- Author
-
Applebaum, M. A.
|
Bushby, S. T.
- Title
- 450 Golden Gate Project: BACnet's™ First Large-Scale Test.
- Coporate
- EES Engineering, Tempe, AZ
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Journal
-
ASHRAE Journal,
Vol. 40,
No. 7,
23-24,26-30,
July 1998
- Keywords
-
BACnet
|
building control
|
energy management
|
control system
|
communication protocol
- Abstract
- The energy management system (EMS) industry has advanced rapidly over the past 10 to 15 years. Today, EMS technology provides building owners and designers with incredible design and operational flexibility. State-of-the-art EMS systems are characterized by powerful PC workstations and intelligent field panels that process complex control algorithms quickly and efficiently. In spite of these advances, building owners have been frustrated by the inability to bid projects competitively and to integrate innovative products from different manufacturers in ways that best suit the unique needs of their facility. The adoption of BACnet™ as the standard protocol for integrating building control products has forever changed the industry and opened the door to new innovation in building control technology. Today, thousands of BACnet systems are installed and can be found in at least fourteen countries. Many of these are small-scale projects where BACnet was used to integrate new HVAC equipment with an existing proprietary building automation system. Others are complete BACnet systems that use products from only a single vendor. The 450 Golden Gate Project is unique because of its large size, the involvement of multiple vendors and the inclusion of more than just HVAC control. This project will significantly impact the way the largest landlord in the world - the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) - will manage its buildings in the future. This article provides an overview of the project design, the demonstration team's experiences to date and recommendations for engineers and building owners considering BACnet in their future automation projects.