Lately we've been seeing a lot of talk about "openness". This topic tends to pop up every couple years.

In this episode of the Smart Buildings Academy Podcast we are going to discuss the four types of "openness", how to evaluate the openness of a building automation system, and specific specification language to clarify what open means to your project and organization.

In this episode of the Smart Buildings Academy Podcast we discuss how to transition from HVAC field work to Building Automation Work.

Lately we've received a lot of questions on how to transition from HVAC to BAS. In this episode we are going to tackle the financial and the technical side of changing careers.

Additionally we are going to discuss why you would want to switch from HVAC to BAS in the first place.

Chicago Public Schools is one of the largest School Districts in the United States.

In this episode of the Smart Buildings Academy Podcast, Paul Valente with CPS takes us through how they have used technology and processes to deliver the optimal learning environment for their students.

In this episode we discuss integrating legacy assets, the importance of engaging IT in your capital projects, how to effectively deploy and utilize analytics, and much more.

It's that time of the year! All of that wonderful summer construction work is complete, and those warranty calls are coming in.

What was a profitable project is now slowly dying, death by 1,000 warranty calls. But what if it didn't have to be like this?

What if there was a way to avoid these warranty calls in the first place?

In this episode of the Smart Buildings Academy Podcast, we'll discuss 7 ways you can avoid non-billable warranty calls on your projects.

If you like having profitable BAS projects, then you'll want to tune in to this episode!

Installation makes up large portion of the labor costs on a building automation project.

So naturally if you can improve the efficiency of your installation work you'll see a good return on most BAS projects.

But how? What are the areas you should focus on as a BAS installer or as the manager/leader of installers?

In this episode of the Smart Buildings Academy Podcast we will be discuss the key tips and tricks that will improve your installation efficiency.

Energy, comfort, sustainability.

What do these three words have in common?

These three, are just a few of the areas directly affected by building automation. Every day millions upon millions of square footage of buildings is being operated.

But, are these buildings being operated efficiently?

We've all seen the BAS computer from the 1970's sitting in the closet. That bright green text on the black screen beckoning us to setup a schedule or change a setpoint.

Why does it seem that some owners just don't use the system they spent thousands and maybe even millions of dollars on?

In this episode of the Smart Buildings Academy Podcast we are going to unpack this topic and explore how to effectively engage owners in utilizing their building automation system.

Are you looking to grow your building automation business?

If so you're in the right place. In this episode of the Smart Buildings Academy Podcast we will be discussing how to scale the revenue of your business.

There's an old saying that the systems that got you where you are won't get you where you're going. I've seen this play out time and time again.

We are going to explore the foundational structures and systems needed to scale your building automation business.

In this episode of the Smart Buildings Academy Podcast I discuss the upcoming Facilities and Campus Energy Summit with Monica Mckenzie.

We tackle the importance of policy, regulations, and training to achieve energy management and sustainability goals.

We also dive into the purpose of the summit and why I believe it is a valuable summit to attend.

Mechanical plans and specifications dictate a lot of what we do as building automation professionals but have you ever stopped to think about your approach to reading them?

In my experience a project's plan's and spec's can be your greatest ally or your greatest enemy.

In this episode of the Smart Buildings Academy Podcast we will be discussing how to read through plans and specs, what information you should look for, how to handle conflicting information, and much more.

BACnet is the most common protocol in the building automation space.

Yet every day I read questions on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Reddit asking how the protocol works.

You'd think after several decades our industry would understand this protocol.

In this episode of the Smart Buildings Academy Podcast, we are going to do a deep dive into BACnet. We are going to explore the protocol, its objects, the different communication methods, and much more.