UPGRADING YOUR BUILDING AUTOMATION SYSTEM

For many owners of building automation systems, the question of whether to upgrade their system to a newer, more "state of the art" system or to "just keep using what we have" is one that is not easy to answer. There are some common questions that can be asked, however, that can help make this decision easier.

• Why migrate to something new? Isn't what I have good enough? Maybe it is and then again maybe it isn't. During the last decade, the advances in technology have been tremendous. Think about the equipment that you now use in your office and home that may not have even been invented 10 years ago. Think about the number of times you have upgraded your office computers and the software that runs on them. (Lots of the software you use now can't even be loaded onto the computer that was "the best there was" 10 years ago.) Never forget that many thousands of dollars are invested in equipment each year that provide affordable comfort systems for buildings and that timely upgrades are needed to make sure that they stay current with the latest technology.
• How much will the upgrade cost? Do I have enough money in my budget to invest in what I need? The good news is that during the last decade advances in building automation systems and the infrastructure that supports them have resulted in a host of new products that are both less expensive and more reliable than earlier generations of systems. The new systems have more robust software that makes the easier to use and easier to provide training for new employees.
• Does my old system allow me to easily meet the new IAQ issues? Often the answer to this question is no. The last decade has brought many new requirements that increase an owner's responsibility to those who use their facility and often the best way to meet the requirements of these issue is to upgrade the automation system and design new features into it that will help monitor the building conditions.

Mark Hardy, of Staubach Management, had these same questions about upgrading his existing Building Automation System and contacted the team at Storer Equipment. Upon learning the answers, Mark, who is responsible for the Mid South Towers, G/O Office building, SWEPCO Line Avenue and Arsenal Hill Buildings in Shreveport, decided that upgrading was the best move. He recently had his old Tracer Access upgraded to a Tracer Summit.

When asked what impressed him the most about Tracer Summit, Mark replied "One thing that really impressed me was the ease of usage, and how quickly the information you wanted to know could be displayed. We previously had a Tracer Access system that sometimes would take a while to pull up and condense the information I was seeking. The information on Tracer Summit is in front of me in a tenth of that time. At Mid South, we have over 600+VAV boxes and 9 Air Handlers in this building alone-I need to know information quickly in order to make sure my job is done correctly. I also like the fact that it can interface with other equipment-we have our fire alarm system also running through the Tracer Summit system, and when any system alarm sounds, that alarm can be turned into a numeric page for the person who is on call."

Although Mark's old Tracer Access could "get the job done", the migration to a Tracer Summit system has benefited Mark in surprising ways. "With the Tracer Access system, I was the only one who was trained well enough on the system to run it. So far, we have 4 guys trained on how to use Summit. It was very easy to learn. Because it was so easy to learn, now I will have 4 men here who can oversee the building, instead of me being the only one.

Plus, we were able to hook multiple buildings into this one system. I can sit at my desk and see not only what is happening here at Mid South, but at the other buildings around town that I am responsible for."

Mark added, "Storer Equipment has given me and my team excellent support throughout our migration to Tracer Summit. I have been very satisfied with Storer and our new Tracer Summit system."

If you should have any questions about how upgrading your existing Building Automation System can be of benefit to you, give the Sales Engineers at Storer a call at 318.865.1466. They will be happy to answer your questions.

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