Open Protocols Facilitate the Successful Integration of Building Facilities in Europe, Says Frost & Sullivan

LONDON, July 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Building automation systems (BAS) are designed to supervise and control various equipment or building technologies, such as heating, security and lighting. By monitoring environmental conditions, these systems optimise equipment operations, with an intent on minimising energy consumption without sacrificing high levels of comfort. Open protocols, such as BACnet or LonWorks, make it possible to connect the various building services and maximise the benefits that building automation systems can provide.

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New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (http://www.buildingtechnologies.frost.com), Building Automation Systems: The Future Role of Open Protocols in Europe, finds that the market has been going through a transformation due to the growing popularity of systems based on open protocols.

"Buildings account for around 40 percent of all the energy we consume, with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and lighting responsible for approximately three quarters of that energy in a commercial building," says Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Reka Szanto. "One of today's key challenges is to improve a building's performance by providing an optimum working environment and reduced operating costs while simultaneously diminishing its impact on the environment."

Integrated buildings, in which multiple building disciplines are interconnected, offer many advantages. Foremost among these are increased flexibility, enabling a building to evolve over time, and environmentally responsible facilities. The increased requirement for management of an entire building as a single system puts standard communication protocols in demand.

The current economic climate has brought the construction industry to a near standstill throughout the European Union (EU). Although this has affected new BAS sales, future demand for up-to-date control systems, especially in the process of building renovation, is reliable, due to the imperative nature of the industry's responsibility to make buildings more energy-efficient. Additionally, despite the hesitation of some industry participants to embrace new technologies, manufacturers of controls systems are actively promoting the benefits of their products to the building owners and users. If needed, they may take up the roles of the more traditional consultants and system designers.

"Although the number of new constructions has reduced in the last year, the 6-8 year life cycle of installed BAS implies that there is always a need for retrofitting," explains Szanto. "The main challenge is to make all industry participants, including system designers and end-users, embrace the potential open systems can bring to them and truly understand the benefits they can achieve."

Integrated buildings can help achieve a more energy-efficient world and the incorporation of protocols will open the door to many benefits.

If you are interested in receiving a complimentary brochure on this study, please send an e-mail to Chiara Carella, Corporate Communications, at [email protected], with your full name, company name, title, telephone number, company e-mail address, company website, city, state and country.

Building Automation Systems: The Future Role of Open Protocols in Europe is part of the Building Management Technologies Growth Partnership Services programme, which also includes research in the following markets: Opportunities for Smart Buildings in Europe, The European Heating Market: Emerging Opportunities for Renewable Heating Technology, European Lighting Controls Market, and Building Automation Systems - The Future Role of Open Protocols in Europe. All research services included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends that have been evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

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SOURCE Frost & Sullivan