Integrated BACnet-ZigBee Communication for
Building Energy Management System
Seung Ho Hong, Se Hwan Kim Jin Ho Kim
Dept. of Electronic Systems BdMS
Engineering LG electronic
Hanyang University Hwaseong-si, Korea
Ansan-Si, Korea jinho82.kim@lge.com
shhong@hanyang.ac.kr,
kshcr@hanyang.ac.kr
Abstract— Communication networks are used to effectively
manage and control building facilities. Using a wireless channel
in building automation systems would result in several
advantages, including reduced installation cost and eased
placement constraints on the transceivers, as well as the
introduction of flexible extensions and mobile device connectivity.
Recently, ZigBee was adopted as a BACnet wireless channel by
both BACnet and ZigBee organizations. This paper proposes an
efficient energy management scheme for the lighting system of
buildings using the BACnet-ZigBee gateway and ZigBee CBA
profile-based wireless sensor, controller and actuator nodes. The
proposed energy management schemes were examined using an
experimental facility of a distributed lighting control system. This
study can be extended to the development of a BACnet-ZigBee-
based smart grid system in buildings.
Keywords—wireless sensor networks; building energy
management system; lighting control; BACnet; ZigBee; gateway
I. INTRODUCTION
Building automation systems require real-time monitoring
and control of building facilities. In order to efficiently manage
building systems, building-related information needs to be
collected, stored, and analyzed. Digital communication
networks have become a core technology in advanced building
automation systems [1]-[4]. The Building Automation and
Control network (BACnet) is an international standard
communication protocol [5], [6]. The main advantage of
BACnet is the open standard, which enables vendor-
independent system integration.
The recent advances in wireless communication networks
have motivated their employment in industrial environments
[7]-[9]. ZigBee [10] is an IEEE 802.15.4-based wireless
communication protocol for low data rate, low-power, wireless
personal area networks. The ZigBee Alliance has recently
announced a commercial building automation (CBA) profile
[11] to extend ZigBee to building automation systems.
Recently, BACnet adopted ZigBee as a wireless channel [5].
This was implemented so as to bring about several advantages
for building automation systems, including reduced installation
cost and eased transceiver placement constraints, as well as the
introduction of flexible extensions and mobile device
978-1-4799-0224-8/13/$31.00 ©2013 IEEE 5723
Yun Gi Kim Gi Myung Kim Won Seok Song
R2 Group Automation R&D Center
Doowon Control Team I-Controls
Anseong-si, LSIS Sungnam-si, Korea
Korea Anyang-si, Korea bacnet.korea@gamil.c
yungi_kim@doo kmkim@lsis.biz om
wonhi.com
connectivity [12]. From the viewpoint of BACnet, ZigBee is
defined as another BACnet data link layer protocol that is
inserted as an addendum to the BACnet specification [5]. From
the ZigBee point of view, the CBA Profile Task Group is
developing a CBA profile specification to add a wireless
channel to BACnet [13].
In our previous work [14], we presented a method of
integrating the BACnet and ZigBee protocols by implementing
a BACnet-ZigBee gateway according to the standard. Using
the gateway and ZigBee devices, this study developed an
experimental facility for a wireless sensor network (WSN)-
based distributed lighting control system. Three experimental
scenarios for the development of building energy management
schemes were implemented in the experimental model: (i) a
hybrid daylight and artificial lighting system, (ii)
personalized/demand control and (iii) real-time monitoring of
energy consumption and cost. Using the experimental facility,
this study verified that efficient building energy management
schemes can be practically implemented using BACnet-
ZigBee-based WSN technology.
This paper consists of four sections. Section 2 briefly
describes the BACnet and ZigBee integration methods
presented in [14]. Development of an experimental facility for
the lighting control system is described in Section 3, in which
the results obtained from the experimental facility are also
presented. Finally, conclusions and future work are presented
in section 4.
II. BACNET AND ZIGBEE INTERGRATION METHOD
Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the BACnet and
ZigBee integrated networks. In Figure 1, (a) describes NET 1
(BACnet/MSTP), a typical conventional configuration of the
wired BACnet system with a master–slave token-passing
(MSTP) data link protocol. (b) in Figure 1 shows NET 2
(ZigBee with CBA), which operates as a separate independent
ZigBee network from BACnet. These two protocols are
interconnected through a BACnet-ZigBee gateway by
interfacing the BACnet application protocol with the ZigBee
CBA profile.
 The BACnet-ZigBee gateway translates BACnet messages
to a ZigBee frame and vice versa by mapping between BACnet
entities and ZigBee CBA profile entities. BACnet entities of
‘Service,’ ‘Object,’ and ‘Property’ are mapped to ZigBee
entities of ‘Command,’ ‘Cluster,’ and ‘Attribute.’, respectively.
In addition, address information in the BZGWMT is used to
deliver the ZigBee frame to the designated device and
determines the source address to forward the transducer value
to a proper BACnet object.
In the previous study [14], various types of transducers
have been developed to comply with the ZigBee CBA profile,
including a ZigBee illuminance sensor, ZigBee occupancy
sensor, ZigBee energy meter and ZigBee lighting
controller/actuator. These devices were utilized to assess the
performance of the BACnet-ZigBee gateway interface, as well
as to efficiently manage lighting energy in buildings. The
developed ZigBee CBA profile devices are listed in Figure 3.

