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The Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) has launched a BEMS Delivery Framework to tackle inconsistent specifications and standardise building energy management systems (BEMS).
The framework establishes a common language for defining the precise level of building controls functionality required on a project.
According to the BCIA, current specification practices often leave BEMS requirements open to interpretation. This results in contractors pricing for varying levels of functionality, difficulties in making like-for-like tender comparisons, and creating uncertainty over whether installed systems will meet clients’ operational needs.
The framework defines six delivery levels from L0 to L5, ranging from basic controls capability to integrated smart building functionality. The BCIA says this allows project teams to define the level most appropriate to a building’s needs.
The levels give project stakeholders an understanding of what the system is expected to achieve before products and selected.
Ron Purcell, vice president of the BCIA, said: ‘Building controls have evolved significantly, but the way we specify them has not always kept pace.’
‘Terms such as “integrated” or “intelligent” can mean different things to different people, creating uncertainty from tender stage right through to commissioning.’
Purcell says the framework is designed to remove ambiguity. ‘It gives the industry a common language for defining what a building actually needs its controls to achieve, so everyone involved can work towards the same outcome from the outset,’ he says.
Authored by Christopher Kelly MCIBSE, the framework was developed and is maintained by the BCIA’s Technical Working Group.
Kelly said: ‘One of the key objectives was to create something that could be understood and used across the industry.’
‘Consultants, controls specialists, electrical contractors, manufacturers and clients may approach a project from different perspectives, but ultimately they all need to be working towards the same outcome. The Delivery Levels provide that common reference point.’
‘This isn’t about saying every building needs the most advanced solution. It’s about defining the right level of functionality for each project and making that requirement clear throughout specification, procurement and delivery.’
The BCIA BEMS Delivery Framework can be downloaded from the BCIA website.
