Aug 3 2010
Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/dc7490/building_automatio) has announced the addition of Frost & Sullivan's new report "Building Automation Systems: The Future Role of Open Protocols in Europe" to their offering.
This research service discusses the status of various protocol and communication technologies along with forecasts, trends, competitive structure, benefits, and potential pitfalls prevalent in the European building automation systems industry.
This Frost & Sullivan research service titled Building Automation Systems: The Future Role of Open Protocols in Europe provides an overview of the current and future technological trends in building automation systems (BASs) with a detailed analysis on open communication protocols, in particular BACnet and LonWorks.
Market Overview
Open Protocols the Key to the Successful Integration of Building Facilities in Europe
A BAS monitors and controls the various building services, such as heating, security and lighting. It optimises the operations of different equipment by monitoring environmental conditions within the premises to minimise energy consumption, while simultaneously maintaining a desired level of comfort. At present, energy efficiency is a key agenda. Open protocols, such as BACnet or LonWorks, make it possible to connect the various building services and maximise the benefits that a building automation system can provide.
Buildings account for around 40 per cent of all the energy we consume, with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and lighting responsible for approximately three quarters of that energy in a commercial building, says the analyst of this research. One of today's key challenges is to improve a buildings performance by providing an optimum working environment and reduced operating costs while simultaneously diminishing its impact on the environment. The advantages of an integrated building, where multiple building disciplines are connected to each other, include energy savings, greater flexibility to evolve the building over time and an environmentally responsible facility. The increased requirement for managing the entire building as a single system makes standard communication protocols in demand.
The current economic climate has resulted in the construction industry almost coming to a standstill across the European Union (EU), affecting new BAS sales. However, their key role in making buildings more energy-efficient means that the demand will always be there for the most up-to-date control systems when a building is renovated. Additionally, despite some industry participants being slow to embrace new technologies, manufacturers of controls systems are actively promoting the benefits of their products to the building owners and users and, if needed, can take up the roles of the more traditional consultants and system designers. Although the number of new constructions has reduced in the last year, the 6-8 year life cycle of installed BAS implies that there is always a need for retrofitting, explains the analyst. The main challenge is to make all industry participants, including system designers and end-users, embrace the potential open systems can bring to them and truly understand the benefits they can deliver. Integrated buildings can help achieve a more energy-efficient globe. The industry is about integrating a multitude of protocols and enjoying maximum benefits.
Technologies
The following technologies are covered in this research:
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