Energy management systems and building automation control systems

Gemmo develops and applies the best technical solutions to increase the energy and environmental performance of the buildings and facilities it constructs and manages.

The Gemmo Energy Managers begin with an energy audit in order to understand how energy is currently used in the installations. The energy diagnosis can be used to define the consumption baseline, which is the starting point for implementing measures to improve the use of energy resources and reduce consumption. By comparing existing assets and technologies with the latest standards available on the market, Gemmo finds the best solutions to optimise costs, certify savings and reduce environmental impact.

Energy management systems (EMS) are systems that allow the energy consumption of a building or industrial facility to be monitored and controlled.
In particular, an EMS allows you to:

• monitor and control energy consumption in real time
• identify opportunities for energy savings and optimising the energy performance of the building or installation
• generate reports on energy use, allowing you to assess the effectiveness of management interventions and the increase in energy efficiency over time.

The following steps are involved in implementing an energy management system:

1. analysis of the energy consumption of the building or industrial plant in order to identify major sources of consumption and possible energy saving opportunities
2. definition of the objectives to be achieved with the implementation of the EMS – energy savings, increased energy efficiency, improved environmental comfort
3. choice of technologies to be implemented because they are functional for achieving the set objectives – sensors, actuators, controllers, monitoring systems
4. installation, verification, configuration and parameterisation of technologies according to defined control and optimisation logics
5. monitoring and maintenance of the system to maintain performance and ensure that the components operate correctly.

BACS (building automation and control systems) are systems that manage and control the functions of a building, such as HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) and lighting. BACS are also used to optimise the energy consumption of buildings and to improve environmental comfort.

BACS make it possible to:

• control, monitor and regulate the building systems – heating, cooling, air conditioning, lighting, motive power – automatically and based on predefined parameters
• improve environmental comfort and consequently that of the occupants of the building
• reduce energy costs.

The steps involved in implementing a BACS are in principle similar to those in implementing an EMS. However, there are some specific differences, related to the type of system and the functions to be managed.

In order to implement a BACS, you need to:

• analyse the needs of the people who use the building in order to define the objectives to be achieved with BACS;
• choose the technologies: according to the systems to be managed and the set objectives;
• design the system by defining the control structure and modes of operation;
• install, configure and parameterise the BACS;
• monitor and maintain the system to verify its performance and to ensure its proper operation

As with the EMS, each BACS project has specific characteristics and requires a different sequence of steps or additional steps, depending on the needs and peculiarities of the building or facility.