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Environmental Sustainability & Tech

Kyle Hampson,
Director,
Building Automation Systems,
The Complete Group of Companies

Fan Fong,
Director,
Energy Management,
The Complete Group of Companies

Building Intelligence

& Environmental Sustainability

BuAs environmental sustainability the building is consuming at any given enable a building to not only schedule,
becomes a priority for condominium moment, including electricity, water, measure, and monitor its operations,
boards, finding effective ways to measure materials, and workforce. To keep track but also to analyze and track the usage
and achieve this goal is essential. With of all these metrics and monitor their trends of major energy loads. These tools
a multitude of products and technolo- performance, they use a Building Auto- become the linchpins of environmen-
gies available, condo boards face the mation System (BAS). BAS was once an tal sustainability goals for the building,
challenge of choosing the right tools to expensive technology that was only avail- allowing it to target key outcomes like
ensure successful results. This article will able to the most sophisticated facilities lowering greenhouse gas emissions, water
consider how a building can enhance its that could afford it. In the past few years, consumption, and peak electricity.
current system to track, monitor, and advances in hardware and software have In most condominiums, the cooling
measure its performance to ensure an driven down the cost of equipment and system is the largest electrical load in
advantageous outcome. implementation to the point where they the building, and much of the natural
can now become financially compelling gas load is consumed by several boilers
Smart Building & Building assets. For a condo board with sustainabil- and make-up air units. The amount of
Automation Systems ity and cost containment around utilities equipment that needs to be controlled
Buildings are constantly getting in mind, a BAS is the best starting point for and automated is often relatively small
smarter. Internet-connected thermo- becoming a Smart Building. compared to the total cost of energy
stats can anticipate and adjust building consumed, which makes BAS a lucra-
equipment based on incoming weather Utility Consumption & BAS tive opportunity to cut utility costs with
patterns. Occupancy sensors help deliver Benefits a typical payback of three years or less. By
the right amount of ventilation to a room Reducing utility consumption has using a BAS to target and reduce utility
at just the right moment. Even windows become an essential goal for many expenditures, the building frees up capital
to fund future sustainability projects.
are getting smarter with cloud-connected
condominiums - those of which have
Photo: © iStock.com/ Bim glass, which automatically dims to keep seen colossal increases in budgetary Maintaining & Upgrading Systems
expenses as municipalities increase
indoor brightness at a set level.
charges for water, and the Federal Carbon
The most successful buildings have
A Building Automation System (BAS)
refined the process of data acquisition and
should be monitored and calibrated regu-
Levy imposes an ever-growing cost on
measurement to meticulously track and
natural gas each year. The key functions
larly to ensure optimal performance.
Additionally, it should generate detailed
of a Building Automation System (BAS)
analyze the exact number of resources
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