The Smart Buildings Academy Podcast | Teaching You Building Automation, Systems Integration, and Information Technology

Do you work with VAV boxes?

Have you ever wondered why you can't maintain a space's temperature setpoint even when all the "controls" seem to be working?

If so this episode is for you. In episode 110…

Does reading a building automation control sequence feel like deciphering hieroglyphics?

Having a solid understanding of building automation control sequences is critical for your building automation…

Have you ever had a BAS integration project that just seemed to linger on forever? No matter what you did to close out the project the punch list just kept seeming to grow?

If so you're not alone. In…

If you needed to tie to different building automation systems into a new front-end how would you do it? 

Now don't just give me the answer of I would use BACnet. How would you actually do it? 

What s…

Over the years I've seen some crazy control sequences. And during this time I've picked up some good tips and tricks to help me deal with these scenarios.

In this episode, I am going to walk you thro…

Have you ever stopped and thought about why we control systems the way we do?

Folks often ask me, "Phil, what is the number one thing a BAS professional needs to know".

Without any hesitation, my ans…

Every day millions of buildings are operated. But not via a BAS. 

No, these buildings are operated manually via timeclocks, hand/off/autos, and 2x4's. 

The reality is we have failed these buildings. …

In this episode I talk with Ryan Hughson of Optigo networks about the major changes that are happening in BAS networking. Ryan and I discuss:

► What OT and IT networks are

► The big changes to BAS ne…

How do you go about scoping, designing, installing, and programming controls? 

This is the most common question I receive, every day. And rightfully so.

Look, there's tons of amazing vendor training …

Can you learn new things from an old building? In episode 98 of the Building Automation Monthly Podcast, Andy Marsh (Build Pulse) and Phil Zito (Building Automation Monthly) discuss how to use analyt…

Goals! It's that time of the year again. The time when millions of people around the world are creating goals to change their businesses and their lives. 

Here at Building Automation Monthly we also …

Would you like to know the exact steps to take your building automation career to the next level?

In this episode, I lay out 7 tips that you can immediately apply to your building automation career. …

One of the most important parts of having a successful building automation career is having a career plan. 

As the old saying goes, if you don't know where you're going any road will get you there. A…

When you read the words energy efficiency what do you think of? 

If you're like most people you may think of long drawn out energy projects, trying to work with utilities to get rebates, and then hav…

Preventative maintenance is the core of good facility management. 

Most facility professionals and service technicians can easily name off half a dozen HVAC maintenance tasks. But when you ask them t…

Preventative Maintenance. What comes to mind when you think of those two words?

Do you think about filter change outs and fan belt replacements? 

There is so much more to maintaining a BAS then the t…

There's been a phrase floating around for the past couple years now but I've been hearing it pop up a lot more frequently lately. That phrase is OT vs IT.

This phrase is actually very common in the i…