Spring into Savings: Get Your BEMS Ready for the Warmer Months

Spring has officially arrived, bringing longer days, milder temperatures, and the perfect opportunity to fine-tune your Building Energy Management System (BEMS). This seasonal transition is more than just a change in weather—it’s a chance to reduce energy use, cut costs, and ensure your building operates efficiently as it shifts from heating to cooling.

Here’s how to make the most of your BEMS this spring.

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Start with the Basics: Check Your Timings

With the recent BST clock change, now is the ideal time to make sure your BEMS front-end terminal reflects the correct time. It’s a small adjustment, but an important one—incorrect timings can lead to unnecessary energy consumption.

While you’re at it, review any networked controllers and re-time them if needed. Ensuring everything is synchronised keeps your systems running exactly when they should be.

Plan Ahead for Bank Holidays

Spring brings four bank holidays—four great opportunities to avoid wasting energy in an empty building. If these dates aren’t programmed into your BEMS, your HVAC systems could run as usual, even when no one is around.

Make sure you’ve scheduled the following:

• 3rd April: Good Friday
• 6th April: Easter Monday
• 4th May: Early May Bank Holiday
• 25th May: Spring Bank Holiday

A little forward planning here can translate into noticeable energy savings.

Fine-Tune Heating and Cooling

Spring might seem like the perfect balance between heating and cooling, but in reality, many buildings end up running both systems at the same time. This overlap can quietly drive up energy use.

One effective way to tackle this is by optimising your plant’s start/stop functionality. Modern BEMS systems can “self-learn,” gradually understanding your building’s thermal behaviour based on predefined comfort settings. Over time, this allows heating and cooling to start and stop more intelligently—only when truly needed.

Revisit Your Temperature Setpoints

Your temperature settings play a crucial role in preventing system conflict and maintaining efficiency. Aim for realistic, achievable comfort levels and introduce a “deadband” to avoid heating and cooling competing with each other.

For example:

• Set heating to 20°C
• Allow cooling to activate only if temperatures exceed 23°C

You may also benefit from using compensated temperature setpoints. These take both indoor and outdoor temperatures into account, helping your system adapt to chilly mornings and warmer afternoons without overreacting.