FAQ´s | Priac

In this space you can find answers to some questions related to the PRIAC and its activity.

1. What is a Building Management System (BMS)?

A Building Management System exerts control over comfort variables, namely room temperature, air quality and lightening. The values can be set by the systems user and they can be set differently for different areas, adapting to the utilization of every location. It is possible to set power saving routines optimized by the installation. A calendar and a schedule is defined by the management system’s user, which can also set the operational conditions. The operative system’s base focus is attaining minimal energy consumption. The starting and stopping of the thermal center’s different equipments are actuated according to the needs of the different installations.

In order to centralize all information and obtain control of installations, there can be one or more supervision points, based on computers, recurring to a graphical representation of the installations or animated synoptic charts.

2. What are the BMS main targets?

Building Management System in several installations strive to achieve the following objectives:

- Control, command, supervision, regulation and management in several technical installations;
- Global management of buildings through malfunction and fault detection in all equipments, warning alerts given by sending information regarding abnormal conditions for correction and prevention purposes;
- Reducing usage costs through several energy saver measures, such as, thermal, fuel, electrical and labor force variables;
- Improving the installations output, through the increasing of the equipments durability and scheduled functioning for better usage of each equipments characteristics.

3. What is the importance of BMS in buildings?

The main purpose for the installation of a Building Management System (BMS) in a building, is to achieve the best efficiency in its operation while attaining minimal maintenance endeavors, provided by a comfortable and safe environment for all its inhabitants. The Centralized Technical Management can add significant cost reduction in energy consumption, which has to be dealt with as an essential element in the energy efficiency strategy plan for any building.

4. Is any building suitable for BMS?

BMS systems are essential in sizable service buildings, but can also be installed in any other types of buildings, having been made several installations for the residential areas already. It is estimated that these systems allow savings of approximately 15 to 20%. Moreover, in case of anomaly or malfunction, there are instant service alerts for maintenance, so that corrective measures can be promptly applied.

5. Is it possible to interact with the BMS system using a mobile platform (Smartphone or Tablet)?

Yes it is possible, for that you just need a mobile device with internet connection.

6. What is a supervisory and control system?

A Supervisory and Control System is an application that is run on one or more computers, which allows equipments and machines to be controlled and monitored remotely.

Supervisory control systems contain several graphical resources which allow the reproduction of field events on a computer’s screen. In the same way, the actioning of field elements can be attained through switches and set-point values which can be easily altered by editing their values on the Supervisory and Control System.

7. What is energy management?

Energy management is a term with several different meanings, but we are mainly focused on energy savings regarding enterprises, governmental institutions, industry and residential buildings.

In regards to energy efficiency, energy management is the process consisting in monitoring, control and energy saving in industrial or residential buildings.

Usually this process consists of two phases:

1. Continuous energy measurement and data gathering.

2. Encountering opportunities for energy saving and estimate the amount of energy each opportunity can save.

Analyze the gathered data to localize and quantify the general energy waste, and investigate the possible margin for energy savings by replacing equipments (such as lightening equipment) or through a better thermal insulation of the building.

3. Taking measures to use energy saving opportunities (meaning fighting average waste and replace or update the existing faulty equipment).

4. Closely follow progress through measurement data analysis, regular reports, and assess results.

(Followed by repeating phase 2, and repeating the cycle)

Manage and reduce energy consumption in your organization

Energy management is the way we have to control and reduce energy consumption in your organization. It is considered of outmost importance since it allows:

• Cost reduction - Energy costs are constantly rising

• Reducing CO2 emissions and the environmental damage they cause, along with the inherent adjacent costs - Most organizations are increasing their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint in order to promote an eco-friendly branding and image.

• Risk reduction - the higher the companies’ energy consumption, the higher the risk of sudden energy price raises to take a deep toll on their profitability, and eventually even hinder the business continuation.