BAS Terms and Definitions: An Ecosystem of Diverse Occupations

July 1, 2022

Dr. Sudeep Vyapari

Executive Vice President

Association of Controls Professionals

sudeep@acprofessionals.org

BAS Ecosystem Terms and Definitions

Building Automation Systems (BAS) is not a monolithic occupational term. Several existing technical descriptions of BAS share a common set of theoretical concepts and technical similarities. It is, however, prudent to describe and define BAS as an ecosystem of interrelated occupations from workforce perspectives.

Why is BAS an Ecosystem of Occupations?

The BAS ecosystem comprises many traditional, existing, and emerging marketplace opportunities that serve the critical infrastructure and workforce needs of building architecture, development, automation, controls, management, and maintenance.

Building automation, maintenance, and management comprise biological, environmental, economic, and social goals. Building maintenance skills require a keen understanding of art, science, and management.

Establishing a Clarity on Defining Building Automation Occupational Ecosystems

BAS occupational ecosystems share many common denominator skill sets required to manage and maintain building heating, ventilation, air conditioning, cooling, refrigeration, lighting, water circulation, security, and alarms. From traditional technical expertise to 21st-century advanced cloud computing skills, BAS professionals use valuable tools and services to create the Internet of Things (IoT) applications in managing controls and optimal maintenance of residential and commercial buildings. The lack of clarity on defining a BAS occupational ecosystem often creates confusion among students, educators, practitioners, businesses, industries, organizations, and government on the promising career pathways and thousands of vacancies posted in the United States daily. Furthermore, the lack of a federal Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code obscures recognition of BAS as a standalone occupation.

BAS occupational ecosystem definitions review is classified into two (2) categories.

1. Common Definitions: Definitions based on technical descriptions that lack SOC-code designations.
2. SOC-CODE Definitions: Occupational terms described by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the US Department of Labor (DOL).

Common Definitions:

Common definitions or terms are characterized by:

• Technical descriptions of BAS as stated by industry, businesses, and academia
• These definitions are not listed or described by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the US Department of Labor. Thus, they do not have a unique BLS classified SOC code.
• Terms found in the BAS ecosystem workforce lexicon.
• Terms may serve as a standalone job title or provide a foundational term for position-specific BAS jobs.

Some Common Definitions:

Building Automation Systems (BAS)

According to (Wikipedia, 2022) building automation is the automatic centralized control of a building's HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), electrical, lighting, shading, Access Control, Security Systems, and other interrelated systems through a Building Management System (BMS) or Building Automation System (BAS).

A building automation system (BAS) is installed in buildings that control and monitor building services responsible for heating, cooling, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting, shading, life safety, alarm security systems, and many more (Domnigues et al., 2015).

A building automation system is a network of microprocessor-based wired or wireless controllers connected to diverse systems in a building to manage the equipment better and optimize a company’s energy spend. BAS controls provide access to information on equipment performance and utility metering and gives users the ability to easily schedule equipment and control it at a more granular level (Centrica Business Solutions, 2022).

Building Automation and Controls System (BACS)

The term Building Automation and Control System (BACS) refers to centralised systems that monitor, control, and record the functions of building services systems (Designing Buildings Wiki, 2022).

Building Automation and Control Systems (BACS) is an automated system that converges, integrates, and connects many different facility technologies through information flow to a monitoring point. BACS is modular, formed from the integration of devices, equipment, and communication platform networks with open communication protocols (Brooks et. al., 2017).

Modern BACS are systems with control and monitoring functions distributed in network nodes installed in buildings. These functions operate with technical buildings infrastructure systems like heating, ventilation, air-conditioning (HVAC), lighting, shading, access control, etc. (Ozadowicz and Grela, 2017).

Building Management Systems (BMS)

Building management system (BMS) also known as building automation system (BAS) refers to a computer-based control system that needs to be installed within buildings to monitor and regulate the building’s electrical and mechanical equipment such as power system, lighting, and ventilation to confirm sustainability (Hossain, 2019).

The building management system (BMS) is an overarching control system that is responsible for the automatic regulation and control of non-GMP facility subsystems, maintaining predefined parameters (or setpoints), and the control of their functionality (Joseph, 2018).

Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS)

Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) are integrated, computerized systems for monitoring and controlling energy-related building services plant and equipment such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, lighting, and power systems. The phrase Building Energy Management Systems is sometimes used interchangeably with Building Management Systems (BMS). Strictly speaking, Building Management Systems can be used to monitor and control a wide range of building systems, including fire, smoke detection, and alarms, motion detectors, CCTV, security and access control, and lifts. Building Energy Management Systems relate specifically to energy-related systems (Designing Buildings Wiki, 2021).

Building energy management systems (BEMS) are computer-based control systems that control and monitor the mechanical and electrical equipment in buildings such as ventilation, heating, lighting, and power systems (Syed and Gabbar, 2018).

The next blog in the BAS Ecosystem definitions shall focus on Intelligent and Smart Buildings. Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I welcome your feedback. Please share your comments with Dr. Sudeep Vyapari, Exec. VP, ACP sudeep@acprofessionals.org.