Building automation systems (BAS) make overseeing your building operations simple. Smart buildings allow energy savings, multi-site building management, and implementation of systems with interchangeable components. However, like a brick-and-mortar building, legacy control systems age and become outdated.
Building automation control solutions don’t last forever, but it can be challenging to tell when it’s time to upgrade. Discovering the answer isn’t an easy process, but it is necessary. Outdated building control systems lead to a facility that’s less energy-efficient, clean, and secure.
Keep reading to learn what preventative maintenance looks like for building automation systems and how you can enhance your ability to monitor and control your building operations.
The Benefits of Building Automation System (BAS) Maintenance
Aging building control systems make facility management inefficient. When your commercial HVAC, lighting, and security systems are allowed to run unoptimized, you see increased energy usage and higher monthly energy costs. Without scheduled maintenance, you forfeit nearly every advantage a well-managed BAS offers.
These difficulties are magnified if your building automation systems are isolated. When BAS are implemented and operated individually, it becomes much harder to monitor and control multiple properties and collect information to guide future investments and upgrades.
Up-to-date BAS with cutting-edge building automation controls are interoperable and connected. They form a collective intelligence to share information with ease. Building managers can command building operations from a common platform, and because every building features the same technology, new software and equipment are easy to implement.
BAS maintenance presents a world of possibilities to smart buildings. But where do you start?
How To Upgrade Your Legacy Control System
Look for an Opportunity
Every good plan starts with awareness. Before you decide to repair or replace your building automation controls, you need to recognize the opportunity for improvement. The BAS maintenance process is just that—a process, and you need to start on the ground floor if you want to introduce the best possible enhancements to your building operations.
If you have a decentralized building automation system, you should consider realigning your solution with the more recent trends in smart building technology. How can you allow the transmission of information between buildings? How can you unify your building automation controls to gain a more complete view of performance?
Knowing what direction you want to take your BAS in makes it easier to recognize how to introduce new technology and increase energy efficiencies. The BAS maintenance process becomes more focused and less scattershot.
Perform an Assessment
Before you introduce anything new to your smart building, you need a deeper understanding of what you already have. Take inventory of your systems and equipment. Identify what can be improved and what should be replaced. Take a close look at your facilities, noting building age, location, infrastructure, and capacity for smart technology.
Can your legacy control system be updated to support a common platform? Would you benefit more from an energy retrofit program or an entirely new system? Knowing whether your current solutions can or should be upgraded is essential. With a detailed assessment, you lay the necessary groundwork to build a plan.
This step is also an opportunity to specify project goals. Establish your project’s budget and scope and account for any obstacles. Once that’s handled, it’s finally time to build your plan and execute it.
Orchestrate Your BAS Maintenance Plan
It’s time to put your plan into action. Repairing and replacing building automation controls is a sophisticated procedure, and as a building manager, you have plenty of other responsibilities demanding your attention. Partnering with a commercial building solutions provider is a great way to ensure your project goes according to plan. You’ll have a team of experienced technicians implementing your chosen solutions, and if you have any questions or concerns, their knowledge is at your disposal.
Frazier Service Company Is Ready To Help You Maintain Your Building Automation Controls
Routine BAS maintenance is your ticket to long-term energy efficiency and unified building operations. Technology is constantly evolving, and when you let your building automation system age, you fall further and further behind the curve. An aged smart building is less energy efficient, less secure, and more environmentally harmful.
Frazier Service Company is your partner in BAS maintenance and cutting-edge building automation controls. When you work with us, our certified engineers are with you every step of the way. We explain the process and implement the technology you need for reduced energy costs and minimal system maintenance. If you need assistance with financing, we offer options to help you manage your system.
Do you want to prevent your smart building from becoming obsolete? The Frazier Service team has your back.