BEMS Upgrade at Our Lady & St. Patrick’s College, Belfast

Successful Completion of BEMS Upgrade at Our Lady & St. Patrick’s College, Belfast

In July 2024, our Service NI team was delighted to secure a project for upgrading the controls at Our Lady & St. Patrick’s College, Gilnahirk, Belfast. After a competitive bidding process, the client issued the purchase order at the end of July, and we immediately set about planning for a seamless upgrade.

Ashdown has been responsible for maintaining the Building Energy Management System (BEMS) at the school for several years, in collaboration with Mitie FM, a valued long-term partner. Our extensive experience with the site placed us in a strong position to undertake this significant upgrade. Our skilled engineering team began the work in August, targeting a completion date by the end of the month. We are pleased to report that the project was completed on time, with the new system fully operational and meeting the client’s expectations.

The upgrade involved replacing the existing Cylon Unitron controllers with Tridium Jace 9000 units, supplemented by iSMA modules across seven outstations. A total of 836 BEMS points were reconfigured and rigorously tested to ensure optimal performance. In the process, we removed 52 outdated Cylon controllers and replaced them with just four Jace 9000 controllers, supported by 77 iSMA modules, to efficiently manage the seven outstations.

Our commissioning engineer played a crucial role in developing new Tridium N4 software and creating a new graphic front end for the school’s management system. This enhancement provides the on-site team with improved access for managing and monitoring the BEMS in-house. Additionally, we reinstated full remote access for the client, including comprehensive alarm monitoring capabilities. This successful project highlights our commitment to delivering high-quality solutions and maintaining strong relationships with our clients and partners. We look forward to continuing our work with Mitie FM and supporting Our Lady & St. Patrick’s College in their energy management needs.