A building automation system allows you to control every aspect of your building. You can create a schedule for your lights, HVAC, and other equipment, and you can also change settings remotely. Automating your building gives you a lot of advantages. In particular, a building automation system can help you save on energy costs in the following ways:

1. Reduce unnecessary heating and cooling.

Automated building control systems feature built-in programmable thermostats. You can create a schedule that ensures you don't waste energy unnecessarily heating or cooling areas. For instance, if you run the AC during the summer, you can turn up the heat slightly when people aren't in the building. 

2. Improve efficiency compared to programmable thermostats. 

However, when your whole system is integrated, you can go a step further than you can when you just have a programmable thermostat. For instance, say that a piece of equipment generates a lot of heat and you need more AC when it's running. 

You can tell your automated system to turn down the thermostat when that particular piece of equipment is in use. By utilizing features like this, you save money and improve comfort levels. 

3. Control heat loads from sun exposure.

You can also use your automated system to control the heat that gets into your building due to the sun. This is possible when you integrate window treatments into your automated system. During the summer, you can automatically close the blinds so that heat doesn't get into the building. During the winter, you can keep them open so that you get extra heat from the sun. 

4. Optimize daylight for visibility.

In that same vein, you can also use the automated system to optimize daylight. You can use the system to automatically open or close shades to bring in more light. Perhaps even more importantly, if ample light is coming from windows and skylights, your automated building control system can turn off the overhead lights. 

5. Turn off equipment that is not in use. 

You can use automated building controls to turn off equipment that is not in use. For instance, if the sensors detect that a certain machine has been idle for a while, they can turn it off to save even more energy. Or they can turn off everything at night when your employees leave. 

By automating the systems that use energy in your building, you reduce the chance of someone forgetting to turn something on or off. You also reduce operational costs because you don't have to pay someone to go through the building adjusting window shades or flipping switches.