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

SBA 240: Deep-dive into Commercial Real Estate Technology Strategy With Maureen Ehrenberg

01 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wondered how the decisions to invest in building and property tech for commercial real estate are made? Are you curious how COVID-19 is ...

SBA 239: What is data?

22 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is data? How is data produced? What do you need to understand about data? In this episode of the Smart Buildings Academy Podcast we explorer what...

SBA 238: BACnet SC is a Horrible Idea

15 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why is the industry embracing BACnet/SC? Is it a good idea? What are the ramifications of rolling out a new protocol stack to the market? In this epis...

SBA 237: Building Automation As A Service?

08 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Smart Buildings Academy Podcast, we discuss building automation as a service. What is it? Is it viable? Why would you use it?

SBA 236: Developing BAS Technicians from Scratch in Less than 180 Days

01 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We are facing a shortage of 20,000+ BAS Professionals. Our current methods of workforce development are not keeping pace with the need for talented BA...

SBA 235: Troubleshooting Processes Part 2

18 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we discuss how to respond to troubleshooting calls.  You will learn how to apply the five-question methodology to pinpoint troubles...

SBA 234: BAS troubleshooting Basics Part 1

11 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Have you been struggling to troubleshoot building automation, HVAC, and IT systems?  If so you're not alone. In this episode of the Smart Buildings ...

SBA 233: Top 5 Areas You Should Focus on in 2021

04 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

2020 has been a challenging year and I firmly believe 2021 will be even more challenging. In this episode of the Smart Buildings Academy Podcast, we a...

SBA 232: Engineering BAS Inputs and Outputs

28 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Learn how to layout BAS inputs and outputs for your controls hardware designs in this episode of the Smart Buildings Academy Podcast.  We discuss:  ...

SBA 231: The 5-step Building Controls Hardware Engineering Process

14 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode of the Smart Buildings Academy Podcast, you will learn the 5-step building controls hardware engineering process.  We will dis...

SBA 230: Cyber-Security Basics for BAS

07 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Is your building automation system secure? Does your BAS need to be secure? And what does secure even mean? In this episode of the Smart Buildings Aca...

SBA 229: Expectation Handling in the Contracted Environment

30 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever run into a project delay that wasn't your fault?  Did you find yourself running into wall after wall when you tried to get the project ...

SBA 228: The OJT Myth

23 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What if I told you that you can develop a BAS Technician in 6 months? Would you believe me?  The OJT myth is a belief that the only way we can develo...

SBA 227: 7 Things Every BAS Professional Should Know About IT

16 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Smart Buildings Academy Podcast we look at seven key concepts that every building automation professional should know about inf...

SBA 226: 4 BAS Retrofit Sales Strategies

09 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We are entering a retrofit market. Are you prepared to maintain your building automation sales pipelines in this new retrofit market? I remember when ...

SBA 225: Troubleshooting Common Building Automation Issues

02 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Smart Buildings Academy Podcast, we are going to discuss how to troubleshoot common issues that we experience out in the field....

SBA 224: How to Get a Job in Building Automation

26 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Smart Buildings Academy Podcast, we discuss how to get a job in building automation.  We discuss the essential skills for gett...

SBA 223: Consultative Sales for Building Automation Professionals

19 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we take a deep dive into how to use the consultative sales process to identify solutions to problems impacting your customer's busine...

SBA 222: The Future of Digital Technologies in Buildings With Tyson Soutter

12 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tyson Soutter is an experienced smart buildings professional who has an extensive background in smart buildings technologies. Similar to myself, Tyson...

SBA 221: Project Oversight for Owners

05 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Are you a building owner trying to figure out what actions you should be taking during new construction or major retrofit projects? If so this week's ...

SBA 220: How to Manage Building Automation Projects

28 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Managing building automation projects is tough. There are so many nested tasks and expectations that you need to oversee! In this week's episode, we d...

SBA 219: The Controls Hierarchy of Needs

21 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we discuss the controls hierarchy of needs and how to best serve your customers based on their needs.

SBA 218: Answering Your IAQ Questions

14 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I answer your IAQ questions. We discuss what IAQ is, how to control IAQ, what you need to know about IAQ and COVID-19, and much more.

SBA 217: How to structure your BAS Team

31 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Building out your BAS team for growth is one of the key factors for success  Having people in the right roles at the right time will give you the abi...

