MANUFACTURERS & SUPPLIERS
SMART BUILDINGS
“BCIA members see building controls fall foul of value engineering time and time again, because client QS`s shave off costs at an early stage of a project.”
stage of a project. Examples of this include manual room controls; reducing or omitting demand based control zones on a project; or using pre-packaged equipment that is generically controlled or cannot fully interface with the BMS, creating an inefficient system. While it may seem that the BCIA would encourage adoption of more technology, it doesn’t really help our cause if the building doesn’t function to be energy efficient or causes complaints from the occupants. Add as much IoT as you like, if the heating, natural ventilation and cooling aren’t interlocked, the system is not energy efficient, running costs are higher, and won’t stop the complaints from uncomfortable occupants. I believe that one of the most important things that organisations like BCIA and BESA can do is to educate building owners and managers about how they can ensure the building services they need to run an efficient building are actually installed. We also need to emphasise the importance of a good brief to architects and consulting engineers to ensure that a good quality specification is written and that contractors stick to that specification.
Breakdowns And the importance of getting design, installation and control right is never far from the news. Recently, BRE reported that not only is air conditioning a significant (and growing) user of energy in UK buildings, but also that the air conditioning is often left running when the building is empty at evenings and weekends.
This isn’t just a pointless and unnecessary waste of energy; it also reduces plant life and leads to more frequent breakdowns. Clients need to learn that the simple step of turning off building services equipment on a demand based principle via the building energy management system (BEMS) would save time and money. Leaving occupants to manage manually air conditioning and lighting in a space almost inevitably leads to systems being left on when not required. I am sure BESA members have similar anecdotes. The waste that results from not focusing on getting the basics right reflects badly on all professionals in the building services sector. Our products should be at the heart of comfortable, productive and efficient buildings yet so often they seem to be the cause of problems and inefficiency. It would serve us all better if we were able to get these things right at the start. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the reputation of our manufacturers and installers is at stake. As well as educating clients, the BCIA also believes that we need to work with other parts of the building services and construction sector to educate and explain what controls technology brings to the table in terms of building performance. That's why we are a supporter, along with BESA and ECA, of the Building Services Summit – the latest of which took place last November at the British Library. Together, we debated the best way forward to deliver buildings that operate as intended - and took advice from other members of the supply chain and clients. We can only tackle these issues by taking a united stand against practices that are threatening the work of professionals in our industry who really do want to do a good job. The members of BCIA and BESA are obvious partners in facing this challenge, and the BCIA looks forward to a long and valuable relationship with BESA so that both memberships are recognised for their skills and knowledge. www.bcia.co.uk
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