British Gas, UK supplier of electricity and gas, recently purchased HVAC controls specialist Building Management System Integrators (BMSi). The acquisition is based on the energy company’s prediction that the building management sector will double in size to £2 billion over the next five years.

According to British Gas, revenue growth in the building management sector will come from smart metres, building controls and the optimization of energy-hungry HVAC equipment. Demand will be driven by higher energy costs and tighter regulations on carbon emissions, as well as by changing customer attitudes and the desire of many businesses to demonstrate greater corporate responsibility.

Other industry insiders support this view. In the words of Rod Pettigrew, head of commercial and legal at the Heating and Ventilating Contractors’ Association (HVCA): “New build is becoming scarcer and building management, maintenance and improvement are where people might see possibilities of growth. With new regulations, clients are going to need skilled engineers.????

The Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA) also forecasts high demand for energy saving in existing buildings, thanks to UK and EU targets for energy efficiency. “Despite the unfavourale conditions in the construction market, the building controls systems market will still have 24-percent growth in the next five years and energy conservation is one of the key drivers,???? explained Andrew Giles, general manager at BSRIA Worldwide Market Intelligence.

“The only way one can improve [energy saving] is to incorporate renewables or improve the operation and monitoring of existing systems. Building controls and management systems play an important role for both measures,???? said Giles.