Building Automation: An Overview of Central Control and

Monitoring Systems
Originally published March 1981.
A.H. Elmahdy

Central control and monitoring systems (CCMS) are of various levels of sophistication depending
on the size of the building and desired operational function. The simplest system allows an
operator to check the operational status of the heating, ventilating and air conditioning
(HVAC), fire and security systems, and control various equipment remotely from a central
console. The most complex system ("direct digital control" DDC) has a digital computer to
perform most of the work normally done by the operator, and other optimization and control
functions.

This Digest presents the results of a survey of available CCMS, and outlines their main design
features and areas of application. Total cost and the number of points monitored are used to
develop a simple guideline for selecting a suitable system for a given large building or group of
buildings.

Building Automation and Energy Conservation

Software packages designed for CCMS consist of one or more money-saving programs that
contribute to energy conservation through efficient energy management. These programs interact
continuously to operate as an integrated system. Consequently, the net energy saving is the sum
of their contributions, making it difficult to determine the savings from each program. The
following programs perform most of the functions used to save money and energy in buildings.

Start/Stop Program. -- This represents the simplest yet most effective, energy saving program. It
is designed to start and stop different HVAC equipment automatically according to a pre-
determined schedule.

Reset Program. -- The actual cooling load is calculated in various zones and the supply air
temperature reset so that minimum cooling and reheating will occur. This action saves energy by
matching the system to the actual building load during off-design conditions.

Start Time Optimization Program. -- Comfort conditions are restored in time for occupancy in
buildings where the air-conditioning equipment is shut down during the silent hours.

Electric Demand Control Program. -- The controllable or discretionary portions of the building
electric load are varied to compensate for load requirements elsewhere in order to present a
more nearly constant total building demand to the utility company.

Enthalpy Control Program. -- This program is also known as the outdoor air quantity optimization
program. When a space requires cooling, the enthalpy (total heat content) of the outdoor and
return air are monitored and compared. Thus, when the enthalpy of the outdoor air is lower than
that of the return air, a larger percentage of outdoor air is mixed with a smaller portion of return
air. This in turn reduces the chillers load, and is therefore called "free cooling."

Chiller Load Optimization Program. -- This program is used when a group of buildings is supplied
with cold water for the cooling system by a multiple chiller plant. It is designed to maximize the
cooling plant efficiency during all operating conditions and ensure minimum energy consumption.
The over-all cooling plant efficiency varies with the imposed cooling load, condenser water
temperature, and chilled water temperature. Interactive calculations determine the most efficient
operating conditions by taking into account cooling plant layout, the number of series and parallel
chillers, and whether or not a heat recovery system is used.
Building Management Programs. -- Standard programs are used to provide integrated daily or
monthly cooling and heating loads, kilowatt- hours, kilowatt demand, and total gas, oil and
electricity consumption.

Preventive Maintenance Program. -- Totalization of machine running time enables maintenance

personnel to service different equipment properly, based on total accumulated running time.

Light Control Program. -- This program is used to control lights in various zones of a building or
group of buildings. A direct and profitable advantage of a light control system is the ability to
reduce electric peak demand quickly when it reaches the critical range.

Fire Alarm and Life Safety Program. -- A databased computerized system for life safety, fire
alarm, and smoke control operations can be designed to work in parallel with HVAC systems.
Smoke control routines include control of special fans and air-handling units.

Power Demands Forecast Program. -- When the predicted electric power demand appears to
exceed a preselected usage limit, the central facility is alerted and the electric demand control
program is executed.

CCMS Classifications

Several types of CCMS are available. Most major control firms and other companies in this field
have introduced families of building automation systems intended for a wide range of building
sizes. These systems are classified as follows.

Class A Systems. -- These consist of small monitoring and control systems that can be used in
buildings with floor areas up to about 20 000 m². The basic component is a microprocessor
preprogrammed to start/stop different HVAC system components according to a preselected
schedule. The systems can be designed to perform other operations such as monitoring fire
alarms and smoke detectors, security checks, and load cycling.

Class B Systems. -- These systems are similar to those in Class A except that they can serve
larger buildings and some building complexes. The available software packages provide functions
such as: executive and operating instructions, scheduled start/stop operations, load rotation and
shedding, control points resetting, optimization of start time, enthalpy optimization, and fire alarm
and life-safety system monitoring.

These systems can usually monitor about 2000 addressable points, and the memory of the
central processor is large enough to handle data for more than one building. When these systems
are used for a group of buildings or building complexes, the central control facility is connected to
remote data gathering panels by means of one or more types of data communication links.
Because more than one data gathering panel is served by a central facility, each panel is allotted
an equal amount of time in direct communication with the central facility.

