Would you like to know the exact steps to take your building automation career to the next level?
In this episode, I lay out 7 tips that you can immediately apply to your building automation career. These are the 7 tips that I have personally used during my career to go from being a service technician to leading the technical integration program for Johnson Controls in less than 7 years.
One of the most important parts of having a successful building automation career is having a career plan.
As the old saying goes, if you don't know where you're going any road will get you there. And often that's how we approach our building automation careers.
This has become an even bigger problem with all of the new technology that is entering the industry. We need to have a plan in order to avoid being overwhelmed and learning things that will not advance our careers.
In this episode I take you through the exact nine-step process I used and continue to use to have a massively successful career in building automation.
When you read the words energy efficiency what do you think of?
If you're like most people you may think of long drawn out energy projects, trying to work with utilities to get rebates, and then having to do complex math and formulas to justify it all.
But what if I told you that there were several easy changes that you could make that would instantly increase the energy efficiency of your buildings?
Would that be something that would be valuable to you?
If you then make sure you listen to Episode 94 of the Building Automation Monthly Podcast
Preventative maintenance is the core of good facility management.
Most facility professionals and service technicians can easily name off half a dozen HVAC maintenance tasks. But when you ask them to name off tasks related to BAS...
Well, I hope you like the sound of crickets because in most cases that's all you'll hear.
But contrary to popular belief there are dozens of preventative maintenance (PM) tasks for a BAS. In this episode we continue to explore the topic of preventative maintenance for Building Automation Systems (BAS). If you've been looking to take the performance of your BAS to the next level or if you simply want to add a couple more years to your BAS life then this episode is for you!
Preventative Maintenance. What comes to mind when you think of those two words?
Do you think about filter change outs and fan belt replacements?
There is so much more to maintaining a BAS then the traditional HVAC maintenance activities.
If you've been looking to take your BAS's performance to the next level then this episode is definitely for you. By the end of this episode, you'll have a series of maintenance activities that will result in massive time and energy savings for you.
There's been a phrase floating around for the past couple years now but I've been hearing it pop up a lot more frequently lately. That phrase is OT vs IT.
This phrase is actually very common in the industrial/SCADA space but if you're in the BAS world it may leave you scratching your head.
If you've been plagued by these questions then this episode is definitely for you. By the end of this episode, you'll know exactly what OT is, what it has to do with you, and how you can implement OT if you so choose. Let's dive in!
One of the biggest struggles that any person faces is what career path to go down. This is even more true in building automation. You see, building automation doesn’t naturally lend itself to a “path”. I’ve met technicians who are easily making “6 figures” and I’ve met senior integrators who are scraping by with “50k a year”.
But beyond the money, there is the enjoyment factor as well. How many of you truly love your job? Have you ever stopped to think about what really motivates you?
In this episode I take you through the exact same three-step process I used to discover what I was truly passionate about. This process has helped me to see immense growth in my career and I’ve used it to help other’s grow as well.
Depending on what studies you read, 40% to 60% of the Building Automation Systems installed are more than 20 years old. On the surface, this wouldn’t be much of an issue but the real problem is that many of the BAS systems can no longer be replaced and the professionals who understand how to service them are leaving in droves.
How do you deal with this problem?
How can you defuse the ticking timebomb that is your aged BAS when you have no money and limited resources?
In this episode, I provide you my four-step process for solving this problem. You are going to learn:
In this episode you are going to learn:
Have you ever stopped and thought about what is required to create a good BAS design... and then once that design is created, what deliverables should you expect to receive?
If this topic seems a little muddy to you, you're not alone. Despite all of the talk out there about IoT and analytics, when it comes to the topic of BAS Design (something that affects way more projects than any IoT solution ever will) the Internet is eerily silent...
The reason is, there are not that many folks who can teach you how to create a good design. I mean think about it. Besides for ASHRAES Guideline 13-2015, which you can purchase for $99. There's not much out there. But even that guideline doesn't address the core issue.
How does one design a BAS. Over the next several episodes I am going to be tackling this exact issue. In this episode, we are going to unpack the inputs and outputs that are created as part of the design process. You are going to learn:
You've got an IP controls network and you're in a world of hurt because it's not working. You search Google looking for ideas, tech support puts you on hold for hours trying to help the thousands of other folks just like you.
You're feeling hopeless.
But it's not hopeless. In this episode, I provide you 7 tips that you can apply immediately to help you troubleshoot your IP controls network. Success is just around the corner, have a listen...
