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

Throughout my career, I've learned a lot of tips. Most of the time these tips came from the school of hard knocks but sometimes I was lucky enough to have someone come beside me and share the knowledge they gained.  Well in this episode I'm doing just that! I'm going to teach you 7 of the most valuable tips I've learned in my career. Now at first glance, these tips may seem basic. However, their e...

Protocols define how pieces of technology communicate amongst one another. But how much do you really know about the protocols that govern the "rules" of your BAS? If you find BACnet to be a confusing topic you're not alone. The BAS world is already full of acronyms and confusion. This episode will help you to clear some of that up. In this episode you will learn: The difference between BACnet/IP...

For many in the BAS world information technology is a foreign topic. A lot of us who have entered the BAS profession have backgrounds in HVAC and electrical systems. Because of this IT can at times feel very unnatural. That's why I've recorded this episode. I captured the 7 most common questions I get asked about IT and answered them in this podcast episode.  In this episode you will learn: How cy...

How many times have you walked onto a project and wondered… Hmm where do I start with this IT thing… What do I need to do? Do you go after remote access? Do you get a server? What about the database? Well if you've ever felt that way then this segment is for you! In this episode, I take you through a full-proof plan on how to work with IT to setup your building automation system.  I walk you throu...

Cyber security... Those two words strike fear into the heart of many a BAS professional. No one wants to be the technician trying to convince the security expert to give him remote access, and no one wants to be the sales person trying to convince her customer that her BAS is secure. Yet every day thousands of BAS professionals find themselves in these conversations.  And imagine how the owners, c...

Welcome to Episode 48 of the Building Automation Monthly Podcast.  This is the 2nd episode in the 3-part series on IT. In this episode, I will be teaching you a ton of information around compute, applications, and databases. You will leave this episode with a much greater understanding of how to work with IT when it comes to servers, applications, and databases. In this episode, I will be discussi...

In this episode, I take you with me on a journey into the world of information technology. One of the most requested topics is information technology and I understand why.  For most folks in the BAS world, IT is like a black art. Something that is full of acronyms, onery IT people, and miscommunication. Or at least it used to be. Over the next four episodes, I am going to unpack the topic of infor...

In this episode, I answer a question I got from a BAM nation subscriber around C02 control. I then proceed to dive deep into the core concepts around pressure, airflow, and heat transfer.  I look at these concepts from the perspective of a BAS professional and I share with you the valuable lessons I've learned working on some of the most complex BAS projects in the world.  By the time you finish t...

Hydronic systems, also known as waterside systems, are critical to the performance of a building.  In this episode, I will be discussing hydronic systems and the key points that a BAS professional needs to know about them. You will leave this podcast episode with a solid understanding of the role that a building automation system professional plays when it comes to hydronic systems.

Airside systems can be confusing to folks who don't work on them every day. In this episode, I dive deep into what airside systems are and explore what the BAS professional needs to know. 

2016 flew by and as I move into 2017 I've got a ton of ideas. But where do I start? What should I work on first. Add to the fact that I have very limited time due to my full-time day job. As I was recording this podcast I realized that this challenge paralleled perfectly to the learning journey so many folks face when then first start learning BAS. How do you know what to study and how to study? I...

Hey folks, Phil Zito here, and we are one podcast away from closing up the year with a bang! In this week's podcast I discuss the topic of Direct Digital Controls (DDC).  In today's episode I will cover: What direct digital controls are How Direct Digital Controls revolutionized how we control our equipment Why DDC systems were such a mind shift for folks The next great mind shift that is coming w...

In Episode 41 of the Building Automation Monthly Podcast, I discuss electromechanical controls. This podcast is going to teach you a ton about electromechanical controls and the important role the serve in the modern Building Automation System. In today's episode I will cover: What electromechanical controls are The three kinds of electromechanical controls Why electromechanical controls are still...

In Episode 40 of the Building Automation Monthly Podcast, I handle a much-requested topic and that is the topic of pneumatics. I also dive into my book launch strategy and walk you through everything I did and why. In today's episode I will cover: What pneumatics are, how they work, and how to upgrade them My entire book launch strategy (from how I created the book, marketed the book, and sold the...

In Episode 39 of the Building Automation Monthly Podcast, I am doing something I've never done before. I am giving you access to the best recording from my new book. This recording is amazing and I encourage you to take advantage of it. In today's episode I will cover: How to know if you need to upgrade your BAS ( if you don't ask yourself these four questions you could be upgrading a perfectly go...

Episode 38 of the building automation Monthly Podcast is packed with information!  In today's episode I will cover: My recent visit to Creston and my thoughts on A/V My latest article   The Ultimate Tridium Guide How smart building systems are being ignored in favor of talking about IoT Wide Area Networks and what they mean to your BAS The difference between MS/TP and Ethernet MAC addresses and wh...

In Episode 37 of the Building Automation Monthly Podcast, I begin my three-part series on what a network is. In today's episode I will cover: The pieces of a network How local area networks work How IP addresses are assigned How switches communicate

In Episode 36 of the Building Automation Monthly Podcast I discuss the age old question. What is a BAS? In today's episode I will cover: What is a BAS BAS vs Control Systems Control System types Common functions of BAS Control Processes Control Devices

In Episode 35 of the Building Automation Monthly podcast I provide my thoughts on episode 201 of the Control Talk Now Podcast. In today's episode I will cover: Can we have BAS as a service? What is the future of controls? What is CANDI? How can we continue to develop controls folks

In Episode 34 of the Building Automation Monthly podcast I discuss the fundamentals of IT architecture. I unpack how computers work, what client machines are, and how servers and virtual machines work as well! In today's episode I will cover: What is IT Architecture How do computers work What is a client? What is a server? What are virtual machines What are containers

In Episode 33 of the Building Automation Monthly podcast I discuss the topic of IT basics and the recent IoT based DDos that took down access to Netflix and Twitter.  In today's episode I will cover: What is information technology and why does it matter for BAS The impact of storage and applications shifting to the cloud Why database knowledge is becoming important What you need to know about API'...

When it comes to working in the building automation space no skill stands out more than HVAC. Having a solid understanding of HVAC fundamentals will get you far in the building automation space. But, what do you need to know? And how do you learn it?  In today's episode I will cover: What are HVAC systems? How air side and water side systems work?

I discuss my thoughts on the 200th episode of ControlTalk Now. Awesome job Eric and Kenny!  In today's episode I will cover: My thoughts on the 200th episode of ControlTalk Now

In episode 30 of the building automation Monthly podcast I will be talking you through how to create a sequence of operations for your systems integration projects. You don't want to miss this one! In today's episode I will cover: What is a sequence of operations How to create a sequence of operations How to implement the sequence of operations on your systems integration project

Data models and system requirements. Two of the most commonly misunderstood steps of the systems integration process. In this episode I am going to be teaching you my step-by-step processes for creating data models and system requirements.   If you have zero knowledge of data don't worry by the end of this podcast you will have a solid understanding of what data is. In today's episode we will cove...