SBA 216: Creating Your BAS Standard

24 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we discuss our step-by-step process on how to create a building automation standard for your organization.

SBA 215: Onboarding BAS Professionals

17 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Do you have a formal onboarding process for your employees? Have you analyzed why and when your employees get stuck in their talent journey? In this e...

SBA 214: Creating Your Own Pandemic Mode Part 2

10 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we are going to be completing part two of creating your own pandemic mode. So last week's episode Episode 213, we started to dive int...

SBA 213: CREATING YOUR OWN PANDEMIC MODE PART 1

03 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we discuss what a Pandemic Mode is, how Pandemic modes work, how to inventory your building systems and changes you can make to your ...

SBA 212: IT Networking 101

27 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we walk through the fundamentals of IT. We look at the journey of a message from a BAS device through a network to another BAS device...

SBA 211: IP Controls Implementation

20 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we walk through IP Controls Implementation. We look at what IP Controls are, how they work, the most common IP Controls architecture ...

SBA 210: Making your BAS Data work for you

13 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How do you make your BAS data work for you? There is a lot of talk about data analytics and data tagging but that all assumes your BAS is properly usi...

SBA 209: IP Controls Design and Implementation

06 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we discuss IP building automation controls. You will learn the common IP controls architectures and how to design and implement IP Co...

BAM 208: Fundamentals of Dampers and Economizers

29 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we discuss dampers and economizers. You will learn what dampers and economizers are, why they are used, and how to control them with ...

BAM 207: IAQ and Airflow 101

11 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How do you ensure that you have enough fresh air for your building? Post COVID-19 building operators are being asked to provide better ventilation con...

BAM 206: Framework for Control Changes Post COVID-19

20 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, we look at our five-phase framework for controlling your building's HVAC and Building Automation Systems post-Coronavirus.

BAM 205: Network Fundamentals for BAS Professionals

13 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How do networks work? What do you as a smart building professional need to know about them?  In this week's episode we discuss: How networks work Th...

BAM 204: Preparing your career for after Coronavirus

06 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Coronavirus will eventually clear up enough for the economy to reopen but what do you do after that? In this episode of The Building Automation Monthl...

BAM 203: Setting up remote access

30 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today's buildings are largely disconnected from the outside world. This was fine until recently. With the growth in stay at home orders, people find t...

BAM 202: Preparing your BAS for a Building Shutdown

23 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's podcast, we tackle the topic of shutting down your building. The reality is many people have never shutdown their buildings. So where d...

BAM 201: Selling BAS During a pandemic

16 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Everything is shutting down. The economy is nose-diving. How do you keep your building automation business afloat? In this episode The Building Automa...

BAM 200: Psychrometrics 101

09 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

You need to control the moisture content of your airstreams but how? In this week's episode of The Building Automation Monthly Podcast, we explore the...

BAM 199: PID Loops 101

02 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we discuss how PID loops work and how to tune PID loops. This episode covers: What a PID Loop is How to calculate your settings for ...

BAM 198: Building a Use Case Library for Smart Buildings

24 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we discuss how to build out a use case library to increase your ability to sell and execute smart building projects.  This episode c...

BAM 197: The Future of Our Industry With Curt Bramel

17 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we have Curt Bramel the North and South America channel sales leader for Tridium. In this episode Curt and I discuss: The highest margin ac...

BAM 196: Cybersecurity 101 with Fred Gordy

10 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of The Building Automation Monthly Podcast we interview cybersecurity expert Fred Gordy.  Fred has a broad background in cybersecurit...

Episode 195: Data tagging and analytics an owners guide

03 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Why do analytics projects fail? What makes them successful?  What is the secret to effectively implementing analytics?  In this week's episode of Th...

BAM 194: OT vs IT Networks: What are they?

27 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

OT networks are becoming increasingly common in building automation projects. But what is an OT network and what do you need to know about OT networks...

BAM 193: An interview with 75F's CEO

20 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we are talking with 75F's CEO Deepinder Singh. I really enjoyed this interview as Deepinder is very technical and his story for why he start...

BAM 192: How data flows from your controller to your graphics

13 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wondered how your BAS user interface works?  What happens exactly when you change your setpoints? In this week's episode, we are going ...

BAM 191: Troubleshooting IT Systems

06 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How do you troubleshoot IT systems? Where do you begin? In this episode, we will look at how you can troubleshoot even the most complex building autom...

