APIs are an essential component of the modern EMS/BMS
As readers of this blog will likely already know, modern Building and Energy Management systems demonstrate how, today, software applications play a central role in the effective running of a facility. The question for managers, increasingly, has therefore become not simply how best to manage the facility itself, but how do you manage the various applications deployed to help do so?
Note “applications”, plural. Though the EMS/BMS itself is central, there may be more than one. These systems must be able to talk to each other to deliver full value. Information must be shared among multiple platforms. In this article, we’ll look at how that’s achieved via Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), which facilitate seamless data sharing and integration between different applications and processes, enabling an unprecedented level of interoperability and functionality.
By leveraging APIs, an EMS/BMS can gain real-time insights into building operations, enabling more efficient management, predictive maintenance, and energy optimization fostering smarter, more efficient, and sustainable buildings.
Ten ways APIs add value to the EMS/BMS
Let’s look at the details and examine the reasons why APIs are such critical aspects of the modern EMS/BMS. Here are ten reasons:
1 Subsystem diversity - EMS/BMS’ have broad responsibilities including oversight of HVAC, lighting, security, and other functional areas. As such, they contain a wide variety of core devices and software generally sourced from multiple different manufacturers. If these disparate parts couldn’t communicate with each other, the EMS/BMS would be severely compromised in the overall value it would be able to deliver. APIs that allow everything to work together seamlessly and, thus, manage the parts in a way that increases the value of the sum delivered.
2 Data control - More specifically, it’s through data exchange that the above benefit is achieved. APIs enable this to take place. For example, sensors may gather temperature data in a building which then needs to be transmitted to the HVAC system so that the later can control heating or cooling and for user comfort and energy efficiency.
3 Customization - Building Management Systems adapt to the specific needs of a building. APIs enhance their ability to do this, by making it possible for software developers to customize and extend the functionality of the system for instance by creating additional applications or scripts that interact with the EMS/BMS’ core functions. This flexibility means the EMS/BMS can be developed to meet the unique requirements of any specific facility.
4 Real time remote control - One of the key functions of the modern EMS/BMS is the remote monitoring and controlling of building systems from anywhere, often via web applications and mobile apps. Again, it’s APIs that enable this via integration with other solutions, vastly increasing the value of the EMS/BMS for facilities managers, maintenance staff, and building owners alike who are enabled to respond to issues in real-time.
5 Energy efficiency - Managing energy usage may be the single most important role for the modern EMS/BMS. Doing so to maximum effect means integrating energy management systems with utility and other externally sourced data, then using the output to adjust settings so they’re responsive to energy demand, occupancy patterns, weather conditions, and the like. All these processes are reliant on APIs, without which reduced energy consumption and cost savings couldn’t be achieved.
6 Better facility management – Reporting and analytics are key aspects of the EMS/BMS, both reliant on the extraction of data from the core system. Managers need to be able to track performance, identify trends, and make informed decisions about maintenance, upgrades, and energy conservation initiatives and it’s via APIs that that they are put in position to do so.
7 Future proof scale - The facilities management industry doesn’t stand still. Ever newer systems, devices, sensors, and technologies are appearing at an unprecedented rate, and these will need to be accommodated within the EMS/BMS, which itself needs to be able to grow and adapt to new trends as a building’s needs evolve over time. APIs are critical to providing an EMS/EMS/BMS with the ability to scale in the necessary way.
8 System interoperability - It’s not just components within the EMS/BMS that must interact with each other but also various third-party systems, since facilities managers deploy a wide range of hardware and software solutions beyond the EMS/BMS itself. APIs enable the required level of interoperability (for example, perhaps with a billing or accounting system), along the way also reducing lock-in to a single vendor.
9 User friendliness/UX – User friendly interfaces and dashboards have become a hallmark of the modern EMS/BMS, making it intuitive for users to interact with the system. APIs thus enhance the user experience and make it easier for operators to manage and monitor systems effectively.
10 An EMS/BMS that delivers more – Taking the nine previous advantages into account, APIs enable integration, data exchange, customization, remote control, energy efficiency, data analytics, scalability, interoperability, and improved user experiences. In short, their presence allows EMS/BMS solutions to deliver a sum value greater than any individual part of the system alone could provide. It’s not an exaggeration to say that APIs enable the facilities managers to optimize building operations, reduce costs, and enhance occupant comfort and safety.
About NexRev
At NexRev, we’ve been unlocking the power of facility and energy management data with over a million connected devices across North America. Our team of experts is focused on helping you deliver more with your budgets, infrastructure, and assets to create sustainable savings in operations and energy, reducing your risk and increasing operational confidence.
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