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How to choose a building automation system
In search of efficiency
Controlling building technologies is nothing new: we’ve been using thermostats to adjust building temperatures for many decades. But today’s building automation looks a whole lot different, with modern technology able to harness multiple interconnected devices and sensors across computer networks to balance and control the different technologies present in your building.
There’s a baffling array of possibilities for building automation, from lighting, screens, projectors and audio to elevators and access control systems. Many different brands compete to offer devices to control these technologies, promising to deliver a smart, efficient building and a pleasant environment for building occupants.
With all these possibilities to choose from, you could end up with a complicated tech stack that’s difficult to control and maintain. Property owners need to take a measured, methodical approach to building automation, defining what they want to achieve first before finding an easy-to-use solution for a smart, automated building that’s fit for the future.
Define your business goals
Before embarking on a new building automation solution or upgrade, of course you need to think about your business goals up front. These might include increasing tenant retention by providing a best-in-class occupancy experience, or lowering energy costs to increase profits. You might want to prioritize reducing your building’s carbon footprint to increase your own sustainability credentials and attract eco-conscious companies as tenants.
The great news is that the technology exists to meet all these goals and more. There’s a vast selection of tech to choose from, with multiple manufacturers creating specialist devices to meet the growing demand for smart, efficient buildings to meet the increasing demands from tenants.
But the danger is that without the right solution to bring all these technologies together, you could end up with a whole host of incompatible devices needing to be controlled separately in silos, or costly custom integrations involving a tangle of spaghetti code to join them up.
Implementation options
One option for implementing your building automation solution is to check that all the tech devices you want to use – BMS, lighting, audio, elevators, access control – will be compatible with each other. This is likely to mean sticking to the same brand or carefully checking protocols before purchasing.
But, let’s be honest. You’re likely to already have a range of differently branded specialist equipment installed that does exactly what you need it to do, at least in isolation. Replacing everything with a single brand or protocol for the sake of compatibility is simply not eco-friendly or cost effective.
Fast integration
The great thing about Trigrr is that you get two different options for installing the building operating system when you’re ready to get your plans for intuitive, intelligent building automation off the ground.
Trigrr can provide certified integrator to configure the BOS and get it up and running. Because Trigrr is so intuitive and flexible, a whole system setup can be handled in 5 days for a 100,000 sq ft (around 10,000 m²) building.
Alternatively, you might want to manage the installation internally, and that’s possible too. Your IT or facilities management team can be trained in just 4 hours to set up and configure your Trigrr system.
Yes, it’s that intuitive and, with its “no code interface”, there are no fiddly scripts to create.
Trigrr
Compatible with 80,000+ devices, including lifts, HVAC, lighting, IoT, screens, audio and access control systems, Trigrr is a unified building operating system for running your commercial real estate efficiently.
Trigrr is like the Android operating system for building technology, making it easy to control everything seamlessly from different mobile devices accessing a single platform. Property managers, owners and tenants can interact in real time with the technical solutions installed in the building.
Combining hardware, software and data into one agnostic platform, Trigrr delivers a “no code” interface to manage smart buildings in an intuitive way, without anyone needing to script the interactions.
Are you ready to embark on your building automation journey? Time to take a look at Trigrr!