Integration Possibilities in BAS

Owners today demand central BAS software that has the inherent capability to integrate a variety of building systems, while providing freedom of choice for selecting BAS vendors and integrating older legacy systems.  The integrated BAS provides owners with an all-encompassing tool to efficiently manage their facility through cross-functional use of data between systems, resulting in improved comfort, increased operational efficiencies, and lower maintenance and energy expenditures.

Integration of older legacy BAS onto the right BAS platform with the right BAS company provides the dual benefit of extending the life and usefulness of an existing BAS, while providing a phased migration path to the latest BAS technology.  A full replacement of older legacy systems at one time, along with the associated significant capital expense, is no longer the sole option.

Considering the spectrum of BAS technologies in the marketplace today, most integrations fall into several categories based on their communication protocol: proprietary systems, LON-based systems, and BACnet based systems.

Real Life BAS Integration Examples

Over the past 17 years, Radius Systems has helped countless customers by successfully integrating a variety of building automation systems to facilitate vendor choice flexibility, protect their existing BAS investment, and provide a path forward to new technology.  This includes a variety of current and legacy systems, including:

• Alerton – BACnet
• American Automatrix – PUP
• Honeywell
  • Tridium – Fox Protocol/BACnet (requires purchase of BACnet server option)
  • Spyder – Fox Protocol/BACnet (requires purchase of BACnet server option)
• Johnson Controls
  • Metasys – BACnet, N1, N2, LON
  • EasyIO – BACnet
  • Facility Explorer – BACnet

• KMC – BACnet
• Loytech – BACnet
• Schneider Electric
  • TAC iNet – LON
  • Andover – BACnet
• Siemens
  • Desigo – BACnet
  • Apogee – P1, P2
• Trane – LON, BACnet
• Viconics – LON

Integrations to tangential systems outside of building automation are providing a pathway for utility cost monitoring and savings. Innovative facilities are bringing external data from these systems into the Automated Logic WebCTRL user interface to capitalize on its reporting, trending, and alarming capabilities, identifying projects that yield energy cost savings from:

• Electrical Power – Solar, wind, utility, segmented submetering (HVAC, lighting, plug load)
• Fluids – Steam, hot water, chilled water, geothermal
• Fuel Oil
• Natural Gas
• Lighting Systems
  • Encelium
  • Crestron
  • Wattstopper
  • Hubbell
  • Blue Ridge Techologies
  • Lutron
• Potable Water
• Variable Speed Drives – all manufacturers

Laboratory environments introduce an entirely different subset of systems that are necessary and vital to the safety and function of the building environment.  These systems are also a source of significant energy use in the facility.  Successfully integrating these systems to the BAS to achieve precise control, maximize available energy efficiencies, and enable customized alarm notifications ensures consistently healthy air quality while meeting applicable occupant safety standards and compliance with all building codes.

Specifically, laboratory control systems introduce a level of complexity that requires an open partnership between industry solutions, and Radius Systems has established successful customized integrations to the following systems:

• Gas Detection Systems
  • MSA
  • Detcon, etc.
• Laboratory Control Systems
  • LCS
  • Phoenix Lab Controls
  • Antec
  • CRC
  • TSI
• Breathing Air Systems

The lighting control industry for commercial applications has nuances, some of which become apparent once a lighting control system is installed on site. Radius System’s approach to lighting control prioritizes providing customers with flexibility and choice, while also considering long term expenditures such as replacement parts and service support.

Previously, there have been two choices for building lighting control when considering third party lighting control systems (such as Lutron or Hubbell). Third party lighting control systems can integrate with Automated Logic (ALC) building automation systems via BACnet OR they can operate as a standalone system completely separate from the BAS.  Using this approach, lighting control manufacturers only allow partial access to the I/O points in their systems, which does not allow facilities to directly manage lights via the BAS.

Recently, a third solution for lighting control has emerged: Direct control of lighting with ALC hardware. This approach leverages the existing networks of controller inputs/outputs (I/O).  ALC controllers can manage lighting I/O devices exactly the same way as BAS I/O, and the custom programming capabilities of all ALC controllers allow the end user direct access to all programming.  This makes ALC an excellent choice for a fully integrated HVAC and lighting system.

This approach yields the following BENEFITS:

• Lower the overall cost of implementation by utilizing the BAS network for both HVAC and lighting control – no need to install separate networks.
• Have full access to the programming of all lights in the facility via the WebCTRL GUI.
• Increase operational efficiency by capitalizing on the same set of configuration and programming tools for both BAS and lighting, which are already familiar to the facility team.
• Open market sourcing of end devices (i.e. – switches, ballasts, motion sensors, photocells, etc.) – in comparison to end devices that lighting control manufacturers utilize, which are proprietary and can only be purchased through a single source.

In evaluating the long-term cost consequences of choosing a lighting control approach, facility managers can prepare their facility for future expenditures by asking the following very important long-term questions:

1. How much do replacement parts cost once a system is installed? Ask for an itemized list of all components up front before committing.
2. What does post-installation support look like?
   • How many techs are on staff?
   • Are the techs  located in/near the area of the facility?
   • What is the typical response time to service calls to have someone on site?
3. How readily available are parts?
   • What is the typical lead time?
4. What service contract options are offered? Request a service contract proposal for the system up front.

Most commercial buildings have a vast array and variety of HVAC equipment needed to fully support the heating, cooling, and ventilation needs of the facility.  These systems often are provided with factory controls, which can be integrated to the overall facility BAS.  These controls must be integrated to the overall BAS to ensure all factory-controlled and BAS-controlled equipment share data, properly execute sequences of operations, and ensure building comfort and efficiency.

Further, the ability of the BAS to provide graphics, trending, and alarming of data from the integrated HVAC equipment gives facility managers a tool that can be utilized to efficiently manage the facility, identify and rectify problems swiftly, and provide notifications to drive needed preventative maintenance.

The latest generation of Automated Logic’s customizable and programmable advanced application controllers and building routers/gateways have the memory and processing power to manage enormous volumes of data for the largest and most challenging enterprise integration needs.  Bringing this data to a single GUI platform facilitates cross-functional use of information between systems, along with automated fault detection and diagnostics to wring maximum efficiency from these systems.  Below is a partial list of system types, integrated by Radius Systems into WebCTRL:

Video management and access control systems gather data on occupancy and behaviors, which can be used for utility scheduling, occupancy counting, real estate planning, and predictive modeling of how facilities are being utilized by tenants. With this information, cost savings can be achieved through BAS scheduling and real estate portfolio leasing management based on occupancy data.

Communication between an Automated Logic WebCTRL BAS and security systems is part of current available technology.  Examples of such integration are:

• Avigilon Video Management – Occupancy Counting
• LenelS2 – Tracking of occupant movement

Work order management is an efficiency that many facilities find useful and necessary, but most systems run separately from the BAS.  Automated Logic WebCTRL can feed real time maintenance data to a CMMS and facilitate automated work order generation.  Radius Systems can integrate the following work order management systems into WebCTRL, as well as develop custom CMMS integration via WebCTRL’s open API:

• Maximo
• SchoolDude

What does this mean for the facility manager today?  Combining the agility of Automated Logic’s WebCTRL BACnet-centric open integration platform with custom drivers, open API, and fully customizable programming capabilities allows Radius Systems to dramatically expand the boundaries of BAS well beyond what has been historically attainable.  This includes providing cross-functional data use between systems, fault detection and analytics, trending, alarming, and much more of all building systems.

Facility managers can dramatically improve comfort, reduce trouble calls, increase operational efficiency, lower energy costs, and continue to push the envelope of what is possible with WebCTRL by simply asking: