IT Basics for Energy Managers—The Evolution of Building Automation Systems Toward the Web

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to help prepare energy managers to understand some of the fundamental concepts of web-based building automation systems (BAS). We thoroughly examine each component of a BAS in today's BAS technology and what a BAS might look like in the future. This article is the second in the series addressing information technology basics for energy managers. The capability and use of information technology (IT) and the internet in the form of web-based energy control systems continues to grow at a rapid rate, and it is imperative that facility managers, maintenance managers, and energy managers become ready to work with current and future applications of internet-based control technologies in their facilities. The emphasis here is on the use of computer networking, use of facility operation databases, and sending and receiving control system data over the web using the TCP/IP communications protocol, and other features that make up a successful BAS.