What do managers need to secure the big picture for their energy management systems? There’s a lot to keep up with.
A building’s operating infrastructure is made up of many different parts. Capturing the information those parts collect and controlling their performance requires that a comprehensive picture of their performance be built. But that’s not necessarily easy to do. Read on.
A significant challenge presented to facility and energy managers is the need to oversee many new technologies and devices that are emerging rapidly (IoT sensors are one obvious example) with parts often sourced from many different vendors.
Integrating all of these new interfaces into your infrastructure to produce the desired outcomes is difficult. In this blog, we’ll go “under the hood” and examine why in more detail.
Is it a problem? Why do we need to connect to different devices?
The task facing building managers is the monitoring and control of the many components and sub-systems that are included in their portfolio. Why is this critical? Because it’s necessary to capture the most comprehensive picture possible to optimally control the portfolio’s performance (increasingly from the cloud) and achieve the best possible results (increased efficiency, lowered costs).
If the manager does not have visibility to even one device type, then the outcome will be information gaps compromising the manager’s ability to optimize operations. Any omission means the single, cohesive framework necessary for true optimization becomes impossible.
What are we controlling?
Below are some of the systems that are monitored and controlled through an Energy and Building Management System (EMS/BMS) to optimize not only building performance overall, but energy consumption and comfort. Sourced from an array of different vendors, these systems generally manage:
- HVACs
- Lighting systems
- Energy meters
- Refrigeration units
- Appliances
- And much more
And, of course, there are systems for data logging and reporting that provide real-time data visualization of energy usage, indoor environmental conditions, and system performance; that store data for trend analysis and performance optimization and that trigger alerts for abnormal conditions or system faults.
Seamless integration is table stakes.
In other words, there’s a lot to track and, as we noted last time, getting all these component parts to work together is often a bit like herding cats. That’s because the many devices have different interfaces and getting them to communicate and work with each other and your EMS/BMS isn’t always straightforward.
The problem here is that some devices and components only support proprietary interfaces. If you can’t overcome that issue, it will be difficult to monitor & control your infrastructure and recognize the full value of your EMS/BMS.
It's all about having the right connections!
So, what do you need to integrate all your devices and overcome the issue of proprietary interfaces? The short answer is drivers. Drivers are solutions that give their users the ability to control and monitor specific units that have proprietary control mechanisms without the need to pay for expensive add-ons.
Contact us with your integration challenges and we will help you solve them.
About NexRev
NexRev is the leading provider of cloud-based, multi-site energy management systems, backed by AI and delivered by SaaS models, that help businesses eliminate energy waste and reduce costs.
Our innovative Freedom™ EMS/BMS solution brings process-driven intelligence and AI to facilities management, providing complete remote control and centralized visibility of your energy-consuming devices across complex, nationwide property portfolios for leading brands in retail, theaters, restaurants, commercial, and industrial facilities.
With NexRev Freedom, our customers reduce waste, optimize energy management, and generate permanent cost savings by making the right decisions. To begin a discussion on how we can help you to reduce energy costs and waste please email us at