Building Automation Systems uses a number of different technologies in order to control when heat and light is used in an office, boardroom, warehouse or other setting that may require heat and light for only a portion of the day.

With energy costs continually increasing and a growing awareness of the “Green” movement worldwide it’s no surprise that there is a growing industry centred on Building Automation Systems (BAS). Ultimately BAS is moving towards the creation of “smart buildings”, facilities that can manage themselves with respect to heating and lighting controls in an effort to use energy resources wisely. The control and use of energy for heating and lighting purposes can be controlled in a simple “on/off” way or it may be controlled in a graduated way that takes into account changing heat and light conditions throughout the day.

In many facilities such as large warehouses or office complexes as much as 70% of energy costs are related to lighting. These costs can be significantly reduced by designing a system that turns lights on only when a space is occupied. This is done by integrating occupancy sensors with the lighting system. Occupancy sensors fall into two categories, those that sense movement and those that detect an infra-red heat signature. Ideally a combination of the two types is deployed to maximize energy savings. Appropriate design consideration should be given to the number and location of these sensor devices. Sensors can be used in combination with a light detection device and variable power switch which would determine how much light is available from an outside source such as a window or skylight. During peak daylight hours lighting power in the building would be reduced. In late afternoon and towards nightfall the power would be gradually increased, allowing a gradually increasing level of light. The result of this would be a graduated level of man-made lighting to “top up” the amount of ambient light to a pre-set level of light in a given room.