Capstone: Controls & BMS Diagnostics
Hands-on: diagnose eight controls call-outs — out-of-hours running, simultaneous heating/cooling, setpoint reset, sensor drift and placement, on-off vs PID, valve authority and sequencing — then calculate, verify and prescribe the fix.
30 min read · Jacob Willis, Net Zero Lead
You've learned how feedback loops work, the difference between on-off, P and PID control, the energy-optimised strategies a BMS can run, and how sensors and actuators make or break control quality. This capstone sends you round a building as the controls engineer — reading trends, finding the settings that waste energy, and fixing them. The thread through every case: most controls waste is a setting, not the plant. Good control keeps the building on setpoint without overshoot, conditions it only when occupied, stops its loops fighting, and trusts only sensors that are well placed and calibrated. The cheapest savings on most sites are sitting in the BMS, waiting for someone to look.