New Building Performance Award announced for building control systems

Cibse’s Building Performance Awards 2015, now calling for entries, features a new category – the Building Control System Award. This Award recognises the importance of integrated and automated control systems in managing and maintaining optimum building performance.

Building control systems are critical in today’s buildings to help deliver the comfort levels and working conditions required by the users or occupants, and can assist with reducing energy consumption without compromising overall user satisfaction.

The Awards’ judges will consider any controls system that improves building performance and saves energy and carbon, and will be looking for evidence of:
• Research, testing and development;
• Innovation in design, technology and/or application;
• Improvement over existing systems in terms of performance, energy or resource (e.g. water) efficiency and carbon saving;
• Mitigation of the environmental impact of production;
• Use of recycled materials and recyclability;
• Performance in operation as well as factory or laboratory test results;
• Evidence of how the product or system reduces carbon emissions;
• Clear technical information explaining the system for installers and operators, and evidence of engagement with installers and users to ensure that the system is effectively delivered and used; and
• Operation and maintenance information.

Building performance is critical in helping reduce the UK’s energy demands. Buildings consume almost 50% of our energy in the UK and it is recognised that around 20% of energy used in buildings is needlessly wasted. The Cibse Building Performance Awards, which focus on actual, measured performance, not design intent or performance specifications, are judged by a panel of experts and industry leaders from a number of complementary spheres within the built environment.

The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (Cibse) has also introduced a new Lighting for Building Performance Award category for its Building Performance Awards 2015.

Entries can be made online at www.cibse.org/bpa and close on 11 September 2014.  The awards dinner will be held at Grosvenor House, London, on 10 February 2015.