Building Automation Systems – a ‘Sixth Sense’ for Ensuring Energy Conservation and Optimal Efficiency

With ten LEED-certified buildings on campus already and the Meltzer Center - American University's first net-zero building - under construction, how do university engineers ensure that energy conservation and optimal efficiency are maintained in campus buildings?

The answer lies in the team's utilization of the building automation systems (BAS), a series of sensors, actuators, and computers that allow them to monitor and control, in real time, the mechanical, electrical, and security systems in the buildings. The BAS achieves energy conservation and efficiency by monitoring and controlling the mechanical systems that support space heating and cooling.

So how does the BAS affect the room you are in? Chances are, there is a thermostat in the room that controls the space's temperature and air flow. What is not readily apparent is that the thermostat sends information such as room temperature, room occupancy, heating, or cooling needs back to a central computer. That information, from all the thermostats, helps determine what the campus needs to be comfortable. The data determines what major system heating and cooling equipment needs to be running. The campus BAS monitors and assures that those functions are working optimally.

"In a way, the BAS almost gives us a 'sixth sense' for maintaining the comfort level on campus," said Hung Nguyen, BAS programmer.