Many buildings throughout Europe – not least schools – are due for extensive renovation work, not least to remedy poor ventilation. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for proper, safe ventilation, and with OJ Electronics’ Basic BMS set-up, system designers can create efficient, safe, decentralised systems while keeping installation costs way down. In fact, those savings may be as high as 92 %.
Decentralised systems have many advantages
As Product Manager Jens Antonsen explains:
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a ‘New Normal’ where decentralised ventilation systems have become particularly attractive in schools, offices and so on; they prevent any potential contaminants from spreading beyond each individual room. And they obviously offer potential for differentiating operation to suit the specific requirements of individual rooms – including different air volume setpoints, for example to suit the expected number of occupants.
Jens Antonsen, Product Manager, OJ Electronics
Basic BMS – the affordable approach to system control
‘The Basic BMS system was developed to offer an attractively priced method of controlling decentralised ventilation units: by using the AHC-3000 controller, you can monitor and control up to 25 AHUs via a single touch panel. This solution is very easy to install; you simply connect the unit via Modbus cables, select the relevant room number and run the auto-configuration function. Then everything is set up. An hour is ample time for the entire operation’.
Easy installation brings huge savings
The easy installation is part of what makes the Basic BMS system so affordable. As Jens Antonsen explains: “When setting up conventional systems, you would expect the cost of installation to be approximately EUR 200 per data point – fan speed, alarms, temperature, duct flow, pressure, etc. – and you would typically require ten set-points per room, bringing the total cost of installation up to EUR 2,000 per room.”
Save EUR 1,850 per room
With Basic BMS, however, everything is included in the box – and the work is very quickly done. “Like I said, if you can run a Modbus cable, you’re done very quickly; an hour is plenty of time, even if there are a few kinks to iron out. The total cost of this type of installation is EUR 150 per room, bringing savings of EUR 1,850 per room. If, for example, there are 25 rooms in the building – which is a quite realistic scenario – your savings come to EUR 46,250. That’s a huge amount.” The savings are illustrated in the charts below. And Jens adds: “These savings are entirely realistic; even if the exact rates vary somewhat from one country to the next, the principle remains sound. And the savings can be as high as 92 %.”
Simple and intuitive in use
In day-to-day operation, users will find the Basic BMS system very easy to operate. “It’s all done via the touchscreen display,” Jens adds. “And you can check up on up to 25 units on just one display. If, for example, you see that there’s an alarm in room 12, you simply click on the ‘room 12’ field to bring up all information about that room; what you see on your display is what you’d see if you were in the room itself. You don’t need to go there – you can do it all from the display you’re at.”
The touchscreen display can show the current status of up to 25 units. Simply press the relevant room number to access full information and operation options about that specific unit.
Masters and satellites
Jens also points out the opportunity for adding satellites to room masters. “When you use small AHUs, you may find you need two or three units to meet that particular room’s requirements – whether in terms of ventilation capacity, sound or aesthetics. In those cases, the Basic BMS system enables you to set up satellites that follow the room’s master unit exactly, ensuring that you get the same effect throughout the room.”
Suitable for many settings
On a final note, Jens Antonsen adds that the Basic BMS system has wide-ranging potential: “Schools is a very obvious setting – and we’ve seen that the COVID-19 pandemic is making investments in modern, safe school ventilation an even greater priority than before – but the Basic BMS approach is equally suitable for blocks of flats, smaller-scale industries, office buildings and so on. Its combination of affordability and easy service is sure to win even more fans in the new year that lies ahead.”
Basic BMS in brief
- Control up to 25 units via a touchscreen display
- Simple, intuitive use
- Very easy installation – with Modbus cable and autoconfig.
- Offers all the setpoints required in most systems
- Brings savings of up to 92 % – save EUR 1,850 per room
- Creates cost-efficient, competitive solutions
- Designed for decentralised ventilation systems – ideal for pandemic-ready solutions
- Read more about the AHC-3000 AHU controller range here