W e recently had a chance to catch up with an industry acquaintance and were describing some of the energy efficiency programs we were designing. Imagine our surprise when he responded with this question: ?Why is it that it seems like control systems in commercial buildings never work?? At first we were taken aback by the question, after all we see controls and BAS as being a key element to the delivery of a sustainable, high performance building. Unfortunately, we quickly realized that he was right. In evaluating existing buildings from new to vintage, we almost always find partial to complete failure of control systems. Why does this happen, and, more importantly, why do we think that it is possible to have systems that work? Our observation is that the failure of these systems has little to do with the availability of quality controllers or sensors, but has to do completely with the process involved in designing, building, and running these systems. To elaborate, root causes are as follows:

About the Authors

Paul and Ira first worked together on a series of ASHRAE projects including the BACnet committee and Guideline 13 ? Specifying DDC Controls. The formation of Building Intelligence Group provided them the ability to work together professionally providing assistance to owners with the planning, design and development of Intelligent Building Systems. Building Intelligence Group provides services for clients worldwide including leading Universities, Corporations, and Developers. More information can be found at www.buildingintelligencegroup.com   We also invite you to contact us directly at Paul@buildingintelligencegroup.com or ira@buildingintelligencegroup.com

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