Article originally published in the March 2021 issue of AutomatedBuildings.com
When sitting down to write an article for this month's issue of Automated Buildings, two of my passions came to mind: climate change and education on energy efficiency. I struggled to decide which topic to write about as I feel both issues should be at the forefront of everyone's mind as the building automation industry progresses. But what I realized as I brainstormed, is that both of these issues are intimately intertwined, and they both require two precious resources in order to continue to progress—time and money.
I know we have all read articles about how building efficiency matters, and we have all read articles about how the building automation/controls industry is starved for talent. We continue to pose the questions asking, "what can we do about this?" We sit through panels that discuss the subjects to death, but we walk away with more questions than answers. With a lack of cohesive industry organizations and strategies for pushing the industry forward, we rely on individuals to step up on their own, become leaders, and drive the direction to help the industry keep up with new and emerging technologies.
Running technical support, development, and training departments at Cochrane Tech Services, I talk to people from vastly different backgrounds in the building automation and controls industry. A common thread amongst many conversations is how we as an industry are not investing enough in buildings to keep up with evolving technologies. It's a running joke that buildings move slowly. Mention "building technology is about ten years behind other industries," and everyone laughs in agreement. Buildings stand today with technology from the 1970s installed—fifty-year-old technology. And we continue to try and retrofit them due to the cost barriers of putting in more advanced systems that will save energy in the building each year (but that is a whole separate conversation). However, even the side of the industry that has been attempting to keep up with installing newer technology is starting to realize that when you install controllers (aka mini computers) to control your building and leave them alone, they become obsolete much faster than you would like. You cannot simply install a controls system and then not touch it for twenty years anymore.
Think about personal computing technology like laptops and how quickly and often they need to be replaced. Most have a two-to-four-year lifecycle. We cannot expect building owners to fork over money every two to four years for new hardware, but they should at least have a plan in place to keep the technology up to date. Software updates happen even more rapidly than hardware updates, and obsolete hardware that is 20 years old cannot support them. These updates are frequently pushing out new features and updates that allow us to keep up with new ways to control buildings and make them more efficient. More efficient buildings mean we reduce our overall energy consumption. Buildings with up-to-date, innovative technology can help reduce the global greenhouse gas emissions of commercial and industrial buildings, which helps the buildings industry in doing our part to affect climate change.
So, what does this have to do with education? In order to install and program these energy-efficient and innovative systems into our buildings, we have to invest time and money into educating the next generation of building automation and controls professionals. As of right now, companies like Cochrane Tech Services and others in the industry are evaluating our curriculum and how we can help bridge the skills gaps among technicians and programmers. However, we also need to start looking at higher education institutions and how we can affect their curriculum to produce more highly skilled workers directly from the programs that are currently being offered. There are a handful of colleges and universities looking to update their curriculum already to include building automation and controls into their programs, but by and large most programs focus on HVAC from a mechanical and residential/commercial technician standpoint and leave it at that. While it is absolutely critical to continue those programs, as there is still a skills shortage among the trades, we need to get building automation/controls added to the curriculum. Ask any contractor right now—you will find that they are all desperate for talented BAS technicians and programmers. Updating curriculum or adding additional classes and programs to teach current building automation and controls technologies in the market will be critical for setting up newly graduated students for success.
With so few colleges or universities even teaching building automation or controls, we cannot leave the ones that have picked up this charge to figure out what to teach on their own. And the institutions that want to add to their programs need help getting started. They need guidance from industry leaders that understand how the industry is changing and evolving in order to update curriculum in real time. Colleges still teaching "direct digital controls" classes are most likely not on the leading edge of technology available.
So where does this leave us? We need more people to take this as a call to action to look at the ways they can use their time to help. Reach out to your local community college or university and ask if you can become an advisor for the HVAC or BAS programs. Help guide the educators that are teaching the new generation of talent on what should be included in their programs and the skills the students will need when they graduate. Help start local industry apprenticeship programs to help students who show an aptitude for the industry, and give them summer internships, work-study programs, or scholarships to these college and university programs.
For people already in the industry, setup industry mentorship and sponsorship programs (this article discusses the difference and need for both mentorship and sponsorship for career advancement) in order to assist green and mid-career talent in gaining a deeper understanding of the industry and developing a stronger skillset. Look at people that have come from adjacent trade backgrounds (including electricians, sheet metal, pipefitters, installation technicians, etc.) who may have an interest in controls, and help reduce their barriers to learning new skills. Consider how we as an industry can better partner with unions or other institutions that support skilled tradespeople, and help get more of them into these college and university HVAC or BAS programs. And for the unions already introducing BAS and controls to their members, consider how we can better support them to ensure they have up-to-date learning materials and technology. We can even start by educating people in the skilled trades on what building automation and building controls actually are. "Controls" or "BAS" do not have to be scary words!
And let's not forget students going to school for IT degrees. These students are learning valuable skills that can be applied towards a career in building automation and programming. These students are typically analytical in nature and learn debugging and troubleshooting skills in their degree programs. They have a deep understanding of computers, software, servers, and how all of the technology works. Didn't we discuss earlier how building controls are just mini computers? The HVAC and building side can easily be taught to these students, as there are many programs already developed for that side of the industry.
Bridging the skills gap is going to continue to be a problem for the foreseeable future, but there are steps we can take today to make a brighter future for our industry. Energy efficient buildings with leading, innovative technology can be a reality if we invest time and money into the education of future generations of talent to engineer, install, and program updated technology in our buildings. This ultimately can lead to a greater impact on the world as a whole by doing our part to help with the climate crisis.