As the number of data gathering panels increases, the time allotted each panel becomes shorter
or communication between the individual panels and the central facility becomes less frequent.
To overcome this inefficiency, the data gathering panels are divided into groups. Each group is
supervised and served by a separate remote processing unit (RPU) that stores the software
algorithms required to operate the connected control points. Each RPU is in turn connected to the
central facility in order to transfer the over-all control strategies and any changes issued by the
operator. This network is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1.   Block diagram for Class B systems.

Class C Systems. -- These are referred to as "direct digital control" (DDC) systems, and are the
most sophisticated type of CCMS. DDC systems are used for building complexes such as
educational institutes and university campuses. In addition to the basic functions described
earlier, the large data storage and on-line computer make it possible to include the following
programs; reset of supply air system; optimization of cooling and heating plants operation;
building management; lights control; preventive maintenance; and energy auditing and efficient
bookkeeping. Reference 1, on which this Digest is based, gives a detailed description of the DDC
system, and compares it with the conventional pneumatic control system.

Class D Systems. -- Installation of a CCMS is neither economical nor practical for small buildings
because of the relatively high initial and operating costs. The alternative is to monitor and control
buildings in a wide geographical area from a single location. The benefits of a building automation
centre can be obtained by purchasing the service rather than providing it independently. In this
case, the manufacturers install the system in a centralized location of the area to be served. The
purchased building automation service may include most of the services that could be obtained
by owning a CCMS, without the burden of maintaining the system itself.

Selection of CCMS

For a particular building or building complex, the preliminary survey of the existing HVAC system
and desired control functions will indicate the total number of points to be monitored. The results
are used to estimate the initial cost and determine which system is most suitable.

The total number of monitored points is an important factor in selecting a CCMS. Each system
has a certain number of points that it can handle efficiently, and any additional points will overload
it. This results in inefficient operation and slower speed of communication between the field
devices and the central facility.

To determine the total number of points, future expansion of the building and the possibility of
implementing other programs or energy conservation measures should be investigated. Such
expansion or new measures usually result in an additional number of points, and therefore
require larger computer memory to store the pertinent information.

The procedure to select a suitable CCMS can be summarized as follows:

1. Study the existing HVAC system to determine the number of points to be monitored.
2. Determine the control and other functions required, including energy conservation
measures, management, security, etc.
3. Make provision for future expansion in buildings, control strategies and operational
functions.
4. Estimate the payback time or rate of return on the money invested taking into account
anticipated increases in costs of labour and energy.

Figure 2.   Correlation between the number of points and the initial cost/point of CCMS.

Figure 2 may be used to estimate the initial cost of the CCMS based on the estimated total
number of points. It also gives some guidance on the class systems suitable for a particular
project. For example, if the number of points is below 100, leased building services (Class D
systems) are more economical than a privately owned system. If leased building services are not
available, automatic time clocks (or similar electronic devices) can be used to achieve equipment
scheduling.

If the number of points is between 100 and 200, then Class A systems might be used at a
reasonable cost. This would probably be the case with medium and large office buildings of
between 10 000 and 20 000 m². For a group of buildings where the number of monitored points is
between 500 and 1500, Class B systems are believed to be suitable and more economical.

In the case of a large building complex (20 buildings or more) the number of monitored points
usually exceeds 2000. In these situations, the direct digital control systems (Class C systems)
may be appropriate. The cost per point for the DDC systems is usually higher than that of the
other classes, but the following additional benefits are often sufficient to justify the extra cost.
1. DDC systems are expandable in terms of the number of points able to be monitored,
software packages available, and operational functions.
2. They are more reliable than pneumatic control systems.
 3. Failure of the central facility does not upset the individual control units because satellite
processing units are programmed to stand alone in such cases.
4. Larger computer memory allows the building management to use a preventive
maintenance program and perform energy audits for the different buildings.
5. Electronic components are usually available from several computer manufacturers. This
has the advantage that the customer is not restricted to a particular company for
equipment maintenance, and, in most cases, results in a reduction in the operation cost
of the system.
6. Although the initial cost of DDC systems is relatively higher, the payback period is
comparable with those of smaller systems.

