Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Building Automation System topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District upgrades building‑automation system to Tridium platform; 14 schools nearly complete
Summary
Maintenance officials updated the board on a multi‑year BAS (building automation system) upgrade to a single Tridium platform intended to centralize HVAC controls, speed troubleshooting and improve energy management; 14 systems are at roughly 95% completion with final schools prioritized ahead of cooling season.
Saint Mary's County Public Schools maintenance officials told the board on April 9 that the district is upgrading its building‑automation system (BAS) to a Tridium‑based platform to centralize HVAC controls, reduce response times for heating and cooling issues, and enable future energy‑saving scheduling.
Joey Skinski, director of maintenance, and Mike Allen, the district’s BAS operator, described the system migration that began July 1 of the prior year. The previous network consisted of a mix of proprietary and legacy controllers installed over decades; the Tridium installation consolidates supervisory controllers and third‑party drivers into a single operator interface and mapping of building control points. Officials said a small elementary school might have 40–50 control points while larger buildings can exceed 175 points, and Custom Tech (the contract vendor) is furnishing facility explorer N4 controllers, brand drivers and software maintenance agreements.
Allen demonstrated dashboard screens showing classroom temperatures, unit ventilator controls, air‑handler and rooftop unit status, boiler and chiller monitoring, and set‑point graphs. He said the centralized interface allows the BAS operator to see alarms and temperature variances across buildings and to dispatch technicians with precise diagnostics, reducing time on site and improving repair turnaround. District staff said they can apply system‑wide set‑point adjustments while retaining the ability to modify individual classroom controls when necessary.
Officials said 14 buildings are about 95% complete in the migration; Spring Ridge Elementary reached that level the day before the meeting. The remaining schools are a current priority and final programming will continue as the district transitions from heating to cooling season. District staff said once the final control points are integrated and the contract work reaches 100% the district will establish a baseline to measure energy savings and report on budgetary impacts.
Board members asked about comfort ranges, sensor faults and the district’s ability to redirect hot or cold air when weather swings rapidly during spring. Officials said sensors will flag discrepancies and the system will provide alerts; technicians still must perform on‑site repairs but arrive with targeted guidance from the dashboard. The presentation was informational; no board action was requested on April 9.
