Learn More About the Importance of Air Distribution Systems with BACnet Capability
According to the American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE), the three most significant upgrades being sought by healthcare facilities are new technologies, sustainability, and safety. In their 2023 hospital construction survey, 200 hospital facility respondents cited these areas as the most important steps forward for retro-commissioning older medical facilities and building new ones.
As facilities around the country strive to meet compliance requirements and in-house initiatives for indoor air quality (IAQ), decarbonization, cybersecurity, and general patient and worker safety, air distribution businesses have found unique ways of responding to facilities’ needs. In fact, custom HVAC manufacturers that build the high-powered fan filter units (FFUs) have bundled several features that support medical facilities’ multi-pronged strategies.
FFUs – in their most basic sense – are motorized air filtration systems that provide purified air in a specific environment. FFUs are chiefly used in clean rooms, where contamination prevention is at the very essence of what the facility is trying to provide, as in treatment wards for immunocompromised patients or an operating room. However, the most modern FFUs available on the market today have extended their reach with features that will be familiar to facilities whose mission is to make the upgrades described by ASHE.
FFUs in operating rooms and other critical environments also include energy-efficiency features, regulatory-friendly safety features, and native BACnet capability. Of these features, BACnet capability is perhaps the least understood.
What Is BACnet – and How Does It Intersect with Air Distribution Products?
A building automation control network (BACnet) is a protocol that allows different systems within a building to interact with each other. In a facility such as a hospital, there are various systems in play that all have their own networks and method of communication: the HVAC system, cybersecurity systems, data management and analysis systems, lighting, electricity, elevators, and many more.
To streamline these systems so that they can be managed from a central location, control engineers developed building management systems (BMS). Depending on the industry, BMS are also known as building automation systems (BAS), and these terms are often used interchangeably. A building’s BMS allows facilities managers to accessibly, efficiently manage and analyze the performance of building-wide systems.
BACnet, then, is the protocol that allows a single system to communicate with the larger building management system. For example, if HVAC controls in a building are fitted with BACnet communication protocols, important automations, alerts, mechanical updates, air-quality conditions, power, and more can be monitored far more effectively.
Typically, a fan filter unit is commissioned alongside motor controls and a console that can manage performance right outside the room where the air distribution system is providing protection from contaminants. However, when an FFU is fashioned with BACnet, this air filtration system can be controlled, monitored, and managed through the facility’s BMS.
How Do Facilities Benefit from Air Distribution Products with BACnet Protocols?
A building management system doesn’t only group together individual controls in a central location. When all systems are integrated through BACnet protocols, these systems can be analyzed in tandem and communicate with each other.
For instance, understanding an FFU’s contribution to the overall energy usage in a hospital is useful information, especially if – along with IAQ – sustainability and decarbonization are major facility initiatives. In addition, when protocols for certain individual systems are left out of system-wide protocols, they are far more vulnerable to a cybersecurity attack.
BACnet streamlines separate communication networks, so that they can all achieve the same level of protection in the event of a network security breach. The goal of any bad actor who traffics in online attacks is to find a vulnerability to exploit, which could include a facility’s air filtration system. Therefore, FFUs and other air distribution systems with BACnet capability are far more protected in the event of cyberattack because they are linked to a facility’s cybersecurity efforts.
How to Learn More about the Relationship Between BACnet and Air Distribution Products
ASHRAE, the American Society for Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, developed Standard 135 to describe and support all facilities’ use of building automation control technology. Along with their other standards related to air quality in healthcare facilities, and more, ASHRAE’s resources are invaluable for facilities that want to meet compliance requirements while adopting state-of-the-art technology in their buildings. ASHRAE’s resources on BACnet provide a more in-depth perspective on BACnet for those who wish to learn more.
It is also important to find a manufacturer of air distribution systems that includes BACnet as a standard feature in its HVAC products. This manufacturer will likely be able to provide resources on the benefits of BACnet protocols in air filtration systems, including the value it provides for cybersecurity initiatives, and more. By following the guidance of a regulatory-driven society like ASHRAE and a leading manufacturer, any facilities manager can develop a comprehensive understanding of the power of an air filtration system that is integrated with BACnet technology.