In my last podcast episode, I explained what IP BAS controls are.
In this episode, I'm going to be diving even deeper down the rabbit hole and exploring how to design IP control systems. This episode is perfect for technical and non-technical folks. By the time you finish listening to this episode you will have a solid understanding of exactly what you need to know about designing your own IP BAS controls system.
In this episode you will learn:
IP controls are one of the hottest trends in the building automation world right now.
Yet for many folks in the BAS profession, IP controls are a mystery. Despite the prolific marketing by some of the largest BAS brands there still is a ton of confusion as to what IP controls are and what they can do!
That's why I created what may be my best podcast episode yet. In this episode, and over the next couple episodes, I am going to dive deep into the topic of IP controls. In this episode
In this episode you will learn:
You can master networking...
But you need to start now! In this episode, I give you 7 tips that have been immensely helpful to me over my career in BAS.
That's it... No fluff just tons of valuable insight around networking. You won't want to miss this one!
You will learn:
What is a building automation server?
What does it do?
Should I cloud host my server? Should I use a desktop or server class platform?
If you've ever wondered these questions then this episode is for you!
In this episode, I unpack the topic of BAS servers. I dive deep into the topic of BAS servers.
You will learn:
In last weeks podcast episode, I talked through how you can enter the building automation field. But what if you are already in the field?
More specifically, what if you are trying to build your own building automation group?
If you've ever wondered how to build a building automation team or how to run an existing building automation team then this is the episode for you!
In this episode I discuss:
Do you want to have a career in building automation systems? Does it seem like every job interview ends in a salary that is too low or you being told you don't have enough experience?
If this sounds familiar then this is the episode for you!
In this episode I discuss:
I recently went through a 3-day power outage. It was utterly debilitating. Our well pump wouldn't run leaving us without water and we ended up loosing all our food. The good thing is we were prepared with backup food and water. Yet, many of our neighbors weren't and it was amazing how fast all of the surrounding stores sold out of basic goods.
So why do I tell you this?
The reality is so many BAS professionals are sitting on time bombs. There are facilities across the world that have put zero thought into how to keep their BAS operational after a disaster. The good news is that if you follow what I teach you in this episode you will be massively more prepared for when, not if, disaster strikes!
In this episode you will learn:
Man, I am so stoked for this episode. I've got to say out of all the episodes I've recorded I think this is the most value packed episode of them all!
As you may or may not know, at the time of this recording I'm into my second IT for BAS class and the questions I've received have been phenomenal!
What I wanted to do in this episode was to share with you some of the questions I've received from my students and share with you the answers I provided. I think you will find this episode eye opening as I really dive into some great topics.
In this episode you will learn:
I've gotten a lot of questions from my subscribers about BAS networks lately. I actually find this interesting as there is a definite uptick.
I get it, networks can be ultra confusing and most folks are having to deal more and more with IT. IT naturally is asking very detailed questions about how these protocols work.
And that is why I recorded this episode.
In this episode you will learn:
Naming standards.
As you know I'm a bit of a standard fanatic.
The reality is most of the BAS problems I have experienced have come from when people went off into left field and created designs that just don't make sense.
And there is no other better example of this than in the area of naming. Zone temp, space temp, room temp. They all mean the same thing...
Or do they???
In this episode unpack what makes naming standards good and what makes them not so good..
By the time you finish this episode you will know:
Most BAS training at the end of the project is terrible.
I know you've been there. You bring in 2 dozen donuts and a jug of coffee and hope and pray that you can keep the customer's attention for more than 2 hours before they wander off (either physically or mentally). What if you could create awesome training that helped your customers learn your BAS?
What if this training was so awesome that your customers told everyone they knew about how awesome your company is?
Well, that is what I'm going to teach you in this episode!
By the time you finish this episode you will know:
Alarms, they can make or break your BAS. Yet so many building owners seem to just accept that having a crappy alarm design is just par for the course.
Why is this?
Is it possible to have a structured alarm design that prioritizes the issues that need your attention the most?
I believe it is and by the time you finish this episode you will know:
When I say redlines and as builts what do you think of?
Do you think of how much redlines and as builts can impact the success of your project?
Do you think about how much redlines and as builts can impact the effectiveness of any future service calls?
Do you think of how redlines and as builts can massively increase or decrease the time you spend on a project?
You should!
By the time you finish this episode you will know: