Impact of building automation, controls and building management on the energy performance of buildings

Energy management and conservation is a concept that has become predominant in residential and industrial buildings in recent years. Large structures intended for commercial, health, business and educational purposes have the highest waste related to a bad or absent management of electrical and thermal resources. Recent European regulations are addressing this situation, defining minimum thresholds of energy efficiency to be met for all new buildings, both residential and non-residential, favoring energy solutions that provide local energy generation and autonomous management of resources. This paper analyzes the Building Automation systems especially in large structures, where it is essential to coordinate the various systems and the interactions, they should have with the management of energy resources in relation to the number of people in the building and, more specifically, in the various areas of the structure. The main systems that are covered are HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning), Lightning control, Access control, Video surveillance. Systems interactions between one another and with an access control can provide a perfect energy management, prioritizing maximum comfort in the areas where more people are present (always within the emergency protocols defined according to the type of structure). The access control, combined with a video surveillance system, also guarantees an high level of security, especially in restricted access zones, important companies and banks.