Two recent projects show how Building Management Systems (BMS) can save energy
There are many benefits to the FM for using Building Management Systems (BMS) in their jobs. “If you look at the four main principles of a BMS — controlling, monitoring, optimising and reporting, you’d expect them to be first on the shopping list of every FM in the country,” says Martin Ward, director of iSite.
This is particularly so, says Ward, since in recent years the evolution of the Web and wireless technology, combined with increased competition and the reduction in cost, has seen the installation, influence and control of such solutions is no longer in the class of the elite spenders.
“Traditionally BMS has focused primarily on the optimisation of resource consumption, but going forward they have real potential to be a major player in two of the biggest areas of industry — the green agenda and BIM.
“Forward-looking BMS’ will help FM’s control utilisation of our natural resources — energy, water, emissions, helping provide real data and intelligence to benchmark, model future trends and drive further optimisation. Integration of BMS into BIM data, (much hyped, but yet to prove itself in the FM area) will be an essential lynch-pin to providing one source of meaningful data around property and assets, where organisations can model real-estate to deliver lifetime value and not just to meet this years needs.”
So where exactly is BMS being put in use, and how is it benefiting the end-user? One example is the control technology and touchscreens from Priva Building Intelligence which have been installed at a new operation and maintenance (O&M) base for the Sheringham Shoal wind farm.
The equipment controls and monitors underfloor heating and cooling and ventilation grilles for individual areas within the facility.
Until recently, Scira Offshore Energy, the team responsible for the long-term running of Sheringham Shoal wind farm, was housed in temporary offices in the former Wells Field Study Centre, which was previously a primary school. However, work started in early 2012 on the construction of a purpose-built state-of-the-art administrative base and associated storage facility located on the Walsingham Estate in Egmere, and the Scira team moved into its new home in February 2013.
LSI Architects and Mansell Construction Services were duly appointed and the project commenced. Eyre of Norwich became the mechanical and electrical contractor, which in turn appointed EMC (a Priva partner also based in Norwich) to undertake the control technology.
“In control terms it was a relatively straightforward project, but getting it right was paramount due to the nature of what the operations centre would be controlling and monitoring,” says Calvin Townshend, installation and commissioning engineer at EMC. The Sheringham Shoal wind farm comprises 88 turbines generating capacity of 317MW — enough to supply 220,000 homes with clean energy each year.
The company says that EMC installed six control panels at the new facility, one for the 400 sq ft warehouse, one for offices (800 sq ft in total) and four underfloor manifold/passive ventilation panels. The warehouse is where the main heating distribution equipment can be found, including a ground source heat pump unit, associated pump circuits, heating coils, heat meters and CWS meters.
“The control panel includes Priva technology such as a Compri HX4 controller, as well as RO8, UI8, DI12 and AO4 input/output modules. The panel in the office plant room accommodates a Priva Compri HX6E controller and two UI8 modules. Sited here is a HWS cylinder (heated by two immersion heaters) alongside electrical distribution meters and more CWS meters.”
Finally, the company says, the underfloor heating/cooling panels control room temperature and CO2 using Priva Compri HX4 technology. Each individual room features CO2 and temperature sensors to switch on the underfloor heating/cooling and open/close the passive ventilation louvres (controlled by temperature in the summer and CO2 levels in the winter).
“Each room has a wall mounted Priva Comset HX touchscreen (16 in total) which displays CO2 and temperature readings. Scira employees are also able to turn off/on and set the passive ventilation position manually for one hour. Three LEDs on the Comset HX provide a traffic light display of CO2 levels: red >1500ppm; amber >1100ppm; and green >0ppm. The Scira team can access the system via Priva TC WebVision to make changes to the settings or view meter readings.”
Comset HX Touchscreens offer functionality that allows several units to be connected to one Compri HX, each with its own menu, the company says. “Settings, measurements and controls from different Compri HX controllers can be used in the menus. User menus are constructed using the Priva TC Select engineering tool. This provides the user with a fully-customised user interface in which optional variables can only be changed by users who have the appropriate log-in rights.”
“We did some demonstrations for the customer on the HX Touchscreens and they were pleased with the level of control capability available,” says Townshend. “We recommended the use of the Comset HX as it is suited to ‘everyday’ essential building operations, such as temperature and ventilation.”
The company says the Scira Offshore Energy team is now fully resident at its new home, which is said to be a low-energy-consumption building featuring low energy lighting, highly insulated walls, and a ‘green’ roof to reduce rainwater run-off.
The facility serves as the base for Sheringham Shoal’s wind turbine maintenance technicians. Located about 3 miles south of Wells-next-the-Sea, wind farm workers go here every day to change for their offshore duties. A minibus then transports them to the outer harbour where they board vessels for the 16-nautical-mile voyage to the wind farm.
Schneider Electric also displayed how BMS can save energy when it undertook a project with the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) in Manchester. The project aimed to improve the college’s overall energy performance, while making financial savings.
The building was opened in 1973 and contains a range of facilities which are available to students for up to 18 hours a day. These include concert halls, lecture theatres, practice rooms and a restaurant and dining area, all spread across four floors.
The college called on Schneider Electric to complete a full energy audit of the building. Based on the findings, the company then made several recommendations as to how improvements could be made to increase energy efficiencies and in turn lower the building’s carbon footprint and energy bills.
The existing Sigma Building Management System (BMS) was reprogrammed in order to improve timings and set points in the teaching spaces and auditoriums as well as variable speed drives being added to the air handling units (AHUs) and fans. To help reduce energy consumption further, occupancy sensors were fitted throughout the building in order to control the heating and cooling functions. Lux motion sensors were added to the lighting, to cut wasted electricity and ensure they are only used when needed.
The Schneider Electric team recommended monitoring the electricity, water and gas supplies, with the aim of improving the estate director’s understanding of high-energy consumption areas on the site. Schneider Electric advised that an on-going energy optimisation maintenance programme be implemented, as well as standard servicing needs to further improve and maintain on-site energy performance.
Over the course of the five-year finance deal, the college expects to achieve £150,000 of energy savings, once the initial project costs have been taken into consideration. As the project is self-financing, the money saved can then be re-invested back into the College.
Over 10 years, Schneider Electric has calculated that the recommended changes will provide £670,000 of savings, as well as a reduction in energy costs of £54,565 per annum — a figure that equates to 25% of the buildings energy bill, or a saving of 110 tonnes of carbon per year.
