Integration is an essential aspect of a modern Building Management System. Not just of your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC) but also of everything and everything that has to do with the effective management of your building. Every safety measure, from the detection of fire and smoke to the control of access, lighting, blinds, and video monitoring, should be consolidated into a single system.
There is no limit to the plethora of ways that installing a Building Management System that is efficient, dependable, and has a proven track record can benefit a business. Some of these benefits include a reduction in operating costs, increased staff productivity, increased security, and protection of your long-term investment.
What is building management?
Building management is one subfield that falls within the broader facility management category. Hard services typically refer to physical and structural services such as fire alarm systems, lifts, etc. In contrast, soft services refer to cleaning, landscaping, security, and other human-sourced services of a similar nature.
Examples of hard services include fire alarm systems, lifts, and the like. The one responsible for overseeing a constructed structure’s physical and soft services is called a building manager. The primary categories of building manager jobs are residential and commercial building management occupations.
In a residential setting, a building manager would often supervise a team of porters or concierges, cleaners, electrical and mechanical contractors, and the recruitment of a team of administrative staff members.
The administration of this commercial building is quite similar to that of the preceding one; the primary distinction is within the fact that the structure will often be comprised of commercial units and/or offices.
How does building management system works
The building management system (BMS), also referred to as a building automation system is a computer-based control system that is to be installed within buildings to monitor and regulate the building’s electrical and mechanical equipment in order to ensure that the building is sustainable.
Some examples of this equipment include the power system, lighting, and ventilation. The systems linked to a BMS account for around 40 percent of the total energy consumption in a typical building. If lighting is included in this calculation, the ratio will be closer to 70 percent.
Setting up a building management system is essential because it consists of essential components that are necessary for intelligently managing the energy demand. These components include the electrical system, plumbing system, fire alarm system, heating ventilation, air-conditioning (HVAC), electric power control, and illumination control.
Hence, for building management to function properly, it is necessary to have electronic control over the central heating and ventilation systems, as well as the air conditioning, lighting, and any other building systems.
What is the role of a building management system (BMS)
A Building Management System is a computer-based management and monitoring system centralized for a building. The Building Management System (BMS) can monitor and regulate a variety of aspects, including the HVAC, lighting, plumbing, processing equipment, and security systems.
The BMS’s primary purpose is to ensure that the facility’s operations are carried out safely. In addition to this, it is designed to monitor, analyze, and improve the utilization and effectiveness of the supervised subsystems so that the facility may run more effectively.
The following are some examples of the major subsystems that the building management system controls:
- The Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning, known as HVAC system
- Central Fume Collection, Laminar Flow Units, Dust Collection System
- Central Vacuum System
- Heat Blowers
- Technical Steam System
- Hot Water System and Central Heating
- Chilled Water System;
- Sprinkler System (for fire safety);
- and Electrical Monitoring System
Benefits of Building Management System
You will gain corporate solutions with BMS software, which will integrate all of your networks into a single automated system. This is one of the many benefits of using this kind of software. Whether they are physically there, your managers have easy access to and control over every part of your building and property. The following is a list of other benefits of BMS that you should take into consideration:
- The BMS software manages the allocation of the distribution and interchange of all data inside and across the whole of your network spectrum. Data dissemination serves as a direct line of communication that is both fast and effective, allowing for the monitoring and management of systems through a single interface.
- The benefits of building management systems (BMS) include an integrated building security system, which protects not only the facility’s inhabitants but also the organization’s structure, resources, and assets.
- Your building’s environment and infrastructure may benefit from installing a smart building management system, which delivers environmentally friendly solutions.
- Your BMS software allows your managers to access data for monitoring, analyzing, and managing every system in your building, including the mechanical and electrical systems, from a single centralized location or remotely through cloud technology.
- Building management systems (BMS) benefits include significant cost reductions in heating and air conditioning expenses. The heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system in your building may be set to operate according to a management plan that specifies certain days and hours. By appropriately timing and scheduling the operation of these systems, it is possible to save expenditures associated with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.
Types of building maintenance management
To maintain a high-quality atmosphere in your building, it is necessary to do various maintenance tasks, just as one would in any other subfield of building upkeep. Below are the various types of building maintenance management:
Protective Maintenance
Protective maintenance can also be performed on machines, but it is of the utmost significance for buildings because it safeguards the structures from the environment.
Preventive Maintenance
Structures are given preventative maintenance to avert issues that may arise with the buildings or the services they provide.
Corrective Maintenance
When the damage becomes apparent, corrective maintenance is performed to repair the structure and any surrounding property to bring it back to its best state.
How to do Building maintenance management
The term “building maintenance” refers to any tasks performed to keep a building in a safe and presentable condition and to guarantee that all of the building’s systems are operating as intended. The structure’s upkeep is required to turn a place into a living environment. Imagine a structure as a massive machine with components that will wear out throughout its lifetime. Components must go through the processes of inspection, maintenance, and repair.
The management of building maintenance encompasses a wide variety of various services. To begin with, there are what are known as “hard facility management” services, which include very technical tasks like the maintenance of lifts and the fire protection system. There is also something called “soft facility management,” which refers to services entirely focused on users’ convenience and include things like cleaning, gardening, and signs.
Best practices in building management
Learning about contemporary best practices and applying them to day-to-day work is beneficial for inexperienced building managers and seasoned professionals. Building management best practices are presented here for your consideration and possible use in the workplace.
1. Implement software that will allow for centralized administration of the facility
For a long time, data silos have been the Achilles’ heel of proactive facility management. Place your investments in real estate in one basket, maintenance of the building in another, and effective use of space in a third. The situation is very different now.
Building managers have a greater understanding of how various sections of their facilities impact one another and what broad patterns are evident, thanks to the holistic data and analytics they have access to.
2. Keep up with the latest technological advances
Workplaces are becoming more technologically advanced. New technologies are constantly being unveiled, new variants of already existing technologies are routinely made available, and improvements are made to older technology regularly.
3. Accumulate the most comprehensive amount of data feasible
This begins with identifying difficulties and locating data streams that have solutions to those challenges. The first stage in the process of hypothesizing potential solutions is quantifying as much of the workplace as feasible.
4. Recognize and capitalize on trends
Collecting data is an important best practice, but it is equally important to understand how to interpret and make use of the data collected. Not only will the analysis of data provide you with information on the essential operations of your facilities, but it will also verify your ideas for improving the management of those facilities.
5. Automate facility processes
Streamlining existing processes is an essential component of effective facilities management. The use of automation takes this one step further and improves the structure of the workplace in terms of both cost and quality.
6. Make preparing a budget a top priority
As the management of buildings becomes more closely aligned with the reduction of company expenses, accurate budgeting becomes more important.
7. Customize your management to the specifics of your facilities
The proliferation of individualized best practices demonstrates that there is no strategy for facilities management that is universally applicable.
Improve Comfort & Save Energy with Schneider Electric Thailand
Suppose you are responsible for designing, constructing, or installing electrical distribution products in commercial or industrial facilities. In that case, Schneider Electric can assist you in becoming more efficient in your work while enjoying a comfortable and worry-free environment.
Thanks to these building management solutions, you can monitor, regulate, and optimize the performance of your building during its entire lifespan. Make the switch to intelligent building solutions with the help of Building Management Systems and Room Controllers from Schneider Electric.
Through cutting-edge energy monitoring that transforms your energy data into actionable insights, you can have a smart home that is both convenient and efficient. These insights will help you reduce the energy you use and the money you spend on it. If you have more inquiries regarding the building automation system, visit https://www.se.com/th/en/.