Smart buildings are facilities that employ building automation controls and communications technologies that connect systems that usually function independently - such as electrical, fire, HVAC, life safety, and security. By taking advantage of information exchange between systems, building automation provides a flexible and cost-effective environment. Total life-cycle costs for smart buildings are lower, in general, than conventional building costs. By using intelligent applications to manage resources like lighting and HVAC, overall building operating costs are lowered as efficiency is improved.

Information exchange in smart buildings occurs through a high-bandwidth cabling infrastructure that connects with the building systems. A Building Automation System (BAS) with microprocessor-based controls in each building zone transfers information including sensory functions, signal processing, and control response. The inclusion of a metering component for utilities such as electricity increases the resource management capability of a smart building system, giving managers the data needed to monitor and adjust energy consumption and reduce costs.

Building automation systems and the digital controllers that run them are manufactured by a variety of companies and often use proprietary hardware and communications protocols. Two competing open protocol systems for building automation are BACnet and LonTalk.

Building automation providers include:

For specific buildings employing automation technology, see:
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