BAM 190: HVAC Control Sequences Part 8

30 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This is the end of our 8 part series on HVAC control sequences. In this episode, we will be discussing how piping, pumping, and pressurization work. I...

BAM 189: HVAC Control Sequences Part 7

23 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Water-cooled chillers are one of the main systems in large buildings. Understanding how to control a cooling tower properly is complex but it is also ...

BAM 188: HVAC Control Sequences Part 6

09 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How do chillers work?  What do you need to know? In this episode, we explore how chilled water systems work. We look at utilizing the concepts of hea...

BAM 187: HVAC Control Sequences Part 5

02 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever found yourself struggling to control the hot water supply temperature for a primary loop? Or maybe you couldn't figure out the best way ...

BAM 186: HVAC Control Sequences Part 4

25 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

AHU's, MAU's, Face and bypass, energy recovery, humidification!!! There are so many concepts that you need to understand about HVAC systems in order t...

BAM 185: HVAC Control Sequences Part 3

18 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever had difficulty controlling air handlers with your BAS? In this week's episode, we work through how to sequence a variety of different ai...

BAM 184: HVAC Control Sequences Part 2

28 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Airside systems account for the majority of the HVAC systems that we control with a BAS, but do you know how they work? In this week's episode we ar...

BAM 183: HVAC Control Sequences Part 1

21 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How do you control HVAC equipment with your building automation system? In this episode of The Building Automation Monthly Podcast, we take a look at ...

BAM 182: Cyber Security for BAS Professionals

14 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Is your customer's building automation system secure?  How can you make sure your BAS projects are cyber secure?  How do you know where to start? In...

BAM 181: A Deep Dive into Virtual Servers

07 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What if you could make it so that your building automation server never failed? What if every time your BAS server got slow it automatically sped up? ...

BAM 180: How to Forecast BAS Workloads

30 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How do you plan your BAS workloads?  How do you determine when you have enough staff? How can you make sure that you are maximizing the profitability...

BAM 179: 7 Tips for Growing your Building Automation Accounts

23 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How do you maximize your sales success?  How do you grow your building automation accounts? In this episode, I discuss the tips and techniques I have...

BAM 178:11 Things I Learned Running the World's Fastest Growing BAS Training Company

16 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What is working in building automation? What changes could you make to be more successful as a building automation business or in your building automa...

BAM 177: Troubleshooting Data Flow

09 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever logged into a BAS only to find all the controllers and points offline? What do you do?  How do you troubleshoot the problem? What if th...

BAM 176: Making Sense of Data Part 2

02 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Data Lakes, Digital Twins, BI... Every day it seems as if the world of data is becoming more complex. In this week's episode, we will discuss exactly ...

BAM 175: Making Sense of Data Part 1

26 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today's building automation world runs on data. But what is data?  That's a question that the industry as a whole has failed to answer. In this episo...

BAM 174: How to Troubleshoot a Building Automation System

12 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

There is a saying that troubleshooting a building automation system is more of an art than a science. But, what if there was a methodology that was pr...

BAM 173: A Deep Dive into How Web GUI's Work

29 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wondered how a building automation system's web user interface works? How does data travel from your web browser to the BAS and back? Ho...

BAM 172: How to Start Your Career in Building Automation

22 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

You have what it takes to get a job in building automation. All you need is a clear plan.  In this week's episode, I lay out a step-by-step plan to g...

BAM 171: How Do I Develop My Building Automation Team for Profit and Growth?

15 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What does it take to grow a building automation team and how can you grow a team during a talent shortage? In this week's episode, we discuss how to o...

BAM 170: Controlling HVAC 101 Part 5

01 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How do pumps and pipes work? Why do we need them? And most importantly how do we control them with our building automation systems? In this week's epi...

BAM 169: Controlling HVAC 101 Part 4

24 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Hot water systems are the lifeblood of your occupant's comfort. But how do you control them? In this week's episode, we discuss how to control hot wat...

BAM 168: Controlling HVAC 101 Part 3

17 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Learning how to control hydronic systems with your building automation system can be a challenge. In this episode, we continue our multi-part series o...

BAM 167: Controlling HVAC 101 Part 2

10 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wondered how to control an RTU or AHU using your BAS? What comes first? What do you need to know?  In this episode, we walk through how...

BAM 166: Controlling HVAC 101 Part 1

03 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How do you control HVAC systems with your building automation system? In part one of our multipart episode, we will discuss how to control the process...

