5 Benefits of a Building Automation System

Trying to decide whether a building automation system (BAS) is worth investing in? Here are the top 5 benefits:

1. Single Pane of Glass Control

A BAS allows an operator to access, control, and monitor all connected building systems from a single interface. With BAS technology, you can gain centralized control over your building’s systems via networked electronic devices.

A BAS is particularly useful for entities with multiple buildings, because it eliminates the need for travel of facility management. In non-BAS buildings, facility management must travel to field control devices and associated equipment to identify what is / is not working. With a BAS, the field equipment and facility sensors communicate directly with the BAS, enabling facility management to see the complete status of the entire building, its equipment status (on /off), and the resultant comfort conditions without leaving their desk. Additionally, when building occupants have temperature complaints, building management can immediately call up that particular zone on their screen to see temperature and humidity, as well as monitor the equipment that is serving that space.

2. Integrated Control

In addition to controlling HVAC systems, a BAS also integrates other related building systems under a single interface. In the past, fine-tuning HVAC, lighting, power, and access control systems required extensive manual effort. With new building automation solutions, you not only integrate these historically siloed systems, you also gain visibility and control over them from a single view. That streamlines decision-making and saves you time.

3. Easy Scheduling

A BAS is helpful particularly for any building that does not have to run in 24-hour occupied mode. Buildings with unoccupied times benefit from the scheduling capabilities of a BAS, because facility management can establish run times, rather than adjusting the equipment manually. Additionally, schedule adjustments can be easily made for holidays and special functions, as well as for specific zones. This auto-scheduling function enables greater energy efficiency as equipment is turned off when it is not needed.

4. Comfort – Efficiency Balance

Another key benefit of building automation is that it resolves the long-standing competition between more comfort versus more efficiency. With reams of new data, you can make informed decisions about how to best reduce or eliminate energy waste while still allowing for optimal occupant comfort. For example, if rooms are unoccupied, you can turn the lights off or reduce HVAC output until the occupants return. And when they do return, occupants gain greater control over their living spaces via app-based room controls. The result is lower costs and greater comfort.

5. Utility Savings

In addition to the savings that is achieved through run time scheduling, other savings also occur through programming logic inherent in the BAS. Examples include: utilizing outdoor and indoor conditions to guide when the system turns on/off and which pieces of the system turn on/off, leveraging logarithms to predict when a building area is occupied or unoccupied, and monitoring equipment performance and usage to identify subpar performance and/or maintenance needs.


And if all those benefits don’t convince you, here are a few quick stats to keep in mind:

  • 2% of the world’s energy is used in buildings.
  • 50% of energy used in buildings is wasted because of inefficient building management systems.
  • Only 25% of building costs are associated with capital expenses, while 75% of costs are used to operate a building over its life cycle.
  • 30% of energy used in buildings is waste.