An Automated NSW Smart Solutions Guide

Publish Date: 02/26/2026

Smart Alarming is the Key to Efficient Facilities

We bet you a cold beer that if you reviewed the last 100 BMS alarms with your most junior engineer, they wouldn’t know how to respond to almost any of them. Your most senior engineer probably knows how to respond to nearly every one. Why the asymmetry?

Most sites depend on experience and tribal knowledge to drive alarm response. This means that your operational efficiency is directly related to the turnover of your engineering team. If Senior Engineer Hank wins the lottery, your team no longer knows how to deal with the “153.AHU.DP.CHWHWS.SW” alarms that keep disabling your air handler. Hank took care of that.

The solution to this problem is to continuously document alarm procedures and deliver them to the response team when an alarm occurs. That may sound daunting, but it’s very achievable. Just a few procedures cover a wide array of alarm conditions. “Responding to Zone Temperature Alarms”, for example, would cover a large percentage of all alarms at the average office building. After we build a base of alarm procedures that covers the most common cases, we like to set up a periodic alarm review. We write procedures for the most common alarms in that period that have no procedure. Over time, your library of procedures covers nearly every alarm scenario.

 We also recommend using tools like Alarms.app to deliver the procedures, gather operator feedback regarding low-value alarms, and out-of-date procedures. This data significantly improves the alarm response process by ensuring that responders are not distracted by useless alarms or encumbered by obsolete procedures.

Automated NSW specializes in seamless systems integration for automated environmental controls and automation services. We connect the dots and empower your environment with cutting-edge automation. We unify your diverse components—sensors, controllers, software, and networks—into a cohesive system that ensures optimal functionality and efficiency.

Email us to request a complimentary assessment of your current alarm strategy.