The Importance of Building Automation Maintenance
Reducing operating costs and increasing building efficiency isn’t as simple as purchasing a building automation system (BAS) and waiting for the savings. To receive the best ROI, you need a customized BAS preventive maintenance program for your facility and equipment to ensure it’s operating properly.
With building automation maintenance, you can:
- Preserve Your Investment
- Identify and Address Control Issues
- Reveal Mechanical and Electrical Issues
- Reduce System Disturbances and Operational Interruptions
- Improve Energy Efficiency
- Extend System Life and ROI
- Increase Control System Performance
- Achieve Technological Advancements
Let’s explore the benefits of a BAS, the different types of building controls you can monitor, and how you can benefit from a building automation system maintenance plan.
What Is a Building Automation System?
Building automation systems allow you to manage various building controls, such as HVAC, security, electricity, water systems, and lighting, under one system. Investing in a BAS gives you simplified access to your building operations to ensure peak performance and lower costs and energy consumption.
Different Types of Building Automation Controls
Buildings equipped with BAS include various building automation controls to give you full access to your operations. Different types of controls commonly found in a BAS include:
- Lighting controls
- HVAC systems and rooftop units
- Fire alarms and other emergency controls
- Elevators and other mechanical systems
- Surveillance cameras and other security devices
- Ventilation systems and exhaust fans
Common BAS Issues
While investing in a BAS for your commercial building gives you complete access to every control that fuels your operation, a variety of common issues can arise if building automation maintenance isn’t performed regularly.
Lost Connection
Automated building systems can lose connection to your building controls. If your BAS experiences a connection failure, your equipment will begin running manually until the controller is back online or replaced. Running your equipment manually due to a lost connection means building operations aren’t reaching optimal performance. This also means you waste energy and increase costs. Manual mode also allows your equipment to run after hours and at a 100% performance rate, even though the building requirement may be far less.
System Override
Another common BAS issue that results in inefficient building performance is system overrides. Automated building systems have particular settings based on a variety of factors like your building’s size, location, age, and occupancy times. If a user or building occupant overrides a system set point, your entire building operations are at the risk of running inefficiently.
You can avoid these common BAS issues with preventive building automation maintenance outlined in a service program that reflects your building system.
HVAC controls enhance your building’s heating and cooling system, but it’s essential to maintain them to improve efficiency, save money, and minimize downtime.
Building Control Service Agreements: Providing Preventative Building Automation Maintenance
Pursuing a building control service program for your BAS is just as important as investing in the system. With a detailed service program, you get routine, preventive building automation maintenance to ensure minor system issues don’t escalate. A regular building automation system maintenance program will also keep your equipment updated, allowing you to better monitor, manage, and control your energy usage and costs.
The Benefits of a Building Automation System Maintenance Program
A detailed service program that provides proper scheduled maintenance allows you to:
Preserve Your Investment
Routine building automation maintenance preserves your investment by monitoring your system to ensure it’s running at peak performance consistently.
Identify and Address Control Issues
It’s common for building control service programs to include maintenance that identifies and addresses control issues in real time before they affect your operations.
Reveal Mechanical and Electrical Issues
Building automation maintenance allows BAS professionals to reveal mechanical and electrical problems caused by your existing machinery and hardware.
Reduce System Disturbances and Operational Interruptions
BAS maintenance reduces disturbances and interruptions by detecting problems early. This makes repairs simple and avoids larger maintenance issues down the road.
Improve Energy Efficiency
Regular BAS maintenance decreases strain on your system by resolving minor issues quickly to promote a clean, efficient operation.
Extend System Life and ROI
Maintaining your building system maximizes your building investment and contributes to extending the life of your equipment.
Increase Control System Performance
Regular BAS maintenance ensures your system is cycling on and off as necessary to ensure smooth performance.
Achieve Technological Advancements
A BAS maintenance plan helps to keep your system current and up to date by allowing building automation professionals to recommend and install the most current software and hardware upgrades.
Air Comfort, Your Building Automation Maintenance Provider
At Air Comfort, our preventive maintenance program allows you to preserve your investment and realize an even greater return. Our service agreements are tailored to your system needs and include system control checks for:
- User validation, setup, and removal
- Sensor validation for accuracy
- Alarm verification for limits and destination
- Network communication
- Trend and history monitoring
- Schedule verification
- Point overrides inspection
- Control loop and setpoint verification
- Sequence of operation validation
- System back-ups
Reach out to us today to discuss the details of a building automation preventive maintenance program built around the specific needs of your equipment and operations.
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