ACR Journal

October | November 2021 CONTROLS 16 BCIA president, Terry Sharp, discusses the evolution of the BCIA since it was established in 1991 and how the management of buildings could change in the wake of coronavirus lockdowns. Three decades of controls development Volume 7 No.6 Thirty years ago the Building Controls Group (BCG) was o cially launched by then Secretary of State for Energy John Wakeham. Before its inception many companies operating in the controls sector had felt for some time that there was no single focus for their eorts to strengthen and develop the technology. It was subsequently decided to set up a new group within the Energy Systems Trade Association (ESTA). The new group’s key objectives were to establish a professional Code of Conduct, and advance technical standards, contract conditions and training and marketing the benefits of controlling energy usage and making potential users aware of the technology available to them. The BCG evolved to become what is now the BCIA and there have been some interesting industry developments in the intervening period. Soon after the association started, a second group of control system specialists was formed, amongst the then installers of Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS). Back then, the market was dominated by the controls manufacturers and names like Satchwell, Honeywell, Landis & Gyr, Staefa and Tour & Andersen held the majority share. These days over three-quarters of controls installations and servicing is done by the independent sector and most controls manufacturers focus on product development and distribution. Technological advancements have also changed the marketplace and perhaps most markedly is the emergence of aordable open communications standards that allow hybrid systems and brands to coexist within a BEMS. Gone are the traditional motor control centre (MCC) panels which housed the starter gear and large data gathering outstations of the early BEMS. These days smart plant, often with individual remote controllers, share operational data over IT networks or edge- technologies directly to the cloud. New ways of working Back in 1991 it would have been impossible to predict anything close to what the last couple of years have had in store for us, such that the world is certainly a very dierent place today than it was only a couple of years ago, never mind 30. Building managers are therefore having to adapt to new ways of working. Coronavirus has of course emphasised the need for healthier and better ventilated indoor spaces, and these will be vital factors for building owners to consider going forward. Keeping occupants at a comfortable temperature is a given, but we also