Building automation encompasses systems based on electronics and IT that enable control of installations and devices in residential and public buildings. It also allows for constant monitoring of their condition, more and more often nowadays combining separate systems into one, programmable in such a way as to enable mutual communication between devices and installations and also the user.
BMS (Building Management System), also called building automation or intelligent building, have been developed for nearly half a century. Their task is primarily to increase the comfort of building users and their safety, but also ergonomic and economical management of thermal and electrical energy. Building automation systems, thanks to their ability to be controlled e.g. using eye movements, are also a great facilitation in everyday life of disabled people.
Contemporary Building Automation installed in both new buildings and existing buildings, modernized in terms of automatic systems, usually includes the following areas obligatorily:
control of external roller shutters - roller shutter automation is often programmed in a way integrated with the alarm system. It enables simultaneous closing of roller-blinds e.g. in the whole building during the absence of its users,
automation of doors and gates - also this system is integrated with alarm system,
lighting control - instead of traditional switches, lighting is equipped with motion sensors or time switches, which contributes to electricity saving,
alarms and detection systems - the alarm system and gas or carbon monoxide detection system signal unwanted and life-threatening events.
In addition to the standard applications of building automation, for several years special emphasis in the control systems is placed on the conscious and economical management of electricity and heat, so today's building automation not only works with the so-called HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems supporting energy efficiency of the building by controlling both heating, ventilation and air conditioning, but also allows ongoing monitoring of building installations. Of course, making a building's occupants' daily life easier and safer is still a priority, but optimizing energy, heat, and water use are nowadays the most important challenges for BMS.
Building automation uses not only electronic devices such as sensors, timers, controllers, alarms and touch panels, but also smartphones, laptops and tablets. Today's intelligent building is a computerized network of devices managed and monitored directly on site, but also remotely, via the Internet.
The possibilities of using BMS are virtually unlimited, so with a sufficiently large wallet you can automate almost any process: manage remotely feeding the dog, watering potted plants or pouring water into the bathtub on the way home from work. In most cases, however, the system is entrusted with less extravagant tasks, such as
controlling the alarm installation,
automation of doors and gates,
heating management,
window roller shutter control,
management of lighting installation outside the building,
automation of garden watering.
Building automation is usually controlled via pushbutton keypads or touch screen, as well as remotely via remote controls, or via the internet using smartphones, laptops or tablets. It is also possible to control by voice and to combine multiple modes of communication within the same system.
