Contemporary building occupiers expect to control their environment, energy usage and the ways in which they operate their businesses. Thanks to a wide range of cutting-edge technologies, modern building management systems (BMS) can now connect to different building services and equipment, making building services jobs much easier.

The most advanced BMS connects to the building’s network of building services and equipment through TCP/IP technology. Using an Ethernet port and an embedded web server, the task faced by those with building services jobs is to monitor web pages that display information and data transmitted from the controller of each service and equipment. Even better, the settings of each controller can be viewed and modified through a PC or PDA. Because a standard browser is used, those with building services jobs can access the BMS remotely at any time.

The major advantage of using TCP/IP technology is that the BMS can easily connect to other IT systems and business programmes. Because different building services and equipment may have their own packaged controls and differing protocols, it is the responsibility of those with building services jobs specify and select an appropriate BMS that is capable of communicating to every one of them.

Even more crucial is to ensure that such communication is conducted in an energy-efficient and cost-effective manner. The BMS can be used by those with building services jobs to monitor a building’s main and supplementary electricity metres, helping building occupiers manage their energy usage intelligently.