Regelgeving

Am I required to replace my outdated BMS due to the new regulations?

Not automatically — however, in practice, the new regulations are a common catalyst for modernization.

When an upgrade becomes necessary

If your building falls under the BACS obligation and the existing system cannot handle the required functions (monitoring, analysis, benchmarking), an upgrade or retrofit is necessary.

Retrofitting as a solution

A phased retrofit ensures the building complies with the obligations while retaining usable parts of the installation. Please have the specific obligations for your building verified by your engineering firm.

Can Fixsus participate in public tenders?

Yes. Fixsus regularly works for cities, municipalities, and (semi-)public clients, both directly and through contractors.

Experience with public clients

From individual buildings to site portfolios: public authorities are among Fixsus’s regular client groups.

Brand-neutral specifications

Brand-neutral specifications with functional requirements — openness, Class A, security — enable a correct, open tender process. Fixsus supports engineering firms in drafting these.

Can Fixsus provide support for cybersecurity and compliance questions?

Yes. Fixsus can provide information regarding the security measures within TIBA3 and offer support for technical cybersecurity and compliance questions.

Technical documentation

Fixsus can document which security measures are present within its scope of application, such as access management, encrypted communication, backups, user rights, and secure remote access.

Support for assessments

Fixsus can participate in:

• technical questionnaires;
• risk analyses;
• audits;
• tender documents;
• project-related compliance assessments;
• coordination with IT and security teams.

Definition of responsibility

A full legal or organizational compliance assessment does not fall exclusively under the technical scope of Fixsus.

For a complete assessment, the client’s IT department, security specialists, auditors, engineering firm, or legal advisors may also be involved.

Collaboration between parties

Fixsus provides the technical information regarding TIBA3 and collaborates with other involved parties to clearly map out responsibilities, risks, and required measures.

Can specifications require the system to be open and brand-independent?

Yes — public tenders MUST even be brand-neutral.

Functional requirements instead of brand names

Specification texts exist that set functional requirements: open code, a license-free programming environment, freely available hardware, and long-term availability. Closed systems cannot meet these requirements — without a single brand name being mentioned in the specifications.

Support for engineering firms

Fixsus supports engineering firms in drafting such brand-neutral specification texts, so that the openness of the system is correctly and enforceably defined.

Can the data be used for sustainability or monitoring obligations?

Yes. The logged consumption and performance data provide a reliable source for reporting.

Ready for your obligations

Energy accounting, BACS monitoring requirements, and sustainability reporting require reliable measurement data. The platform builds this data continuously and automatically.

Long history, per meter and technology

Because consumption is logged per meter and per technology with a long history, you can support every reporting request with actual figures.

Do I need to be able to report my energy consumption?

Increasingly, yes: energy accounting, monitoring obligations, and sustainability reporting require reliable measurement data.

Reliable measurement data as a foundation

The platform logs consumption per meter and per technology with an extensive history. This data forms a reliable basis for any type of reporting.

Reporting greatly simplified

Because the data is compiled continuously and automatically, you no longer need to gather information for reporting: it is readily available on the platform.

Does a BMS help with the EPC or the energy performance of my building?

Yes. A higher automation class improves the actual energy performance and can be factored into the performance calculation.

Better regulated, better performance

A building with demand-driven control structurally consumes less. This improved control translates into the energy performance of the building.

Data that objectifies the effect

At least as important: the data from the BMS objectifies the effect of every measure. You can see in black and white what an investment in insulation, relighting, or a new heat source actually yields.

Does TIBA3 comply with EPBD and BACS/GACS requirements?

TIBA3 possesses the technical capabilities to implement the core functions of a BACS or GACS.

Technical capabilities

The system is capable of monitoring energy consumption and installation performance, recording and analyzing data, detecting anomalies, and centrally controlling various building technologies.

BACS and GACS

BACS stands for Building Automation and Control System. In the Netherlands, the term GACS is commonly used: gebouwautomatiserings- en controlesysteem. Both terms refer to systems for the automatic regulation, control, and optimization of technical building installations.

Project-specific compliance

Whether a specific building fully complies with BACS or GACS requirements depends not only on the software platform used. The existing measuring equipment, integrated technologies, programming, reporting, and applicable regulations are also decisive factors.

Fixsus can analyze existing installations, identify missing automation functions, and configure TIBA3 to meet the relevant technical requirements. A project-specific compliance assessment always remains necessary.

Does TIBA3 comply with NIS2?

TIBA3 includes various technical security measures that align with the principles of NIS2.

Technical security measures

These include, among others:

• access management;
• multi-factor authentication;
• encrypted communication;
• certificate verification;
• secure remote access;
• backups;
• controlled change management;
• security testing and periodic evaluations.

NIS2 goes beyond technology

Full NIS2 compliance does not only relate to a single software platform or security layer. The directive also sets requirements for the entire organization, including:

• risk management;
• incident response;
• business continuity;
• supplier and supply chain security;
• management responsibilities;
• training and awareness;
• documentation and evidence.

The role of Fixsus

Fixsus proactively invests in security and further aligns TIBA3 and its own operations with the principles and requirements of NIS2.

Project- and organization-specific assessment

Whether an organization or project fully complies with NIS2 must always be assessed based on the complete technical and organizational context.

