency in performance.

The second system, that if automated can help to achieve positive impact on the environment is lighting control. BMS can be designed to automatically control both artificial and natural light. This automation would be achieved by having switching and dimming controls, scheduled and sensor-based controls and blind or shade control.

Other systems that are potential candidates for automation include utility systems such as water supply, security and safety control systems, and fire alarm systems. The key thing to keep in mind while arriving at the decision of which systems to automate is the overall reduction in consumption of resources and the potential to mitigate climate change.

While BMSs have the capacity to help us achieve our green building goals, it is necessary to be cognisant of their limitations. For instance, data, which is the mainstay of a BMS system is expensive to acquire and use. This is largely because of the specialists that are required to analyse the data, and subsequently adjust the BMS configuration to derive value. Connected to this, is the fact that, data on its own has a limited value. For it to be useful in greening our buildings, it requires insight, which is realised by the engagement of specialists. Another limitation of BMSs is that they sometimes miss the small equipment since concentration is on the building systems with heavier loads. This in turn compromises the optimisation of the BMS. BMSs are subject, just like any other automated systems, to limitations in technology scope, budget availability and scalability. Ultimately also, every BMS is only as good as its programmer, and is therefore limited by our human capacity. Knowing these limitations and actively weighing them against potential positive impact will help us as built environment professionals to implement appropriate automation in our buildings for the benefit of our greatest resource, mother earth.

Most importantly and connected to climate change, is the consideration for the potential in reducing the environmental impact of our buildings.

AUTHOR BIO

Marylyn Musyimi is a Registered Architect and Construction Project Manager with experience in Architectural Design, Construction Management,Policy Making & Urban Planning.