User evaluation of installed building management systems

This paper discusses initial findings of research carried out in conjunction with users of building management systems (BMS). Users evaluated their own systems, and the results were collected by the use of questionnaires and interviews. Feedback from users indicates a lower level of satisfaction with the performance of the graphical user interface than with the BMS as a whole. Observation indicated that while graphics provided portrayal of plant configuration helpful to the newcomer, operators typically opted for alternative routes to required data. Where users have attempted integrating their BMS with other data-handling systems, the experience was disappointing.