What is building automation?
Building automation (BA) is the automatic control of building functions like heating, air-conditioning, ventilation, lighting and shading. As an essential component of technical facility management, building automation aims at saving energy and operating costs, automatically executing functional processes across trades in accordance with defined parameters and simplifying operation and monitoring. All sensors, actuators, operating elements, loads and other technical units in the building are networked with each other. Processes can be summarised in scenes and enable an intelligent and optimised interaction of the different components.
Areas of application and functions of building automation
- Automatic control of temperatures, humidity, CO2 and air quality in rooms
- Efficient automation of energy centres, ventilation stations and energy recovery
- Demand-dependent dimming and switching the light on or off via presence, brightness or scenarios
- Shading equipment/ blinds in dependence of sunlight, room temperature, wind and scenarios
- Implementation of scenarios like central switching on or off, central room climate control and blind adjustment, presence and absence, anti-burglary protection etc.
- Execution of emergency scenarios
- All control processes and states in the building are centrally collected and displayed
- Increased security via monitoring door and window contacts, motion detectors and hold-up alarm systems
- Implementation of access control systems
- Optimisation of energy efficiency by consumption data logging of heat meters, water meters, gas meters, electricity meters and energy data management
- Controlling media devices and multi-room systems
- Switching of electrical devices like washing machine, dryer, dishwasher and others by schedules and/or integration of smart grid
- Peak load monitoring
- Functions for the implementation of smart home
- Remote monitoring and remote control of buildings by means of mobile devices via internet or telephone network
Architecture
Museums
Hotels and Resorts
Factories
Shopping Malls
Universities and Schools
In which buildings is building automation used?
Building automation can be found in almost all building categories, like office buildings, shopping malls, hospitals, hotels, event locations, training centres, industry and safety facilities. Each building category has specific requirements with respect to building automation.