BMS servicing and controls upgrades, from the engineers who maintain the plant it controls

A building management system (BMS) is the central control system that monitors and controls a building’s heating, ventilation, air conditioning and other plant, so each system runs only when and as hard as the building needs. Rossair services, repairs and upgrades BMS controls on commercial and public-sector buildings, and keeps them inside the same PPM schedule as the plant they control.

Talk to us about your BMS

01420 566822

What we deliver

BMS servicing and controls work for commercial buildings

A BMS is only as good as its last service. Sensors drift, time schedules are overridden and never put back, setpoints creep, alarms get acknowledged and ignored, and the building quietly heats and cools against itself. We service open-protocol systems and the major manufacturers’ platforms: a scheduled visit to check the system against the plant, plus fault finding and controls upgrades when it has fallen behind the building. Because the same engineers maintain the boilers, chillers, air handling units and air conditioning the BMS controls, a fault is traced to the cause rather than passed between a controls contractor and a mechanical contractor.

BMS servicing and maintenance visits, scheduled to SFG20 as part of your PPM
Fault finding on controllers, sensors, actuators, valves and communications
Controls upgrades and head-end replacement for ageing or unsupported systems
Time schedules, setpoints and optimum start reviewed against how the building is actually used
Alarm review so the faults that matter are seen and the nuisance ones are cleared
Energy optimisation: stopping simultaneous heating and cooling and plant running out of hours
Commissioning and handover documentation for new mechanical installations

Commercial plant room with insulated pipework and heat exchangers

In detail

What a BMS service covers

Scope depends on the system and the building, and is agreed after a survey. These are the main strands of work.

BMS servicing and maintenance

A scheduled visit checks the controllers, field devices and communications, tests the control strategy against the plant, reviews alarms and trends, and records what was found. Where the system sits in a PPM contract, the visit is planned into the same calendar as the boiler, chiller and air handling unit services, so controls are never the forgotten line.

See our maintenance service

Controls upgrades

When a system is unsupported, unreliable or no longer matches the building, we scope the upgrade: replacing outstations or the head end, extending control to plant that was never connected, and keeping the working field devices where they are still sound. Upgrades are phased so the building stays comfortable during the work.

Fault finding and call-outs

A BMS fault usually shows up as a comfort complaint: a cold classroom, an office that will not cool, a pump that never stops. We trace it from the screen to the plant, whether the cause is a failed sensor, a stuck valve, a communications fault or a setpoint someone changed. Contract clients have 24/7 emergency cover.

Energy optimisation

Tuning the BMS can be a low-cost way to cut a building’s energy use, because plant that stops when nobody needs it needs no new equipment. We review schedules, setpoints, weather compensation and optimum start, and remove the overrides that have become permanent. It also supports the wider route to net zero.

Decarbonisation services

BMS within PPM

Putting the BMS inside the PPM contract means one schedule, one set of records and one team who know the building. The controls visit is timed with the plant service, findings feed straight into the next visit, and the compliance record stays in one place.

PPM contracts

In schools and colleges

Education buildings run on tight timetables and fixed term dates, so the BMS has to bring classrooms to temperature before the first lesson and stop heating empty buildings in the holidays. We service and upgrade BMS controls across school and college estates, including the mechanical and BMS commissioning for a 10-laboratory science block and sports hall at Sacred Heart High School, Hammersmith.

Rossair in education

Controls maintained as part of the whole building

1973

Building services contractor since

SFG20

PPM scheduled to the industry specification

24/7

Emergency cover for contract clients

Campuses under one Chichester College Group PPM contract

Chichester College Group has been maintained by Rossair for over 20 years, with 11 campuses under one PPM contract. At Sacred Heart High School in Hammersmith we delivered the mechanical and BMS installation for a 10-laboratory science block and sports hall (£820,000), including the O&M manuals and record drawings. The same approach applies to a single plant room or a national portfolio: the controls are serviced with the plant, not separately from it.

Compliance

Records and standards behind our BMS work

SFG20Industry-standard maintenance specification. BMS and controls tasks are scheduled to it as part of your PPM.
Handover recordsOn new installations: commissioning data, O&M manuals and record drawings supplied on completion.
REFCOM F-GasREFCOM F-Gas registered, for the refrigeration and air conditioning plant the BMS controls.
SafeContractorSafeContractor and Constructionline approved for work on client sites.

5 sectors

Sectors we serve

EducationTerm-time timetables, holiday setback and science block controls NHS HealthcareControls that hold temperature and ventilation rates in clinical areas CommercialOffice and retail controls tuned to occupancy and energy use Facilities ManagementBMS visits inside one PPM programme across a portfolio Data CentresMonitoring and alarm control for critical cooling plant

Related services

HVAC maintenancePlanned and reactive maintenance for the plant your BMS controls.PPM contractsSFG20-scheduled PPM with BMS visits in the same calendar.TM44 inspectionsAir conditioning inspections, and the controls findings they raise.DecarbonisationControls optimisation as the first step to lower energy use.Education sectorSchool and college maintenance, including BMS.School heatingBoilers and heating controls for school buildings.

Frequently asked

Questions about BMS servicing and building management systems

What is a building management system?

A building management system (BMS) is the control system that monitors and operates a building’s mechanical and electrical plant: heating, ventilation, air conditioning and often lighting and metering. Controllers and sensors around the building report back to a central head end, where schedules, setpoints and alarms are managed. A BMS is sometimes called a building energy management system (BEMS) or building automation system.

What does BMS servicing involve?

A servicing visit checks the controllers, sensors, actuators and communications, tests that the plant responds correctly to the control strategy, reviews alarms and trend data, and checks schedules and setpoints against how the building is used. We record what we find and agree any repairs or upgrades. It is normally scheduled alongside the plant service so the controls and the equipment are looked at together.

How often should a BMS be serviced?

There is no single legal interval. Most commercial buildings are serviced at least annually, and the right frequency depends on the size of the system, how critical the building is and the age of the field devices. We set the frequency after a survey and schedule it to SFG20 within your PPM, so the controls visit lines up with the plant it controls.

Can you take over maintenance of a BMS another contractor installed?

Usually, yes. We service open-protocol systems and the major manufacturers’ platforms. We start with a survey to check the system, confirm what access and software is needed, and record its condition before taking it on. If a system is unsupported or the head end is at end of life, we tell you what an upgrade involves before you commit to anything.

When should a BMS be upgraded rather than repaired?

Upgrade when parts are no longer available, the head end runs on unsupported software, faults keep returning, or the system cannot control new plant such as heat pumps. Repair when the fault is a failed device on a sound system. We scope both options after a survey and keep working field devices where they are still reliable, so you only pay to replace what needs replacing.

Can a BMS really reduce energy use?

Often, yes, because many buildings run plant when nobody is there or heat and cool the same space at once. Correcting schedules, setpoints, optimum start and overrides needs no new equipment. The saving depends on how far the settings have drifted, so we review the system first and do not quote a figure before seeing it.

How much does BMS servicing cost?

Price depends on the number of controllers and points, the age and make of the system, how many sites it covers and whether the service sits inside a wider PPM contract. Upgrades are priced on the scope of replacement. We quote after a survey, so you see what is included before you commit.

If we’re not the right fit, we’ll tell you who is

Talk to us about your BMS

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