Honestly, the definition of open systems is the most confusing of the three types. Open protocols are pretty straight forward — they’re protocols that communicate with one another.

The electric utility industry is undergoing a major transformation driven by new sources of energy generation (solar and wind power), consumer demand for faster and more affordable services, cybersecurity, and big data.

In last month’s article, we discussed the topic of technology — when to use it and when not to. When we start to utilize technology on our projects, we tend to run into the concept of openness.

As demonstrated with manual winterization requirements last month (Winterization and Commissioning, January 2019), systems manuals should include more than a regurgitation of the BAS as-built documents. Not everything in a project is necessarily controlled by the BAS, and, believe it or not, some buildings are still constructed with no central BAS at all.

In order to make effective recommendations for your customers related to selecting systems, components, and processes, a project should be grounded in three principles.

We are starting a new year, and I believe the HVAC consulting engineers responsible for design engineering need to make a change in 2019 as to how HVAC systems are engineered to be safe.

Keeping fleet, machinery, and other assets working efficiently is a common challenge among equipment manufacturers; engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) companies; and power and process plant owners and operators.

With the ever-changing field of technology comes improvements in both energy and ease of use for many systems across the industry.

What should be included, and what can be left out? Read for the final, crucial element in a BAS design.

A BAS spec is typically a section within Division 23 (e.g., 230923), while the sequences and points are usually provided elsewhere (i.e., on the drawings, in section 230993, or some combination thereof).