Concluding Remarks
1. Building automation systems contribute to energy conservation and save money because
of better control of energy consuming equipment.
2. CCMS indicate off-normal conditions before they are registered as a complaint about
uncomfortable conditions in the occupied space.
3. CCMS provide maintenance personnel the convenience of checking the HVAC
components without actually having to visit the system.
4. Major control companies supply, install and maintain CCMS equipment. The
disadvantage is that the customer is totally dependent on the supplier for any changes,
modification, or updating of the existing system.
5. Extensive engineering studies are always necessary to study the existing HVAC systems,
the operational functions desired from the building automation system, and the projected
expansion in both buildings and monitoring system. These are usually undertaken prior to
committing a large sum of money to a specific building automation system.
6. Management personnel are often concerned about equipment obsolescence, particularly
in the electronics field. This concern is justified by the rather significant changes in
electronic equipment for building management systems. However, a flexible and
expandable design of building automation systems minimizes the effects of
obsolescence.
7. In most cases, building automation systems do not reduce manpower requirements, but a
central control system can assist in making building management and maintenance
personnel more efficient, particularly when implementing effective preventive
maintenance programs.
8. Problems in existing HVAC systems and controls should be corrected before installation
of a control centre.
How much does it save?
The biggest energy need in a building is electricity. The high consumption of electricity
is the result of air-conditioning, lighting and running other utilities such as safety and
security systems. An effective energy management system functions by proper
integration of all four parameters. When it comes to saving energy, it is also quite natural
to use sunlight and accordingly adjust internal lighting so that adequate intensity of
lighting is provided for maximum comfort.

Studies show that the implementation of building management systems has helped
companies to achieve annual savings of more than 30 per cent. In case of older or poorly
maintained buildings, these savings can be even higher. Building automation systems
also cut down on work staff costs by allowing companies to manage all their systems
from one building and reduce maintenance costs by helping plant managers monitor
building equipment performance. Even more significantly, they reduce the cost of
operations by increasing employee comfort.

Quality control
It is also important to know that only installing a building automation system may not
guarantee energy savings and cost reductions. One must also focus on commissioning-the
quality control aspect of a building automation system. This process is necessary,
especially for buildings with LEED certification. Commissioning includes reviews and
detailed inspections throughout the design and construction process as well as rigorous
performance tests that move the system through its sequences of operation before the
building is occupied.

It is also vital to ensure that the system continues to work properly over time. There must
be periodic verification of energy consumption data and other aspects throughout the
lifecycle of a building. This helps to identify failures or malfunction in the system. So,
building managers must implement this process from the very beginning to further boost
energy efficiency.

Tech today
As Internet and IT technologies have become more affordable, building automation
systems are using them to give real-time access and control over systems through web
browsers. One area of facilities management that building automation systems have
proven especially useful for is energy procurement. Building management systems let
companies extract critical energy data from their systems for analysis regarding energy
procurement.

And while most commercial organisations are opting for building automation systems to
save costs, other significant benefits include greater convenience, privacy, security,
control and aesthetics. Indeed, the expanded use of the Internet and other IT technologies
gives plant managers the ability to define an ever increasing number of areas and comfort
ranges to best suit climate control requirements. In days to come, building automation
systems are expected to become even more intelligent with technologies like web
services having a greater impact on the system. With this, the concept will further
penetrate into the commercial as well as residential space.

Here are strategies building automation systems use to save energy:

Scheduling: Scheduling turns equipment on or off depending on time of day, day of the
week, day type, or other variables such as outdoor air conditions.
Lockouts: Lockouts ensure that equipment doesn't turn on unless it's necessary. For
example, a chiller and its associated pumps can be locked out according to calendar date,
when the outdoor air falls below a certain temperature, or when building cooling
requirements are below a minimum.
Resets: When equipment operates at greater capacity than necessary to meet building
loads, it wastes energy. A BAS can ensure equipment operates at the minimum needed
capacity by automatically resetting operating parameters to match current weather
conditions. For example, as the outdoor air temperature decreases, the chilled water
temperature can be reset to a higher value.
Diagnostics: Building operators who use a BAS to monitor information such as
temperatures, flows, pressures, and actuator positions may use that data to determine
whether equipment is operating incorrectly or inefficiently, and to troubleshoot problems.
Some systems also use the data to automatically provide maintenance bulletins.

Key facts

• 40 to 48 per cent of total energy is consumed by buildings

• 35 per cent is consumed by lights
• 40 per cent is consumed by HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning)
• The oil reserve in India is estimated to last for just 19 more years
• 86 per cent of oil consumed in India is imported
• 35 per cent of power consumption in a building is on account of lighting
• 40 per cent of power consumption in a building is on account of AC systems