Central Energy Plant Integration with your BAS

Facility managers want their operators and maintenance staff to have access to any and all information necessary to maintain central plant operation and save energy, regardless of where they are or when they need it.

tekWorx answers this challenge with the flexibility, speed and ease-of-implementation you expect from the technology leader. Our totally open architecture supports the full range of communications options, from web-based remote access to data and signal exchange with legacy proprietary BAS networks.

The best solution for your application depends solely on your data requirements and communication infrastructure. Here are some ideas to help you decide which method may be best for you.

• Internet / Intranet - The tekWorx controller's embedded web server and built-in Ethernet port allows all displays and data to be easily viewed with a standard web browser on a PC with password protected access. And since your technician can be in the next room or at home at 3AM, reaction time goes down, nuisance calls are reduced and maintenance costs are slashed.
  
  Click here for an on-line demo of this powerful remote access option.
  
  The web-based approach is usually the most cost effective since an Ethernet IT network is almost always available. The physical connection is a snap and implementation is easily coordinated with owner IT personnel for firewall support.
  
  

• Open BAS Protocol Support - tekWorx provides a gateway for systems built on so called "open" BAS protocols such as BACnet or LON. Process values and alarms can be forwarded to the BAS for maintenance dispatch and operational support, while setpoints and equipment overrides can be sent from the BAS supervisor for remote control.
  
  While this method provides all necessary data for full interaction between the central plant control and the BAS, all the animated operator displays on the tekWorx central control panel must be replicated on the BAS system (usually on the PC-based supervisor.) tekWorx therefore recommends open protocol communication when there is no connection available to the BAS using Ethernet, or if your priority is that all displays on the BAS supervisor have the exact same look and feel.
  
  

• Proprietary BAS Networks - As the staple of the building industry for the last 20 years, it's entirely likely that your system has a proprietary BAS network. In such cases, it is usually best (both practically and financially) to set up new equipment and controls to be compatible with the installed system.
  
  As a result, tekWorx has developed communication drivers for the most common legacy BAS networks including Johnson's N2 and Siemens' FLN. Some systems may require a gateway device that is procured from the respective BAS supplier. In either case, implementation is very simple and straight forward.
  
  Data exchange is done via a simple read/write mailbox style scheme. The same capabilities and limitations exist with a proprietary gateway as with the open protocol. That is, all the necessary data is available but screens must be reproduced on the BAS system.