As businesses strive to balance sustainability and profitability, the debate of BMS vs EMS is more crucial than ever. Both building management systems (BMS) and energy management systems (EMS) enable building managers with relevant data on energy usage and asset condition.
While BMS and EMS are often confused, each serves a unique function for facility management and requires a specific application based on the situation. However, these systems have key differences that facility managers must understand to avoid issues. Knowing each system’s limitations and ideal use enhances results.
Facilities managers who wish to do more with less need to understand the limitations of these systems, when to use each, and how to select a winning system. This article explores BMS vs EMS, looking at their differences, benefits, and how they integrate or complement one another.
What is an Energy Management System (EMS)?
An EMS is a dedicated software system designed to monitor, evaluate, and enhance a building’s power distribution and energy usage. The purpose of EMS technology is to monitor and control energy consumption in all systems and functions within a building.
An EMS gathers information from a number of sources, such as the BMS, system hardware, utility meters, and sensors. It also offers real-time data insights into trends, patterns, and irregularities in energy consumption. With this information, a facilities manager can pinpoint inefficient regions, diagnose problems, and modify systems as necessary.
This system helps in reducing energy consumption, the cost of operation, and improving occupant safety and comfort by streamlining and improving building processes.
Types of Energy Management Systems
An EMS actively regulates how energy moves, gathers, evaluates, and displays data in real time. It automatically monitors and regulates a range of energy assets inside a home or a larger site. Let’s explore some types of EMS.
Forecast-based System
A forecast-based system focuses on developing sophisticated optimization plans for intricate energy management situations that rule-based EMS are unable to handle. In an evolving energy landscape, this system seeks to improve security, computational efficiency, and profitability.
This method helps in making well-informed decisions about energy production and consumption by evaluating different forecasting techniques and taking into account variables such as model types, data accessibility, and optimization frequency.
Rule-Based System
The design and implementation of the logic controlling the allocation of energy among linked distributed energy resources is the main goal of this system. It makes judgments on the distribution of energy in real time based on predetermined rules and norms. Because it guarantees operational stability, the rule-based approach is appropriate for situations where simple decision criteria can result in efficient energy management.
Features of an Energy Management System
EMS tracks energy use and automates controls to increase efficiency through real-time monitoring, data collection, and analytics. Here are a few features of an energy management system.
- Monitoring & Data Gathering in Real Time: EMS utilizes sensors and Internet of Things devices to gather comprehensive, up-to-date information on energy use throughout a building or organization.
- Automatic Reporting: Facilitates the creation of thorough documentation on energy use, patterns, and target progress, making internal audits and adherence easier.
- Energy Comparison: Enables companies to assess their energy efficiency and pinpoint opportunities for improvements by comparing it to current standards or previous data.
- Maintenance Prediction: Predicts probable equipment breakdowns or maintenance requirements using data analytics, cutting downtime and increasing equipment lifespan.
What is a Building Management System?
BMS are computerized systems that are placed in buildings to keep track and coordinate the mechanical and electrical components, including energy, fire, security, HVAC, and lighting. To put it simply, the BMS acts as the main hub for managing all of a building’s amenities.
Facility managers can utilize a computer or mobile device to remotely handle heating and ventilation systems instead of physically walking to every building or room to turn on, turn off, or manually modify mechanical equipment.
BMS vs EMS: Why Integration?
By unifying your BMS and EMS, you can create a smarter building environment where control, data, and optimization all work together. Let’s explore some benefits of integrating your EMS and BMS.
Improving operational control and visibility
Teams can make better decisions when energy data are centrally located on a single platform. Facilities managers are better able to see how well their systems are doing, spot problems faster, and use predictive maintenance to prevent downtime. Departmental bottlenecks are lessened, and more effective long-term planning is made possible by this holistic approach.
Increasing the effectiveness of energy
With the integration of EMS and BMS platforms, energy-saving measures can receive instant information through real-time data from temperature measurements, occupancy sensors, and equipment performance.
For instance, HVAC systems can routinely get adjusted depending on the lighting or room usage. Along with improving comfort, this degree of automation makes sure energy is only utilized where and when it’s needed.
Aids in cost reduction
Reactive maintenance, equipment breakdowns, and energy waste all have high costs. Through simplified maintenance procedures, early defect detection, and optimized scheduling, integrated systems assist in avoiding these expenses. This lowers capital expenditures and utility expenses over time.
Maintain your lead in a changing environment
With EMS implementation, you gain a competitive advantage in the rapidly changing energy ecosystem, which is marked by technological advancement, decarbonization, and decentralization.
EMS makes it possible for efficient management of energy resources, cost reduction, and alignment of sustainability and consumption objectives. Variable renewable energy (VRE) sources are easily incorporated into energy systems, allowing clean energy projects to scale more quickly and reducing dependency on fossil fuels.
BMS vs EMS: Understanding how they differ
Understanding the differences begins with what they track. An energy management system is created to help oversee the facility’s energy usage. In its simplest form, an EMS gives insight into how much energy is utilized overall for a facility and how much energy is used for an asset. After gathering data, facilities managers can map current usage and determine what has to be done to cut down on energy use.
Facilities managers may make judgments on general building decisions that aren’t always energy-related by using a BMS to get the data they need. A BMS may be used for a variety of purposes, such as space use, occupancy rate tracking, and maintenance management. Furthermore, a building automation system (BAS), which offers control over building activities, can be used simultaneously with a building management system.
BMS vs EMS: How to Determine the Best Fit for Your Organization
With significant growth in building management, facility owners might be contemplating when to implement an EMS or BMS. For some, their issue is when to implement both BMS and EMS systems into their building. Nevertheless, there is also a group that considers the BMS vs EMS cost.
An EMS will especially enable the optimization of building efficiency, whereas a BMS concentrates on centrally monitoring and regulating the system. Building administrators and managers may get a thorough picture of their building’s efficiency, spot inefficiencies, and implement fixes by integrating the two platforms.
For instance, EMS may offer insights into energy use patterns and trends throughout the building systems, while a BMS can assist in identifying the equipment that uses the most energy. Facility managers may minimize pollutants and maximize energy use by integrating these findings.
Depending on your objectives, you will know if your building needs both BMS and EMS systems. You can achieve your energy efficiency target by using overlaying systems and technological tools to reduce pollutants.
Conclusion
When looking at BMS vs EMS, the main difference lies in their integration, functionality, scope, and application within energy systems. To provide dependable and environmentally friendly energy operations, these systems complement one another and aid in the effective use of energy.
