How Is IoT Disrupting The Traditional Building Management System?

As an owner or a facility manager of a building, you need to ensure that it is running at its best capacity. There are issues that are not visible yet, but they can create operational inefficiencies in your buildings later. Even if you must have incorporated Building Management System and it is operating the way it should. Then why is there a need for an upgrade? You will get the benefits of enormous cost savings and optimization opportunities that a smart building offers.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is truly a disruptive technology that is impacting building operations. According to Gartner, Building automation will witness the highest growth with the emergence of the IoT and the adoption of the connected device. With the built-in intelligence, the IoT-powered building management system makes the building intuitive and proactive. It enables your staff to manage and control the operations much better than before. In short, it will transform your building into energy-efficient, automated machines that productively work for you!

There is a lot more that IoT has to offer in terms of its implementation in buildings than just a simple technological update. It means that you will get unprecedented insights into the numerous aspects of a building that help you ensure holistic or proactive facility management. To understand the vitality of IoT BMS, you need to know the current BMS and why it is not enough.

Building Management System (BMS)

BMS is also called Building Automation System (BAS) and plays a central role in energy management in commercial and industrial buildings. There are some massive evolutions in the architecture of the building management system, mainly in computer-based control systems. The majority of them still serve the same purpose – simplification of the core building functions such as HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning), lighting, power systems, fire and security systems, etc. With the vital information in hand, you can rectify the issues occurring in the building on-time

How does IoT BMS differ from Traditional BMS?

The traditional building management system is not that advanced. Though it is the primary tool for identifying energy intensity improvement opportunities with devices and systems that manage diverse functions of a building, the ever-increasing demands and needs of the building and its occupants are making them inefficient. Achieving the targets such as cost reduction, energy efficiency, flexibility, and future-proofing is becoming challenging with the traditional BMS.

Also, IoT BMS has the ability to make your building energy efficient, meaning it will reduce the cost of energy consumption. Imagine the savings you will be making after incorporating this advanced technology. Even some of the biggest IT companies in India have saved 30-50% of energy.

Traditional BMS is no longer robust now!

The technological advancements are making the Old School building management system obsolete. In a digital era, wire-based automation systems create high costs and complexity. Except for some of the thermostats, controllers, and HVAC assets, most traditional BMS lack scalability that needs the support of sensors and other functionalities. It creates energy wastes, especially in large-scale facilities. There are still many current BMS that don’t deliver the data of power consumption of the entire building. So even if you identify the anomalies on a level, finding out the root causes will be difficult.

IoT works as a mover!

The application of IoT has changed the whole scenario. It has given rise to connectivity that led to simplicity, faster response times, low chances of human error, high customization according to the occupant needs. All this brings efficiency to the operations of buildings.

Enabling energy efficiency and satisfying the complex demands of the tech-savvy tenants, there is a need for transformation in the BMS sector. With the application of IoT solutions, you can acquire infinite opportunities to optimize building operations without incurring huge costs.

Integrating IoT with Building Management System (BMS)

Building management system enables the automatic control of core operational systems within a facility. It enables the management to optimize the building performance. When IoT enters the building systems, the optimization takes place on a much faster scale than BMS. The IoT sensors work innovatively. By installing them into the facilities, the managers can monitor the vital aspects at a very granular level. At the same time, they also allow you to collect data from sources outside the building and impact the performance of the systems.

The vast range of IoT sensors costs in a fraction as compared to traditional BMS. It means the savings are huge as the building managers are able to integrate the data in real-time. A typical BMS doesn’t have the potential to function this way. By pairing it with IoT, the facility managers can leverage the benefits of both technologies. Where a BMS provides you with valuable data on your major operational units, IoT devices can be attached to all of the buildings’ equipment to effectively monitor power consumption. It ultimately provides an accurate measurement of your utility consumption and can help managers identify inefficiencies. Ensuring optimized building performance is possible with IoT BMS.

Reducing energy costs is a concern of the building staff. The traditional building management system provides valuable data on operational costs. Attaching the IoT devices to the building systems ultimately results in accurate measurement of utility consumption that allows the staff to identify the present inefficiencies. 

Take an instance – a heatwave spikes temperatures later in the afternoon. The building system can work to cool the indoor space proactively to better maintain adequate internal temperatures. A traditional BMS can’t do this. But if it is paired with IoT data, you can get much deeper insights into building performance and leverage both the technologies. 

In today’s technologically advanced world, IoT BMS is not a choice but an ultimate need for most facilities.

The undeniable benefits of IoT BMS

IoT plays a crucial role in advancing building automation beyond mere optimizations. It’s a fact that needs to be accepted. It brings systems together and adds new value with innovations like demand control and improves air quality up to a considerable extent. Internet of Things is truly a game-changer in building management. After all, it enhances the performance of buildings, ensures energy efficiency, and brings other vital benefits. 

There are significant opportunities to improve the building systems with IoT solutions. Till now, you must have understood the vitality of IoT integration with BMS. Want to know about them? Check out the below-mentioned information:

1. Energy Efficiency – IoT technology identifies the key areas where overconsumption of energy is happening in the building. Based on the collected inputs, facility managers can make informed decisions to meet energy efficiency goals. 
2. Security and Safety – IoT adds an extra layer to the security systems where restricted access is necessary. There is no risk of breach of crucial data when building managers have IoT BMS in place.
3. Water Management – Embedding the water supply channels with IoT-enabled sensors that deliver the data of the excess water consumption. There will be no unnecessary wastage of water resources. Even if some occupants are consuming excess water, facility managers can track it and take responsive action against them.
4. Maintenance- IoT covers this aspect on a vast scale. By installing the IoT sensors in a building, the management will know the maintenance needs before the problem arises. It also leads to efficient use of manpower and cost savings. No more risks of interrupted operations, unplanned equipment downtime, wastage of unnecessary resources, or asset breakdown with IoT BMS. 

IoT is elevating the functionalities of Building management systems (BMS). It creates massive opportunities in energy efficiency, facility management, tenant experiences, service innovation, etc. Upgrade it with Zenatix’s next-gen IoT connectivity to take your building operations to the next level. Connect with us today to upgrade your building operations with our IoT-powered solutions.