Integrated BACnet-ZigBee communication for building energy management system

Communication networks are used to effectively manage and control building facilities. Using a wireless channel in building automation systems would result in several advantages, including reduced installation cost and eased placement constraints on the transceivers, as well as the introduction of flexible extensions and mobile device connectivity. Recently, ZigBee was adopted as a BACnet wireless channel by both BACnet and ZigBee organizations. This paper proposes an efficient energy management scheme for the lighting system of buildings using the BACnet-ZigBee gateway and ZigBee CBA profile-based wireless sensor, controller and actuator nodes. The proposed energy management schemes were examined using an experimental facility of a distributed lighting control system. This study can be extended to the development of a BACnet-ZigBee-based smart grid system in buildings.