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9 min read

How to Identify Sales Opportunities in a Crowded Market

By Phil Zito on Aug 25, 2022 5:00:00 AM

Hey folks, Phil Zito here and welcome back. In today's post, we're going to be talking about sales.

Topics: Building Automation System building automation bas sales Sales smartbuildings strategies circle method
10 min read

Certificates and Certificating Authorities for BAS

By Phil Zito on Aug 23, 2022 5:00:00 AM

In this post, we’re going to be talking about what is happening here in building automation world called certificates. Now you're seeing this at the server and supervisory layers. So, you're seeing supervisory devices and field controllers requiring certificates. You're seeing things like BACnet Secure Connect coming out with certificating requirements. If you've logged into almost any building automation system that's been released over the past year, you've probably seen an option for secure connections, usually something to the form of HTTPS with TLS 1.2 or 1.3.

Topics: Building Automation System building automation smartbuildings encryption certificates HTTPS TLS
20 min read

How Do I Get a Job in Building Automation?

By Phil Zito on Aug 19, 2022 5:00:00 AM

In this post, we're going to be asking a question that I've been seeing pop up all over the place, which is: How do I get a job in building automation?

Topics: Building Automation System building automation smartbuildings BAS Training jobs lab kits
24 min read

Understanding How BACnet Really Works

By Phil Zito on Aug 17, 2022 5:00:00 AM

Hey folks, Phil Zito here and welcome back. In this post, we are going to be going through how BACnet really works. We're going to dive through what BACnet is, we're going to talk about BACnet objects, BACnet services, BACnet profiles, BTL listings BBMDs, BDTs, BACnet IP, and BACnet MSTP.

Topics: Building Automation System smartbuildings BACnet BACnet/IP BAS Training BTL BBMD BDT BACnet MSTP
13 min read

Do Apprenticeships Really Need To Last So Long?

By Phil Zito on Aug 11, 2022 5:00:00 AM

Hey folks, Phil Zito here and welcome back. In this post, I'm going to talk about a pretty controversial topic, which is, do apprenticeships really need to last so long. This is something that people tend to get really heated on really quickly. If you even suggest that maybe 5, 4, or 3-year apprenticeships are just way too long, and that maybe perhaps apprenticeships are happening so that you could have someone that you pay a little lower than pay someone else to do something that they could have probably learned pretty quick.

Topics: Building Automation System HVAC smartbuildings BAS Training apprenticeship
21 min read

Is It Possible to Save Energy and Improve Comfort?

By Phil Zito on Aug 9, 2022 5:00:00 AM

Hey folks, Phil Zito here and welcome back. In this post, I'm going to be covering whether it's possible to save energy and improve comfort at the same time.

Topics: Building Automation System analytics smartbuildings scheduling bas projects setpoint solar gain recovery retro commissioning
11 min read

The Chicken and the Egg – Deploying IP Devices to New Builds

By Phil Zito on Aug 4, 2022 5:00:00 AM

Hey folks, Phil Zito here and welcome back. In this post, we are going to tackle the topic of the chicken and the egg, deploying IP devices to new builds. Now you may be like, “Okay, that makes no sense to me.” Well, if you've ever shown up on a job site to install IP controls, you've probably experienced what I'm about to describe to you.

Topics: Building Automation System smartbuildings bas projects IP devices new builds architectures bus ring star
18 min read

The Pareto Principle in Controls: What Do You Really Need to Know?

By Phil Zito on Aug 3, 2022 5:00:00 AM

Hey folks, Phil Zito here and welcome back. In this post, we're going to be applying the Pareto principle to controls and we're going to cover what you really need to know.

Topics: Building Automation System smartbuildings design programmer bas projects questions skills research BAS technician success job task matrix pareto
15 min read

The 5 Core Skills of Successful BAS Technicians

By Phil Zito on Jul 28, 2022 5:00:00 AM

Hey folks, Phil Zito here and welcome back. In this episode, we're going to be talking about the five core skills of successful BAS Technicians.

Topics: Building Automation System smartbuildings bas projects questions skills research BAS technician success
11 min read

Is it Hot in Here? Understanding Heating During Shoulder Months

By Phil Zito on Jul 26, 2022 5:00:00 AM

Hey folks, Phil Zito here and welcome back. In this post, we are going to be talking about understanding heating during shoulder months.

Topics: Building Automation System smartbuildings bas projects services heating shoulder months