Fig. 1. Schematic diagrams of the BACnet and ZigBee integrated networks.

The ZigBee Alliance defined the CBA profile to support

compatibility with BACnet. The CBA profile defines clusters
that enable a direct mapping to the BACnet standard
input/output (I/O) objects. Hence, it is possible to directly map
BACnet and ZigBee through a BACnet-ZigBee gateway (see
[14] for detail). In addition, the BACnet-ZigBee gateway
populates a BACnet-ZigBee gateway mapping table
(BZGWMT), which is defined to map data between the
BACnet and ZigBee networks. The BZGWMT contains the
BACnet object ID, ZigBee network address, and end point
(EP). By means of the BZGWMT, BACnet objects and ZigBee
clusters are logically mapped and exchange information by
referring to the ZigBee network address.
In order to implement the BACnet-ZigBee gateway,
Fig. 3. Photographs showing the various hardware of ZigBee CBA devices
BACnet/MSTP is selected as the BACnet data link protocol.
The BACnet-ZigBee gateway hardware consists of BACnet III. EXPERIMENT IN LIGHTING ENERGY MANAGEMENT
and the ZigBee modules. Each module includes an appropriate USING THE EXPERIMENTAL FACILITY
communication stack. The two modules exchange messages
through an EIA-232 serial driver. Figure 2 shows a photograph This study developed an experimental facility to verify that
of the hardware. efficient building energy management schemes can be realized
using BACnet-ZigBee-based WSN technology. Figure 4 shows
the configuration of the experimental facility developed in this
study. The width, length and height of the experimental facility
are 8 m, 10 m and 2.5 m, respectively, and the experimental
facility is divided into six zones. Each zone has four
fluorescent lamps, one ZigBee illuminance sensor and one
ZigBee occupancy sensor. One ZigBee lighting
controller/actuator (ZigBee C/A) and one ZigBee energy meter
are connected to each fluorescent lamp. These ZigBee devices
are interconnected to a BACnet-ZigBee gateway (B/Z
Gateway) that is connected to an operator PC using the MS/TP
network (see the network configuration in Figure 1). In a real
building automation system, the MS/TP network can be
connected to a BACnet backbone network using a BACnet
router, and the operator workstation is also connected to a
BACnet backbone network.

