Building automation systems (BASs) offer new opportunities for system maintenance, data management and cyber security. Electrical and integrated systems contractors are finding their way into this niche to provide long-term service to what might merely have been an installation project in the past.


Not long after builders and building owners were learning about building automation technology (such as sensors, lighting controls and other individual systems), convergence led to intelligent buildings that offer comforts and energy management not even conceived of a decade ago. However, there also are risks, and building managers have to ask themselves: “What can I learn from my systems to improve on the way my building is run?” “How can I keep hackers out of my system and keep my staff, my building and company data safe?”


These questions can be answered by contractors that offer software and service plans to help building owners protect and understand their systems, said Mark Petcock, marketing vice president at building automation software company LynxSpring. The company has 235 partner integrators and contractors that can install and manage the systems to ensure building automation is properly operated and protected.


Petcock has witnessed three waves of building automation evolution. Systems were initially offered separately, then as integrated systems with interoperability of lighting; heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC); occupancy sensors; and access control. The third wave is the Internet of Things, in which sensors and systems send data to cloud-based servers where it is analyzed and managed.


“The operational side of the building is now being looked at critically to help a business with the entire operation,” Petcock said, adding that the technology allows it and business owners can find ways to lower their energy use and bring costs down. 


However, the most recent concern centers on cyber security, an issue that wasn’t even on the radar for many in the industry a few years ago. As open protocols have won the building automation space, the systems have also become vulnerable to hackers, and companies need to be vigilant to take measures that will lock out intruders. Although few companies are willing to discuss it, hackers have breached companies’ software systems through the building automation service by accessing the BAS, and controlling its operations, and possibly getting other vulnerable data.


If hackers could influence the settings of equipment in the building, for instance, it might cause irreparable damage. For example, changing temperature settings in a data center could destroy the servers and other equipment. There are physical concerns about the building occupants, as well.


With that in mind, staying ahead of potential hackers is paramount.


Building relationships


Whether offering software and data management or maintenance, a service contract represents a steady revenue stream for contractors. Since most projects are now owner-directed work with a variety of providers, contractors want to be the company that comes to mind for building owners and managers, whether they have a long background in maintenance and service contracts or not. Contractors are diversifying their portfolios to remain relevant as building systems change, and doing so often starts with developing close relationships with their current customers.


According to Jacob Jackson, project manager for one such integration company and chairman of the building automation division at the International Society of Automation, while building automation is on the rise, maintenance is dropping as the technology is getting more intuitive and easier for building managers to manage themselves. However, retrofits are an ongoing area that he sees as a major source of revenue for contarctors seeking long-term relationships with customers. Aging equipment and new technology is leading companies that were waiting out the recession to begin cheaper retrofits in large volume.


When it comes to continued service agreements, the movement now is toward the higher level offerings, either related to security or including analytics software that a contractor or integrator can offer a customer. Contractors can monitor a system they installed and provide building owners with feedback when a system is not as efficient as it was and when it may need servicing. In that way, the contractor acts as a preventative service provider, an increasingly popular option with large companies.


This service, Jackson said, offers recurring revenue; therefore, it behooves contractors to teach their sales team or technicians about analytics and why a customer might need those services. The best way is to encourage the contractor’s customer representative to have the discussion with that customer at the time of an installation.


Numerous companies offer analytics software, but you have to be cautious about which ones you use. Jackson’s company has identified a few products that it is comfortable working with and continues to use them.


Keeping lighting smart


Lighting controls are another area for repeat revenue. Buildings are installing intelligent controls, such as Leviton’s solutions that range from sensing and room control to centralized and distributed control. They are designed as robust solutions that meet evolving light-emitting diode technology compatibility and energy code requirements.


“Our new product innovations have concentrated on the need for contractors to meet increasingly intricate and complex energy-control requirements that are mandated by local and national codes, and our goal is to make the code-compliance process as simple and hassle-free as possible at every level of the process,” said Tom Leonard, Leviton vice president. 


That includes initial commissioning, installation and end-user interface.


For example, Leviton’s Integrated Room Control is a single-box lighting control solution to provide plug-load control; demand response; partial-on, partial-off; and daylighting capabilities. Contractors or building owners receive the solution already kitted out with a preconfigured occupancy sensor, photocell and manual switch, meaning an entire room can be built or retrofitted to meet or exceed energy codes.


“We also offer a variety of tools to educate our customers and empower them to make faster, smarter code-compliance choices,” Leonard said. “Our webinars, training videos, and code apps for phones and tablets are all available to help customers interpret requirements and demonstrate how they apply to real-world applications.”


Companies are designing such lighting-control systems to be low maintenance. For instance, the LevNet RF Wireless self-powered solutions require no additional wiring and no batteries, making them maintenance-free. The new Provolt line of self-contained occupancy sensors come with internal power pack and photocell to enable them to autocalibrate and auto-adapt, meaning that time delay and sensitivity are continually adjusted to occupancy patterns of use.


The building’s staff typically provides maintenance for these systems. Leviton offers commissioning services at the time of the installation to ensure that the system is running smoothly, as well as training for the operators.


However, despite the importance of lighting controls and code compliance efforts, these are areas that facility owners do not fully understand, and therein lies recurring revenue opportunity for contractors, Leonard said.


“Electrical contractors have an excellent business opportunity to be solutions providers for their customers, not only for maintenance projects but for ongoing future retrofits, in order to provide code-compliant solutions that meet future needs,” he said. “The contractor can position themselves as a valuable single-source resource for their customers.”


Technology companies report that they expect to see an increase in demand for integrated, holistic control solutions, and customers will be requesting a single-source provider that delivers the products they need from pre-sale (design and product selection) to installation, and post-sale (technical support, maintenance and field-support services).


Also, as the last few years have shown, energy codes and standards will continue to evolve in their technological sophistication, with current initiatives like California’s Title 24 leading the way. Finding a single-source provider that can provide quality product and code education, coupled with easy-to-order solutions, will save customers time and ensure system compatibility.