TIBA3 can be an important technical component in this regard, but it does not in itself guarantee full NIS2 compliance for the client organization.

What about the inspection and safety of the installation itself?

The electrical installations and control panels comply with the applicable installation regulations (AREI/RGIE) and are inspected like any other electrical installation.

According to the applicable regulations

Panel building and cabling are carried out according to the installation regulations, and the installation undergoes the standard inspections.

CE-marked industrial equipment

The control components themselves are industrial, CE-marked equipment — the same components used in production environments.

What are the requirements for a mandatory BACS?

The obligation broadly imposes a number of functional requirements on the system.

The required functions

• continuously monitor, log, and analyze energy consumption;
• monitor building efficiency and signal any loss of efficiency;
• enable benchmarking;
• communicate with the connected technical systems.

A full-fledged BMS covers these requirements

A full-fledged building management system such as TIBA3 covers these functions, featuring continuous data logging, energy management, and open communication with the connected technologies.

What is EN ISO 52120 Class A and how does TIBA3 support this standard?

EN ISO 52120 is a European standard that describes how building management systems and automatic controls contribute to the energy performance of buildings.

Four efficiency classes

The standard distinguishes four classes:

• Class A: highly energy-efficient building automation and technical management;
• Class B: advanced automation;
• Class C: standard automation;
• Class D: little or no energy-efficient automation.

Class A therefore represents the highest level of automation within this classification.

Demand-driven control

TIBA3 supports a Class A approach by controlling installations based on the actual demand in the rooms. Heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, and solar shading are not controlled separately, but are centrally coordinated with one another.

Measurements per room

By incorporating data such as temperature, occupancy, air quality, and light intensity, the system can more accurately determine where and when energy is needed.

Central optimization

Central production, such as boilers, heat pumps, chillers, and air handling units, is also adjusted to the sum of the actual demand from the building.

No automatic guarantee

Whether a building effectively achieves Class A does not only depend on the building management system. The design, the available technologies, the control strategy, the execution, and the commissioning also play a role.

TIBA3 does, however, provide the technical architecture and control capabilities to build an installation according to the principles of Class A.

What is the difference between BMS, BACS, and GACS?

BMS (GBS) is the general Dutch term for a building management system. It usually refers to a system used to centrally visualize, control, and manage technical building installations.

BACS

BACS stands for Building Automation and Control System. This English term is used in European regulations and international technical contexts.

GACS

In the Netherlands, the abbreviation GACS is commonly used. GACS stands for building automation and control system and is substantively the Dutch name for a BACS.

The substantive difference

With a BACS or GACS, the emphasis is not only on visualization and operation, but also on automatic control, energy monitoring, analysis, optimization, and communication between different building technologies.

In practice, BMS, BACS, and GACS can refer to a similar installation. However, not every system described as a BMS automatically possesses all the functions expected of a BACS or GACS according to the applicable regulations.

What is the EPBD?

The EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive) is the European directive concerning the energy performance of buildings.

What the directive regulates

The EPBD imposes requirements regarding energy performance, technical installations and — increasingly — building automation and control.

Relevance for building management

For larger non-residential buildings, the EPBD leads to the BACS mandate: the obligation to install a building automation and control system. The specific implementation varies by region — please verify the current obligations for your building with your engineering firm or consultant.

Where can I monitor evolving regulations?

Through your engineering firm, regional energy administrations, and sector federations.

Regulations in motion

Regulations regarding EPBD, BACS, and NIS2 are evolving, and implementation varies by region and member state. What applies today may be tightened tomorrow.

Fixsus monitors developments

Fixsus actively monitors developments regarding EPBD/BACS and NIS2 and incorporates them into its concepts and specification support — please inquire about this during the concept phase of your project.

Which buildings are subject to the BACS or GACS obligation?

The European EPBD imposes requirements for building automation and control in certain non-residential buildings.

BACS and GACS

BACS stands for Building Automation and Control System. In the Netherlands, the term GACS is typically used: building automation and control system.

Both terms refer to systems that monitor, control, and optimize technical building installations.

Depending on building and capacity

Whether a building is subject to the obligation depends, among other things, on:

• the type of building;
• the rated output of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems;
• technical and economic feasibility;
• the national or regional transposition of European regulations.

Specific thresholds and deadlines may vary by country and region.

Required functions

A mandatory BACS or GACS must generally be capable of:

• continuously monitoring energy use and system operation;
• recording and analyzing data;
• identifying efficiency losses or deviations;
• enabling benchmarking and reporting;
• communicating with connected technical systems.

Project-specific assessment

Whether a specific building meets the obligation must therefore always be assessed based on current regulations and the complete technical installation.

Fixsus can analyze the existing functions and determine which automation, measurement, or reporting capabilities still need to be added.

Who is responsible for compliance?

The building owner or operator bears ultimate responsibility for the building’s compliance.

The role of Fixsus and the engineering firm

Fixsus and the engineering firm ensure that the design and implementation of the BMS effectively fulfill the required functions and classes.

Working together toward a compliant building

By incorporating requirements as early as the concept phase, compliance becomes a design principle rather than a problem that must be rectified afterwards.