Where the problems usually live
A building management system has layers. At the bottom are field controllers, sensors and actuators: durable hardware that often lasts decades. Above them sits the supervisory layer: the software that schedules, coordinates and shows you what's happening.
Most waste comes from the instructions, not the hardware: schedules, setpoints, deadbands, sequences that were never tuned, and overrides left in place. Those can be changed in software, through the system you already own.
What can usually be fixed without new equipment
- Schedules rebuilt around real occupancy, including holidays
- Setpoints and deadbands that stop heating and cooling fighting
- Supply air temperature and fan pressure resets that adjust to demand
- Free cooling from outside air when conditions allow
- Alarms that mean something, and trend logging so problems can be seen
- Older systems connected into one view, so rules can work across them
Independent research backs this up. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found median energy savings of 16% and a median payback of 1.1 years from commissioning existing buildings, mostly through changes like these.
When replacement is the right call
Some systems should go: hardware with no spare parts, devices that no longer receive security updates and can't be isolated, or platforms that can't connect to anything else. Even then, the supervisory layer can often be modernised first, with field hardware replaced in phases.
When replacement is needed, the specification should be written by someone with nothing to sell you, and the work put out to competitive tender.
Been told your system needs replacing?
Get an independent view first. We'll tell you what can be fixed, what can't, and what each option costs.