“Many people assume they are bad at writing because it is hard. This is like assuming you are bad at weightlifting because the weight is heavy. Writing is useful because it is hard. It’s the effort that goes into writing a clear sentence that leads to better thinking.” – James Clear
Our blog reflects our experiences, opinions, and thoughts about how to improve the building automation industry, and why our work is important. Our years of experience have been shaped and informed by collaborations with other industry experts, engineers, system operators, and tradespeople. We want to keep this dialogue going, and we would love to hear from you. Our collective insights and exchanges will lead us all to clearer thinking and better solutions.
Writing a Useful Standard
The foundational requirement implicit in all standards is that execution teams will read, understand, and execute them. If they cannot do that, then the standard is not useful.
Train Better
Every organization knows they need to train their staff, but not all training is equal. In order to stay on the right track, training needs to be relevant, timely, repeated, and evaluated.
Failing a Good Test is Better than Passing a Bad Test
Acceptance testing is meant to confirm that your system operates the way you want it to, but poorly written tests will disguise mistakes and give you false confidence about the system’s performance.
Improve Zone-Polling Performance
Don’t look now, but your energy-efficiency programming isn’t saving you money anymore. The days of fixed setpoint air handlers are mostly behind us.
Your Document Control Process is Hurting You
Lots of sites don’t have good documentation, and many don’t have documentation at all. System owners often don’t receive the benefits of their documentation because their organization manages it incorrectly.
Migrating from P2 to BACnet
BACnet is a very extensive protocol, covering not just communications but also data structure and behaviors. These subtle differences can have a big impact and require careful planning.
Alarm Management
At most sites, the alarms are specified by project teams that design the systems but never have to operate them.
Not Sure How It Works? Get the SDS.
If you need a clear and current narrative of how your equipment is programmed, the document you need is a Software Design Specification.
Factory Mounted Controls Save Time
To help prevent long lead times from blowing your schedule, try starting your controls scope while the AHU is still at the factory.