BAM 165: Modbus 101

27 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we discuss how the Modbus protocol works and how you can use the protocol as a building automation professional.

BAM 164: Relays, Switches, and Circuits

20 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As BAS professionals we utilize relays, switches, and circuits every day. But often we are not taught how they work and why we use them. In this episo...

BAM 163: Our student assessment results and what they mean to you

13 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week we look at the results of our student assessment. We've had over 4200 students and about 40% of them have been through our student assessmen...

BAM 162: How to Integrate BACnet Systems

06 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How would you like to learn a step-by-step process for installing BACnet MS/TP and IP controls? Well, my friends, you're in luck. This episode will te...

BAM 161: LON 101

29 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

LON, one of the most confusing building automation protocols in existence.  In this episode, we are going to discuss what LON is, how it works, and h...

BAM 160: How to Build a Distributed Building Automation System

22 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How can you tie multiple building automation systems from multiple BAS manufacturers together?  What do you need to know?  In this week's episode, w...

BAM 159: The In's and Out's of BAS Part 4

15 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What is a BAS? How does a BAS work? What are the parts and pieces of a BAS? This week's episode tackles the topic of servers. We get pretty deep in th...

BAM 158: The Ins and Outs of BAS Part 3

08 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What is a BAS? How does a BAS work? What are the parts and pieces of a BAS? In this week's episode, we discuss supervisory devices. Why are supervisor...

BAM 157: The Ins and Outs of BAS Part 2

01 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What is a BAS? How does a BAS work? What are the parts and pieces of a BAS? In this week's episode, we discuss physical controllers and communication ...

BAM 156: The Ins and Outs of BAS Part 1

25 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What is a BAS? How does a BAS work? What are the parts and pieces of a BAS? In this week's episode, we explore the first tier of the four-tier BAS ar...

BAM 155: How to Structure Your BAS Team

18 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wondered how to structure your BAS team for maximum growth? What roles should you hire? How do you know when to hire more people? What a...

BAM 154: 6 Steps to Advance your BAS Career

11 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we go through our proven 6 step strategy to advance your building automation career.  If you are looking to get to the next level in...

BAM 153: Three Ways to Get a Job In BAS

04 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How do you break into building automation? What steps should you take? What knowledge do you need to have? Can you get a job without HVAC knowledge ho...

BAM 152: The Systems Integration Life Cycle

25 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Phil Zito discusses the 5-phase systems integration process. This proven process is how to professionally integrate complex integrate...

BAM 151: Integrating BACnet/IP systems

18 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I teach you how to integrate BACnet/IP systems. If you have struggled with integrating BACnet/IP systems in the past then this episod...

BAM 150: How to Scope and Estimate Retrofit Work

11 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Do you struggle with scoping and estimating retrofit work? What if I told you that scoping and estimating retrofit work is almost the same as scoping ...

BAM 149: How to Improve Employee Loyalty

04 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The average cost of hiring a new building automation employee is $20,000 to $30,000. That doesn't include the cost of downtime and productivity loss. ...

BAM 148: What Are BAS Gateways?

28 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever found yourself on a job site trying to get two separate systems to communicate? Maybe you purchased a BAS gateway but you can't seem to...

BAM 147: How to Build a BAS Project

21 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I discuss my 7 step process for building a BAS project from scratch.  I use the word build instead of manage because these 7 steps a...

BAM 146: 7 Steps to Manage and Grow Your Accounts

14 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

One of the best ways to grow your building automation business is to focus on what is already working. This is especially true when it comes to sales....

BAM 145: 5 Ways to Optimize Your BAS Business

07 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Is your BAS business making the amount of profit you want?  Do your projects fail to hit the level of executed margin you hope for?  If so you need ...

BAM 144: The Basics of API's

10 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

What are API's? How do API's work? And what do building automation professionals need to know about API's? In this episode, we discuss what API's are,...

BAM 143: The 5 Gotchas of Smart Equipment

03 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we will discuss the five gotchas that sabotage your ability to seamlessly integrate smart equipment into your BAS.

BAM 142: Selling the Value of a BAS

26 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

How do you sell the value of a building automation system when it seems like all BAS are the same? In this episode, we discuss how to differentiate yo...

BAM 141: Analytics and Your BAS

19 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Analytics have come a long way since they were initially introduced to the building automation market. In this episode, we discuss what analytics are ...