The Smart Buildings Academy Podcast | Teaching You Building Automation, Systems Integration, and Information Technology

For a lot of folks, systems integration is the hardest thing they will ever do in their BAS career.

And I get that, some of my biggest screw ups in my career were related to system integration projects. That's why you have to listen to my latest podcast episode. I've got all the scars from systems integration! In this episode I draw on this experience to teach you:

• How to quickly disqualify a potential integration project
• The 6 questions you must ask before every systems integration project
• The three different approaches to systems integration
• How and when to apply each approach

In the world of Building Automation, there are only a select few things you need to know in order to be awesome at your job.

One of these things is Proportional Integral loops.

I've gotten a lot of questions lately about PI loops and so I recorded this episode.

In this episode you will learn:

• What a PI loop is
• How the P and I are calculated
• The difference between deadband and error
• How to calculate your prop-band
• And much more!

Can you feel it!

Something in our industry is changing. We are the edge of a new revolution in the BAS world the likes of which haven't been seen since we switched from pneumatics to DDC systems!

Threats like the Wanna Cry ransomware are becoming daily occurrences. And with each passing moment networks and integrated systems grow more complex.

Yet amongst chaos comes opportunity. Throughout history when shit hit the fan, those who stepped for reaped the rewards.

In this episode, we are taking a unique look at the future and then addressing the immediate reality.

I will show you how to prepare for the future and then I will show you how to harden your BAS so that it can survive the present.

You ready, this one's gonna be awesome!

In this episode you will learn:

• The career altering, industry-shattering change that is coming to the BAS industry
• Why it is no longer acceptable to "run it til it dies"
• The 5 steps you must implement to secure your BAS

I started my BAS career in service and I'm thankful I did because I learned so much from servicing BAS. But, there's a dark side of service.

You see not everyone had the power and clout behind that I did working at a Fortune 100 company. Often times BAS service providers are used and abused. Customers dispute billing, disagree with scope, and flat out ignore recommendations that can improve the functionality of their systems.

Software upgrades anyone?

But, you have to understand it from the customer's perspective. So many service providers are like ninja's they swoop in, fix and issue and are off another call. They don't take the time to explain what was done and customers imagine the worst!

So how can we resolve these issues?

In this episode you will learn:

• Why you must approach planned maintenance and service calls differently
• My 7 step process for the perfect service call
• The three types of customers and how to deal with each one
• The 5 questions you must answer when creating a Planned Maintenance agreement

The day has come, you've finally landed a job in the world of building automation systems, now what?

If your experience is anything like mine, you probably got sent to a class to learn your manufacturer's software and now you're out sitting on a job or servicing a customer.

How do you learn more?

How do you become the BAS tech everyone wants to have on their projects?

How do you become the sales person who intuitively knows how to price jobs?

I answer these questions and much more in episode 60 of the building automation monthly podcast.

In this episode you will learn:

• Why understanding the construction process and timing is critical to your effectiveness
• The three things you can do right now to massively increase your effectiveness as a BAS professional
• Why mastery of IT is critical to your future as a BAS professional
• And much more!

In this episode, I discuss the feasibility of occupancy counting to control outdoor air ventilation.

Man, who would have thought that we would be having this discussion? Lately, it seems that I am seeing more and more ideas that are combining different technologies to achieve outcomes.

Case and point, I recently had a BAM nation member and personal friend Walter reach out to me with a question around the energy saving potential of using occupancy counting to reduce outdoor air flow.

In this episode you will learn:

• How outdoor air ventilation works from a technical and engineering perspective
• How to calculate energy savings from outdoor air reduction
• The effect of the engineering and contracting world on technology adoption
• How ASHRAE 62.1 determines the minimum outdoor air you need to provide

Most interviewers suck.

They focus too much on appearances and gut feelings and make stupid hiring choices that they regret later. You don't have to experience that. In this podcast episode, I discuss my experience with hiring dozens of building automation professionals and I provide you step-by-step processes for making sure you hire a stud and not a dud.

In this episode you will learn:

• Why focusing on technical skills is a recipe for disaster
• How determining where you will use your new hire is more important than how
• The one trick I've used to determine whether someone has the hunger to succeed in the world of BAS
• How owners can apply the interviewing process to selecting their consultants and contractors

Most interviewers suck.

They focus too much on appearances and gut feelings and make stupid hiring choices that they regret later. You don't have to experience that. In this podcast episode, I discuss my experience with hiring dozens of building automation professionals and I provide you step-by-step processes for making sure you hire a stud and not a dud.

In this episode you will learn:

• Why focusing on technical skills is a recipe for disaster
• How determining where you will use your new hire is more important than how
• The one trick I've used to determine whether someone has the hunger to succeed in the world of BAS
• How owners can apply the interviewing process to selecting their consultants and contractors

Application Programming Interfaces, also known as API's are the solution to every integration problem you have.

And if your BAS has an open an API then your integration options are unlimited.

Or at least that's what all the marketing folks would like you to believe. The problem with all the buzz around API's, SDK's, and system integration is that the folks writing and speaking on the topics couldn't integrate their way out of a cardboard box. So when a BAM Nation subscriber named Dave reached out to me asking me to help clarify how an API works I was thrilled to have the opportunity to discuss the topic!

In this episode you will learn:

• Why having an open API doesn't automatically mean integration
• What 3 steps you need to take before using an API
• The differences between an API and SDK
• Why you may need a coding background to work with an API... and why you may not...
• A walkthrough of the system integration process using an API

Interviewing sucks...

After you spend all your time getting through the HR screening and the "virtual colonoscopy" of pre-interview questions you find yourself in an artificial environment answering questions that you'd probably never be asked in the real world.

So how can you survive?

Back in 2007 I got let go from my first BAS job and called every controls company in the US to get hired back into the BAS world. Since then I've worked my way to leading the technical integration program for the largest building automation manufacturer in the world.

In this episode, I walk through the 7 tips that have helped me to pass interviews and move up in the world of BAS.