What is BMS, BAS, EMS, BEMS?
BMS, BAS, EMS and BEMS are overlapping terms for building management systems, building automation systems, energy management systems and building energy management systems. Together they describe the controllers and software that run HVAC, lighting and plant, and that track energy use. The boundaries between them vary by vendor and region.
What it is
A building management system, or BMS, and a building automation system, or BAS, are usually the same thing under different names. They connect controllers on chillers, boilers, air handlers, pumps and lighting, run schedules and setpoints, and raise alarms.
An energy management system, or EMS, focuses on metering, analyzing and reducing energy use. A building energy management system, or BEMS, is a term used more often in the UK and Europe for a BMS with an energy focus.
Most of these systems speak protocols such as BACnet or Modbus. They are good at running equipment to a sequence. They are often less good at portfolio views, water, air quality, or proving that a change saved anything.
Where it is used
Almost every large commercial, healthcare, education, airport and industrial building has some form of BMS or BAS. EMS tools are common in portfolios and energy teams. Older sites may have several generations of systems from different vendors.
How it is measured
The value of these systems shows in data they expose and in how well equipment holds its targets.
- Point lists covering sensors, setpoints and commands
- Trend logs and alarm history
- Energy meter data by system or floor
- Schedules and override records
How Aqueduct helps
Aqueduct gives three ways in: keep your BMS and work across it, replace it, or build Aqueduct in at design stage. It is never pitched head to head against a controls vendor.
- Reads BMS and BAS points over BACnet and Modbus alongside meters and sensors
- aQ EnergySmart and aQ AirSafe find faults and waste the existing system does not surface
- Adjusts setpoints and schedules where control is enabled, with owner approval, with command history kept
- aQ Assistant answers plain language questions across every connected system