ASHRAE publishes guideline on specifying Building Automation Systems

ASHRAE recently released Guideline 13-2014, Specifying Building Automation Systems. Performance monitoring guidance is a key feature of the document, and provides designers of building automation systems (BAS) with background information, recommendations for good practice, project considerations, and detailed discussion of options in the design of a BAS system.

The guideline includes online access to an example specification that illustrates the concepts described in the document. The new Annex D Performance Monitoring was included to assist in the specification of performance monitoring systems.

“The guideline defines three levels of performance monitoring and provides criteria for each level,” says Dave Kahn, chair of the Guideline 13 committee. “This allows even basic systems to realize some performance monitoring benefits. It allows monitoring and reporting of HVAC equipment function and operating efficiency, energy consumption and environmental conditions. Careful grouping of X-Y type plots can provide information required to monitor and, if necessary, troubleshoot each different part of the HVAC system.”

“Under the proposed change, the guideline is being rewritten to update the use of the Internet as the primary method for networking BAS devices,” Kahn said. Addenduma to the standard is open for an advisory public review from June 6 to July 21, 2014. For more information or to comment, visit www.ashrae.org/publicreviews.

(https://www.ashrae.org/news/2014/ashrae-guideline-on-specifying-building-automation-systems-published-open-for-public-review)