Commercial Building Automation Systems: Impressive Market Growth Rate

March 17, 2022

Dr. Sudeep Vyapari

Executive Vice President, Association of Controls Professionals

Email: sudeep@acprofessional.org

BAS Marketplace

The US commercial building automation systems (BAS) market, valued at USD 4.75 billion in 2020, is expected to reach USD 6.63 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 6.31% for 2021-2026. Globally, the commercial BAS market size is expected to increase by USD 18.97 billion from 2021 to 2026, at a CAGR of 8.98%. The projected value of the BAS market worldwide is estimated to reach USD 273 billion by 2023.

What is Driving the Higher Market Growth Rate of BAS?

• Enhanced guidance for BAS management and maintenance in response to the pandemic
• Rising demand for energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable buildings
• The Growing integration of IoT
• Smart building security
• Significant savings and a positive return on investments (ROI) to industrial, commercial, and residential users
• Simplified building operation and maintenance processes
• Growth of automation-centric wireless protocols
• An Incremental increase in legislation and initiatives to promote building automation, management, and controls systems technologies.

Despite the promising marketplace growth and opportunities, some of the following roadblocks continue to impact change and the necessary positive image of this invaluable occupational ecosystem.

Some Roadblocks

• High implementation and installation costs
• Lack of technically skilled workers
• Lack of sector-specific education and training
• Lack of awareness about promising STEM-based career pathways
• Lack of and mischaracterization of 21st-century BAS job opportunities
• In the United States, lack of federal Standard Occupational Code (SOC) listing for BAS
• Lack of credible data on BAS education and workforce from various geographical regions in the United States
• Lack of clarity on BAS definition

Establishing a Clarity on Defining Building Automation Systems

Building Automation Systems (BAS), a frequently used term, is not a monolithic occupation or concept. Numerous technical descriptions of BAS commonly share several conceptual and functional similarities. It is prudent to acknowledge that BAS should be defined as an ecosystem of multiple interrelated occupations from an occupational and workforce perspective.

The BAS occupational ecosystem comprises many traditional, existing, and emerging workforce opportunities that share a common denominator - management of building heating, ventilation, air conditioning, cooling, refrigeration, lighting, water circulation, security, and alarms while achieving the goals of energy efficiency. Innovative advances in cloud computing provide valuable tools and services to create the Internet of Things (IoT) applications in managing controls and optimal maintenance of residential and commercial buildings.

The following blog in the ongoing series shall focus on BAS ecosystem occupational definitions. Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I welcome your feedback.