Product category:
Building Protection and Alarms
News Release from: TAC UK | Subject: BMS can now use wireless
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 30 March 2007
BMS can now use wireless
Better chance of integrating BMS systems into premises thanks to the arrival of wireless technology.
The cost of energy is forcing more companies to consider the possibility of building controls as a way of reducing utility bills - now these organisations have a better chance of integrating BMS systems into their premises thanks to the arrival of wireless technology, says Roger Moncur of TAC Satchwell: Rising energy costs will be a challenge for all businesses, presenting a huge problem as overheads rise, but this is a clear opportunity for the building controls sector as new potential customer bases wake up to the idea of controlling their energy use The good news is that the arrival of wireless technology is making BMS more accessible than ever, giving building controls companies more tools than ever before to break into new markets
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 14 Sep 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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The effect that wireless technology will have on the BMS sector is, in many ways, comparable to the way it has taken off domestically.
Wireless has brought the internet into the living room and found potentially new audiences, even though the delivery and content is essentially identical.
Now wireless solutions have arrived in the building controls sector and, although the core element of the service will remain the same, it has opened up the possibilities of BMS to a whole new customer base.
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Wireless BMS does not need the same level of bandwidth, the technology is slightly simpler - but it is still capable of supporting the full BACnet protocol, for example.
Products like TAC Satchwell's Andover Continuum, that is used in 40,000 buildings around the world, can now be placed at points around a building and communicate seamlessly with each other without physical cables.
An important point to bear in mind is that wireless technology is not a revolution; it is a useful tool that can complement existing systems and bring huge flexibility to the approach we can take in controlling the energy use in a building.
There are three main advantages and changes that wireless can bring, relating to the cost of BMS, the method of installation and the way it allows building controls to be operated.
An interesting side benefit is that it can enable BMS solutions to be located in buildings where installation of hardwired networks may be difficult to achieve, for example galleries and historic or listed buildings.
Cost is crucial and, let's not forget, saving money and energy is the main point of building controls, so cutting down on installation time and expense, mainly by vastly significantly reducing the amount of wiring that's required, is an excellent place to start.
It makes perfect sense that a company that is looking to reduce costs will want to begin by reducing the number of raw materials that it uses.
A wireless BMS will not eliminate wires altogether as its controllers still need to be powered but it will still have a profound effect on flexibility, energy use and lifecycle costs.
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