Integrating BMS and BIM to improve interoperability between simulation and energy management environments

Overview The construction sector is responsible for about 40 percent of global energy consumption, highlighting the necessity of implementing a strategic plan to optimize resources. Currently, strategies for reducing and monitoring consumption focus on high-performance technological solutions related to energy efficiency. This approach goes beyond merely collecting building energy data; it requires a comprehensive review of the processes that lead to formulating energy performance. Effective energy data management is crucial as it enhances the flow of input and output information. This management involves two components: a static component related to the building-systems, and a dynamic management component related to the Building Management System (BMS). BMSs typically use proprietary communication protocols (such as BACnet, Modbus and KNX), which prevent interoperability and limit the efficiency of integrated building management. Thus, it is essential to explore interoperable solutions to ensure seamless data exchange. Methods Energy data management must be based on the standardization and structuring of modelling processes that are essential for the simulation and standardization of building management processes via BMSs. This paper addresses existing information standards by mapping information and ensuring maximum data exchange in energy performance assessment and consumption monitoring. The proposed methodology involves integrating technical master data from Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) database with Energy Management platforms. It is therefore suggested to use the existing IFC standard to create a data mapping from and to proprietary environments, according to the different file formats required by the platforms. Results Within the experimentation, the mapping of BMS components within the IFC standard ensures interoperability between different management and monitoring environments. Specifically, the proposed model demonstrates the ability to facilitate energy monitoring independently of proprietary software approaches. The standardization of input data enables the creation of benchmarks between simulation environments and management environments. By comparing data, it allows the validation of simulated energy behavior based on thermodynamics through BMSs. Conclusions The scope of the experimentation is the real-time data reading of sensors via input-output processes in the building management environment. Consequently, the study focuses on data acquisition. Therefore, it will be important to study the issue of interoperability related not only to BMS devices, but also to system analyses and configurations through simulation environments. The latter would allow for predictions of the building's energy behavior.