BAS Problem Solvers Series: The Slow Play

Building owners are often faced with decisions that carry either heavy consequences or sweet rewards and regardless of the function of a building, nine times out of ten it will need air conditioned space in some form or fashion.  Because of this inevitability the decisions one makes in regards to their HVAC system can have a substantial impact on the financial landscape of their business and becomes even more prevalent the larger the footprint of the building.  Either way, regardless of the size of the building, it is vital to make smart decisions regarding your HVAC system and Building Automation System.

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Whether you are wearing “The Golden Handcuffs”, as I wrote about in a previous article, or you have a dying pneumatic system that desperately needs to be upgraded, there is a way to accomplish this daunting and sometimes intimidating task without sinking the ship financially.  I call it “The Slow Play”.  All too often building owners will be led to believe that they need to “Rip and Replace” their entire control system in one fail swoop in order to make the necessary upgrades.  This simply is not true.

With our Tridium Niagara offering we can migrate an entire HVAC system one piece at a time without interrupting the operation and functionality of the existing system.  Being able to offer this to our customers allows them to preserve precious cash on hand while still moving forward with the renovation.  For example, let’s look at a building with ten Air Handlers, sixty VAV boxes, two Chillers, two Boilers and five Exhaust Fans.  While there are endless as well as differing combinations of equipment from building to building, this example will at a minimum, allow us to step through “The Slow Play” process.

First, we will integrate the Chillers and Boilers because the majority of the other equipment in the system hinge on the functionality of these two vital pieces of equipment.  After we have the Central Plant equipment under control we will turn to the Air Handling Units.  The VAV boxes that are served by each Air Handler need to be identified because we will be integrating those boxes along with the Air Handler as one single system.  For example, AHU-1 serves VAV boxes 1 through 6 so for this phase we will only be integrating those pieces of equipment.  We will continue in this fashion until all of the AHU’s and VAV’s have been converted.  After we have all of the major equipment rolled over to the new system it is fairly easy to move over the rest of the auxiliary equipment in the building such as exhaust fans, lighting panels, etc.

Typically, this work will be done after hours, on weekends, or at a time that has the least amount of impact on tenant space comfort.  Some building owners may choose to implement each phase on a monthly basis, quarterly basis or even a yearly basis.  Regardless of the time period they choose to spread it out across, the value lies in the ability to not only methodically integrate the entire system without interrupting existing functionality, but most importantly, break out the cost of the new system into manageable amounts.

Here at HTS we are not interested in leading our customers down a path that only benefits our interests and our goals, but rather a team approach that benefits everyone involved and builds a relationship that both parties can rely on for years to come.  So if the fear of cost is holding you back from upgrading your Building Automation System then give HTS a call and let’s tailor your very own “Slow Play” gameplan.

-Shane Ray, North Texas BAS Manager

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