- SECOM News
- Jun. 5, 2024
What is a BMS System? Structure and Functions of the Building Management System
Currently, the management and operation of buildings, high-rises, offices, and apartments through a Building Management System (BMS) are increasingly being adopted by many investors and building management boards due to the practical benefits it offers. However, to effectively operate a BMS, it is necessary to understand the structure and functions of the entire system. So, what is BMS? What are the roles, features, and applications of a BMS? Let’s explore these questions with SECOM Vietnam in this article.
What is a Building Management System (BMS)?
Before diving into the important information about the Building Management System (BMS), let’s understand what BMS means. BMS stands for “Building Management System,” which is a system for managing buildings through the control and monitoring of devices within the living space.
By interfacing with technical systems, a BMS can effectively replace users in operating and managing buildings. This ensures that individuals and organizations have a convenient, safe living and working environment without worrying about security issues. Currently, BMS is widely used in building technical systems such as electrical systems, water supply, ventilation, air conditioning, fire alarm, firefighting, security, and more.
Why Should You Use a BMS in Building Management?
The BMS system was created as an effective solution for building security management, helping users to have a safe and comfortable living environment. So, why should you use a BMS system?
- Simple Operation: BMS is designed with automatic operation programs and detailed instructions displayed on the screen, making it easy for users to manage the building system.
- Increased Security and Safety: The BMS can manage, control, and ensure the building’s security by monitoring, supervising, and timely reporting to the management board. This helps keep the living and working space safe, minimizing unwanted incidents.
- Efficient Equipment Monitoring and Management: The BMS is designed with features for controlling, managing, operating, and effectively monitoring, allowing users to timely monitor the building’s status without needing to check in person.
- Energy and Cost Savings: The BMS can monitor and record information about the building’s energy consumption, setting up alerts for energy usage conditions.
What Systems Can a BMS Control and Monitor?
Besides understanding what a BMS is, users should also know exactly what systems a BMS can control and monitor. Currently, the BMS can maximize its control and monitoring capabilities through the following technical systems:
- Air conditioning systems;
- Ventilation systems;
- Surveillance camera systems;
- Lighting systems;
- Electrical systems and generators;
- Elevator control systems;
- Fire alarm and firefighting systems;
- Water supply systems.
Functions of the BMS
After understanding the technical devices that the BMS can control and monitor, let’s explore its functions and roles when used in buildings. In practice, the BMS is responsible for different functions depending on each technical device, specifically:
- For air conditioning systems: The BMS monitors the operation modes of air conditioners and automatically adjusts the temperature as appropriate for each area or based on pre-set user settings.
- For ventilation systems: The BMS automatically controls the opening/closing and speed of ventilation systems based on sensor signals and user settings.
- For security camera systems: The BMS manages buildings by receiving signals, storing, and managing image or video data from security cameras. If there are issues with the smart surveillance camera system’s operation, the BMS also issues alerts.
- For lighting control systems: The BMS software can automatically turn lights on/off based on a set schedule or manually through a monitoring screen.
- For electrical and energy measurement systems: The BMS monitors and records information about the building’s energy consumption, storing, processing, and issuing alerts to the owner.
- For elevators: The BMS monitors and controls elevator operations, timely detecting and reporting issues and malfunctions. The BMS also autonomously controls elevator operations without the need for technical staff assistance.
- For fire alarm systems: The BMS can connect directly to fire alarm systems, making it easier to grasp the operational status of devices and issue alerts.
- For water supply systems: The BMS tightly controls and monitors water levels within the building, automatically turning the main pump on and off based on settings.
Structure of the BMS
Currently, to ensure building safety, the BMS is designed with a structured system consisting of four levels. Each level performs different roles to serve the need for 24/7 building security, specifically:
- Execution Level: The first level in the BMS includes two main types of devices:
- Input devices: Data collection devices such as infrared sensors, card readers, cameras, etc.
- Output devices: Operational devices such as lights, sirens, bells, speakers, fans, air conditioners, motors, etc.
- The output devices of the BMS have been improved with their processors, allowing them to self-adjust according to actual conditions without waiting for commands from higher levels.
- Control Level: This level can replace users in processing information quickly and accurately without technical staff intervention. It typically uses controllers like DDC, PLC, PAC, etc.
- Supervisory Control Level: Acts as a communication bridge between the system and technical staff, supporting application setup, close monitoring, and issuing alerts for abnormal/dangerous situations in the form of charts, tables, etc.
- Management Level: The highest level in the BMS, capable of monitoring, overseeing, commanding, and directing the entire system. Its main task is to receive, store, and process data, creating reports to help manage technical devices within the building effectively.
Benefits of the BMS
The BMS helps individuals and businesses effectively address space security and safety issues, reducing unwanted incidents. Let’s explore the benefits of a BMS with SECOM:
- Control and Manage the Entire Building: The BMS can automatically control and manage buildings intelligently, providing simple data results that help users easily grasp the situation. Additionally, the system can erase energy usage data and provide information based on time, assets, and devices.
- Simplify Reporting: The BMS allows users to customize reports according to preferences:
- Clearly and effectively display trends.
- Proactively propose reasonable solutions to problems.
- Create on-demand and automatic reports within set timeframes.
- Distribute to the necessary departments and easily access through communication portals.
- Rational Internal System Connection: The BMS components are arranged clearly and logically, allowing continuous data reception and analysis. Users can integrate the BMS with sensors and technical devices to create a high-performance management system.
- Improve Operating Time: Implementing a BMS in building management optimizes equipment operating time, providing value to users and including integration, services, and maintenance teams.
- Improve Energy Utilization: The BMS can automatically adjust and turn off electrical, water devices, etc., significantly saving energy consumption for users by:
- Closely monitoring energy consumption and reporting to users.
- Providing essential information about devices to owners, including unnecessary operations.
- Scheduling heating and cooling systems.
- Identifying valve leakage conditions.
- Optimize Maintenance Processes: The BMS is designed with outstanding improvements, optimizing maintenance groups by:
- Eliminating unnecessary maintenance.
- Effectively controlling devices and assets to limit incidents.
- Improving the efficiency of field maintenance and allowing smaller maintenance groups.
Applications of the BMS in Building Management
To make building management and operation quicker, more effective, and flexible, individuals and businesses are increasingly turning to BMS solutions. So, what are the practical applications of a BMS?
The BMS can control, monitor, and operate in most spaces, including:
- Public administrative buildings, apartments;
- Shopping centers, companies, offices;
- Hospitals, pharmaceutical buildings;
- Subways, train stations;
- Restaurants, hotels;
- School systems (elementary, secondary, high school, university);
- Television and entertainment centers;
- Power plants;
- Airports, information centers.
In summary, SECOM has helped users understand what BMS is, as well as its benefits, functions, and structure. Ensuring regional security is always a top priority issue. This requires individuals and businesses to find effective solutions to address this concern.
If you are looking for a reputable unit providing surveillance camera installation services to enhance building security, contact SECOM for the most optimal solutions.
