Annual Building Automation System (BAS) Review

As we begin a new year it is wise to conduct an annual management audit and review of Building Automation Systems for facilities if not currently performed on a regular basis.

In many cases the operation and management of the BAS is left to the Building Engineers and maintenance staff. The reality is changes occur that are not in the best interest of the building, equipment and energy efficiency. Some of these changes while only a temperature set point actually have an impact on the sequence of operation which translates into increased energy use.  They are made without having a thorough understanding of the impact, system, or proper training.

The BAS and mechanical systems over a number of years morph with a combination of old and new technology and hardware, as well as the strategy towards the system, in many instances changing as management changes.  Often a clear long-term plan for the BAS system is not in place for this critical piece of infrastructure.

 Areas that should be reviewed include equipment and occupancy schedules, points overridden or command by a Building Operator, graphics, trending, alarms and network security. 

Occupancy schedules

Obtain an occupancy schedule for the upcoming year from all key people in the building for their respective areas of authority and enter the required changes.

Do you have the scheduling ability to drill down to individual pieces of equipment and suites or does a global schedule prevent this? In some instances the global schedule has an “all or nothing” control approach and a negative impact on efficiency when only a small portion of the area requires a schedule change.

Review points overridden, commanded or unauthorized changes along with associated graphics for these deviations, and provide corrective actions.
 

Does the equipment and floor plan graphics accurately reflect current conditions, space names and any renovations or system changes that have occurred?

Current trending information

Are the existing trends required?

Are additional trends required?

Review the trend intervals

Review trend management including how the trend data is managed including responsibility, format and storage. Ensure the data can be exported in a useful format and process defined for periodic review of the trend data. 

Alarm

Review a printout of all critical alarm points, priorities and functionally test the email or text messaging notification delivery system and confirm receipt of all alarms by recipients.

Network

Review a users list of those that have access to the system.

Review the privilege level of direct and remote access that is permitted.

Ensure user logon and passwords are not shared to permit proper logging of system changes.

After an in-house review is conducted, consult with the BAS service provider for any changes they may have to make that is beyond your staff’s capabilities, as well as reviewing the system and performance for their findings.  As the system morphs and evolves over the years, field devices and controllers are replaced and added that may result in the system becoming unbalanced and slow in the acquisition of data. This impart could be because there was not a clear management plan and oversight in place for the system The BAS service provider should review the system and ensure updates are current and back the system up before proceeding with any changes. It is also advisable to understand how the system restoration files are managed along with availability in the unfortunate event they may be required in the future. Restoring or rebuilding a system can be a time consuming and costly task depending on the size and complexity of the system.