CBAS Power User Profile

Hopefully, you know by now that Computrols prides itself on empowering our end users. There is nothing we love more than seeing our customers take our system and run with it. As a way of recognizing these self-performers, we’ll be doing a series of interviews featuring these individuals as CBAS Power Users. If you are a CBAS Power User and would like to be included in one of our upcoming articles, please email us at info@computrols.com.

CBAS Power User: Alec Andrews
Chief Engineer, JLL
Tell us a little about yourself…
I have a BS in Nautical Science from Maine Maritime Academy as well as an AS in Electrical Engineering from New England Institute of Technology. I am a licensed electrician in both Virginia and Massachusetts and am a Chief Engineer with JLL at One Post Office Square in Boston where I have been for the past 13 years.
How long have you been using CBAS?
I have been using CBAS for the past 5 years.
What is your favorite feature about CBAS and why?
Computrols is a classically user friendly platform which enables facilities teams to take control of their building automation without the need to be solely reliant on a proprietary controls contractor.
What have you been able to accomplish since you have started using CBAS?
With the help of the CBAS overlay feature, we have been able to take control of a very non-user friendly Johnson Controls Metasys System and then subsequently, we have systematically been able to uninstall the Metasys network and put a complete Computrols infrastructure in its place. Without the initial overlay of the Computrols software enabling us to take control of the Metasys, we would not have been able to change out our controls system in such an efficient non-obtrusive manner.
What kind of impact has CBAS had on your building from an energy consumption and/or operational standpoint?
Since the installation of CBAS at One Post Office Square, we have achieved LEED Dynamic Plaque Gold status as well as become Energy Star certified both of which I can say we were able to attain in large part due to the ease of use of CBAS and the fine tuning of our HVAC systems which CBAS afforded us.
Are your employees more engaged with the system?
CBAS is geared towards being user-friendly and as such, all of my maintenance engineers have taken on a much larger active role in the controls at the building.
What do you see in the future of building automation?
The future of building automation will be one of a transition where we step into the Smart Building realm and fully engage with the Internet of Things and the inevitable AI that goes along with it. I fully trust that Computrols will be our partner in this transition.