Heating or cooling a commercial building doesn’t necessarily need to begin at the same time every day. Changes in outside temperature, internal conditions and building occupancy can all affect how long it takes to achieve a comfortable environment. Optimised start/stop allows a Building Energy Management System to take these factors into account.

Rather than relying solely on a fixed schedule, optimised start enables the BEMS to determine when plant needs to begin operating to achieve the required conditions by the start of occupancy. On a particularly cold morning, for example, heating may need to start earlier than it would on a milder day.

Optimised stop works on a similar principle. Instead of continuing to operate heating or cooling equipment at full demand until the exact end of the occupied period, the system can determine when plant can begin reducing or stopping operation while maintaining comfortable conditions for the remainder of the day.

This can help reduce unnecessary plant runtime without compromising occupant comfort. Across a large commercial building, avoiding even relatively short periods of unnecessary operation each day can contribute to lower energy consumption and reduced wear on equipment over time.

For optimised start/stop to work effectively, however, the BEMS needs to be correctly configured and regularly reviewed. Changes to occupancy, operating hours or the building itself can all affect how the strategy should operate.

At Concord, we help clients review and optimise BEMS control strategies to ensure systems reflect the way their buildings are actually being used. Through ongoing maintenance, system optimisation and remote support, we can help ensure plant operates when it is needed rather than simply following an outdated routine.

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