Energy monitoring linked to a Building Management System (BMS) is an integrated route to maximising energy savings and meeting reporting requirements, says Stuart Parry of Cambridge-based automation specialists PA Collacott & Co.
Building Regulations Part L1 imposes a greater requirement on sub-metering and it demands building owners or occupiers account for at least 90% of their energy use. The aim is to provide the correct data, so each site is able to benchmark its Carbon Footprint against European building energy ratings.
Data collection using a BMS is both time-saving and enables data to be presented in many different ways, so helping users identify energy-saving opportunities.
PA Collacott can provide a customised package from initial survey through installation and setting to work and finally the presentation of collected data. The company has been installing Honeywell building systems for 16 years and is part of the CentraLine by Honeywell Partner network.
Panther controllers are a versatile component of the CentraLine system. They have a built-in ability to monitor through M-Bus (‘Meter-Bus’), the new European standard for remote meter reading. A wide variety of M-Bus meters is available for gas, water, electricity and heat. Up to six M-Bus meters can be monitored through each Panther.
The main function of a BMS, viewed from a whole enterprise perspective, has already moved away from being an engineering tool, used to maintain comfort levels and reduce downtime, towards a primary means to manage energy – one of the largest controllable costs in most organisations.
Sub-metering is often used to enable billing business units for their water, gas and electricity. By collecting this data in increasing detail in the BMS, you can see new ways to save energy, using energy monitoring software packages.
The BMS is an ideal viewing and analysis platform. The BMS network also saves the cost of additional wiring. It can itself use an existing IP network (Ethernet LAN/WAN) for plant controllers, using Excel Web, a freely programmable Building Automation controller from CentraLine by Honeywell. Potentially, data from energy meters can be routed directly from remote locations to the BMS via the internet.
With an IP addressable system, energy data and reports (in addition to BMS system information) can be viewed on any PC connected to the site intranet or elsewhere via the internet. CentraLine Panther controllers make monitoring easy using M-Bus metering devices.
It is no longer a question of ‘Can we afford building automation?’ because the comfort and economic benefits are so overwhelming in its favour. The day is coming when comprehensive energy metering, linked to the building system, will be a ‘must have’ and will determine how the building can be run to the greatest efficiency.