BAS Flies Standby

摘要

Most discussions of building automation systems (BAS) and power are usually about energy efficiency―how to use BAS to monitor and control overall power consumption in a facility, making more efficient use of power, and thereby cutting costs. But often overlooked is the role that BAS plays in centralized control of backup-power systems, which is more of a security issue than energy-efficiency function. In fact, tying an integrated standby-power system into a facility's central building automation system would provide a vital link between essential backup power during a power event and the systems―HVAC, fire and life-safety and lighting―that will rely on the standby system when the utility-supplied power fails. To meet this need, manufacturers of standby-power systems have not only developed integrated systems with distributed control functions for local or remote monitoring of these integrated systems, they have also incorporated standard interfaces with leading building management systems and automation packages that are open and interoperable.