BMS is an acronym that stands for Building Management System. It controls multiple technical functions of a building and its immediate surroundings.
This article answers the following questions:
- What does BMS mean?
- What are the types of mutual communication?
- Building automation system vs. BMS – what makes them different?
- What are the benefits and tasks of a Building Management System?
BMS, what does it mean?
So what is the BMS system? By definition, it is designed to manage systems. It is nothing but an overarching solution that integrates distributed elements of industrial (building) automation into a single unit. Modern BMS systems enable the monitoring, archiving and control of integrated systems. The benefits of using a Building Management System are not always obvious, but they are beneficial to virtually every business.
The priorities of BMS systems are all the main tasks of existing subsystems and a number of subordinate ones. These include:
- monitoring and reporting of malfunctions,
- recording parameters of individual devices,
- collecting and archiving parameters of operating systems,
- control and master management of all integrated subsystems.
Building Management System – types of mutual communication
One of the highlights of BMS systems is their ability to integrate with multiple control components. This will make them work as part of an integrated system. Examples of these include:
- BACnet – the standard control system for industrial automation systems,
- KNX – a control system for building automation systems,
- DALI – a digital system for lighting control.
Nowadays, a BMS is found not only in industrial facilities, but is an integral part of premises such as shopping malls, educational institutions and public facilities or hospitals, hotels, airports, and is even used in single-family homes, among others. It is used to provide security in terms of lighting, heating and other necessary functions that a modern building should support. A building equipped with a Building Management System is also often referred to as an intelligent building where communication between the various devices working in the system is implemented.
Building automation system vs. BMS
Nowadays, every existing and newly built facility has elements of building automation. These include, among others:
- automatic control of ventilation,
- measurement of network voltage,
- automated reactive power compensation systems,
- access control systems, alarms and other security features,
- CCTV closed-circuit television solutions,
- battery system management and charging system – this applies to energy storage and electric car solutions,
- subsystems to improve the optimisation of energy consumption,
- heating systems and automatic roller shutters.
However, the above-mentioned systems cannot be called a BMS (building management system), they are non-integrated components of an industrial facility. Using them brings significant benefits and savings to enterprises. Many of them are equipped with a number of sensors, which ensure the operational safety and flexibility of the system, increase reliability, and allow the monitoring and remote control of equipment and systems. However, they have one major disadvantage, namely the lack of central control and learning from their operation, and the links between the various components. This generates the extra cost of frequent inspections and requires continuous monitoring of the functions implemented for proper operation.
Benefits of using a BMS system
The benefits of automating even minor processes within an enterprise are undeniable. Any system for managing a building, or even a part of it, improves the comfort of the facility. Standard systems offering basic control functions and remote control of automation systems are already somewhat standard equipment of a modern workplace. What are the advantages of using a BMS?
Currently, we are witnessing the dynamic development of BMS systems operated in intelligent buildings. In addition to measuring theparameters of individual devices, modern BMS systems look for dependencies between components of individual systems in order to optimise them. This results in further savings, including efficient use of the time of those responsible for maintaining building infrastructure, as well as lower consumption of electricity and heat in the facilities.
The benefit of implementing a building management system is certainly monitoring, as well as forecasting the consumption of building resources. HVAC and lighting systems can be analysed and monitored for the key factors, including water, electricity, wastewater, compressed air and technical gases. In addition, the operation of some of them can be made dependent on the current weather. It is possible to define schedules as well as operating scenarios for a given system and its individual components.
Note also the major benefit of the BMS, which is the flexibility of the system and the possibility of reconfiguration. Therefore, the operation of its individual elements can be adjusted to the changing industrial environment.
Will the BMS work for your facility? Contact us – we will answer all your questions and dispel your doubts.
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