Building Energy Management System Installation: What to Expect

If you're thinking about installing a Building Energy Management System, it can feel like a step into the unknown, especially if you've never had one before. This is our step-by-step guide to the BEMS installation process, from initial enquiry to one year after commissioning.

Initial Enquiries

Before deciding on a BEMS, you should think about the reasons you want one. Are you looking for a system that can cut your energy usage to save you money, or one that helps you to keep temperatures at a consistent and comfortable level? Are you looking to purchase a BEMS for your residential address, or a community or business site? Many companies will offer a demonstration so you can see how a real system would work.

Adaptable to almost any existing heating system, HeatingSave reduces your energy usage through smarter energy control. It provides a comprehensive way to control building temperatures and specific heating times and allows you to zone and programme areas and rooms for precise control.

Managed through a web-based platform and mobile app, HeatingSave gives you real-time data on heating costs and consumption, in-depth reporting on energy usage, room temperatures, heat loss areas and costings, and email and text for equipment failure or energy usage.

You need to make sure you choose a BEMS that will provide the features and options that you require, both now and for any future needs.

Survey and Consultation

Some Building Energy Management Systems can simply be attached to your existing Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems. While this may provide some positive changes, a truly effective BEMS may require a site survey, or you may be asked to supply floor plans and building specifications. You may also need to notify the supplier if your property is Listed or has any other restrictions or considerations for work.

A consultation meeting can also help your BEMS provider to give you exactly what you need and discover anything unique to your site that wouldn't show up on a floor plan, such as wall construction materials or cosmetic features. This allows for things like working out the best placement of sensor equipment, optimal zoning boundaries for temperature patterns, and bespoke controller positioning to deliver maximum comfort with minimal energy usage.

If you already have a BEMS installed and are wanting to replace it, its brand, placement and other aspects such as sensors could also factor into both what's needed and the cost.

HeatingSave offers a free survey, consultation, and quote for prospective customers, with no obligation to purchase. We want you to know what you're getting before you commit to a purchase.

Financing and Payments

Installing a Building Energy Management System can be a substantial financial investment, so pricing will likely be a factor in choosing your BEMS. Many companies offer deposits, payment plans, or reductions based on post-installation performance which can help you to spread out the costs.

There are also numerous grants and funding schemes available that may be able to provide financial assistance — be sure to read their guidance and conditions carefully as they may require additional surveys, quotes or a specific work pathway for application.

Installation on-site

Once financing is finalised, the next step will likely be an installation. Some companies may have a BEMS that users can install themselves, or require wiring or work completed before the kit is sent out or an installation day is scheduled. Because of this, you can plan for any potential disruption, which will vary depending on multiple factors.

Things to be prepared for include:

• ensuring access to your boiler and plant room
• potentially turning off the heating system during parts of the install
• providing internal and external access for certain parts of the installation, including to the roof or accommodating internal ladders or machinery for working at heights
• noise pollution from tools or machinery

You may need to reschedule regular activities or planned events or have extra staff in to help the installation engineers get around, just in case!

Training, Helpdesk, and Aftercare

Training on your new BEMS may be able to begin before anything is installed, but you can put all the training into practice once the equipment is ready to go. Some companies offer online training with real systems beforehand. Once the system is installed, it's a good idea for everyone who will have regular use of the new BEMS to receive training on its use.

You should also be aware of what to do when things don't go correctly. If your system isn't working as it should, you need to know that the BEMS company can give you assistance after the installation!

 HeatingSave has a dedicated Helpdesk support team who can assist you if you need additional tweaks to your system, if you need guidance on an aspect of the system, or if things aren't working quite right.

One Year On and Beyond!

One full year after your BEMS has been installed, you can review how your new system has performed. An easy way to do this is to compare the energy usage for the last 12 months to the previous twelve months. You might even have comments from regular users or customers about improvements in your premises' heating!

At HeatingSave, we usually see at least a 25% saving on our customer's energy use for poorly controlled systems, which saves our customers money and improves their carbon footprint.

Learn more about how HeatingSave could be the right BEMS for you — speak to us today.