BACnet Institute Offers Online Knowledge for FMs

As by far the most widely used open protocol for building automation systems in commercial and institutional facilities, BACnet is well known among facility managers. But once you get beyond name recognition, many facility managers may have a fair amount to learn about some of the details of BACnet.

Providing education and information about BACnet is the driving force behind the creation of the BACnet Institute. BACnet International, an industry association dedicated to facilitating the wider use of the BACnet interoperability standard from ASHRAE.

The BACnet Institute has three major functions. One is online, self-paced, on-demand courses. The courses include six lessons, quizzes, and a mastery test. If you pass the latter, you will earn a certificate. The first course offered by the BACnet Institute covers BACnet basics. Facility managers are a key target audience for that course, which is the first of a planned series of courses.

The BACnet Institute also offers a library of information resources. The library currently contains nearly 100 items, including articles and slides from conference presentations, on a wide array of topics.

Finally, the BACnet Institute includes two online forums. “Ask the Expert” offers facility managers and others the opportunity to post questions and receive authoritative answers. The questions are forwarded to a panel of BACnet experts and the vetted answers are posted. The forum is searchable, and past questions and answers provide a valuable source of immediate information.

The BACnet Institute also has a searchable developer forum, intended for BACnet system developers to engage in discussions.

There is no charge to use The BACnet Institute. To learn more or to sign up, go to http://bacnet.mycrowdwisdom.com/diweb/home.

Click here for more on BACnet and building automation on Facilitiesnet.com.

This Quick Read was submitted by Edward Sullivan, editor of Building Operating Management magazine, edward.sullivan@tradepress.com.

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