Fig. 2. Photograph showing the hardware implementation BACnet-ZigBee

Gateway

5724
 Fig. 6. Connection between ZigBee device and fluorescent lamp.

In this experiment, the work space in each zone is

maintained at 500 Lux, and each lamp provides different
illuminance based on the intensity of the daylight. When there
is no daylight, the lamps consume 1536 W, as shown in Figure
7 (a). When the halogen lamp is at its full intensity, the energy
Fig. 4. Configuration of experimental facility. consumption in the lamps is reduced to 956 W, as shown in
Three experimental scenarios for lighting energy Figure 7 (b). Figure 8 shows a picture of experiment I, in which
management schemes in buildings were implemented in the the luminous intensity of the lamp decreases when the lamp is
experimental facility. closer to the halogen lamp. Figures 9 shows the total amounts
of energy consumed in the facility and in zones 1, 2 and 6 with
A. Experiment I: Daylight and artificial lighting hybrid respect to the change in brightness of the halogen lamp. As
shown in Figure 9, the zone near the halogen lamp consumes
Experiment I integrated daylight with artificial lighting to less energy.
reduce energy consumption. The effect of hybrid daylight and
artificial lighting using the wired BACnet MS/TP protocol has
already been verified in a previous study [15]. In this study,
we implemented WSN technology for a hybrid daylight and
artificial lighting system.
Figure 5 shows the system configuration of experiment I. In
this experiment, each zone has four florescent lamps and one
ZigBee illuminance sensor. The ZigBee illuminance sensor is
located on top of a tripod, and its height is 90 cm, the height of
a desk. Each fluorescent lamp is connected to one ZigBee
lighting controller/actuator, as shown in Figure 6. One 1Kw
halogen lamp plays the role of Sun to imitate day lighting.
Operation of the ZigBee devices is controlled and monitored Fig. 7. Operation scenario of experiment I.
by the operator PC using the BACnet-ZigBee gateway, as
shown in Fig 5.

(a)

Fig. 5. Experiment for hybrid day lighting and artificial lighting.

5725
 The ZigBee occupancy sensor is attached at the ceiling and
is located in the middle of each zone. Each fluorescent lamp
has one ZigBee lighting controller/actuator. Each fluorescent
lamp is connected to one ZigBee lighting controller/actuator.
Their connection is exactly the same as in Figure 5 of
Experiment I. Operation of the ZigBee devices is controlled
and monitored by the operator PC using the BACnet-ZigBee
gateway, as shown in Figure 10.
In this experiment, the ZigBee occupancy sensor detects a
moving person and requests the ZigBee lighting
controller/actuator to provide lighting (energy). As shown in
Figure 11 (a), when a person enters zone 1, the PIR sensor in
the ZigBee occupancy sensor sends its signal to the ZigBee
lighting controller/actuator to provide lighting in zone 1. The
ultrasonic sensor in zone 1 monitors the presence of the person
every three seconds and sends the signal to the ZigBee lighting
(b) controller/actuator until the person moves to another zone.
Fig. 8. Pictures of experiment I. When the person moves to zone 6, as shown in Figure 11 (b),
exactly the same process is repeated in zone 6, and thus, the
energy is provided only to the right place at the right time.
Figure 12 shows a picture of Experiment II, illustrating the
illuminated lamps in the zone in which a person is detected.
The experiment executed in the experimental facility
emulates a large-size building system. The space for the
experimental facility, zone and lamp in the experimental
facility can be replicated in the building, floor and rooms of a
real building. The personalized/demand control scheme applied
to the lighting control system can be extended to the heating,
ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system in buildings.

Fig. 9. Energy consumption with respect to the change of the brightness of

Halogen lamp.

B. Experiment II: Personalized/demand control

Experiment II executed personalized/demand control in
which energy is provided to each person only when he/she
demands it. Figure 10 shows the system configuration of Fig. 11. Operation scenario of experiment II.
experiment II, in which each zone also has four florescent
lamps and one ZigBee occupancy sensor.

Fig. 10. Experiment for Personalized/Demand Control. (a)

5726
 monitoring scheme can also be applied not only to the lighting
system but also to any other systems that consume energy in a
building.

(b)
Fig. 12. Pictures of experiment II.

C. Experiment III: Real-time monitoring of energy

consumption and cost.
In Experiment III, the amounts of energy consumed in each
lamp, each zone and the experimental facility as a whole were
monitored using WSN technology. In this experimental
scenario, we monitor the energy consumption as well as the
real-time cost. Real-time monitoring of energy consumption
and cost introduced in this experiment will encourage the users
to exercise self-restraint in waste of energy.
Figure 13 shows the system configuration of experiment III,
in which each zone is configured to have one coordinator node
and three field device nodes. All of the fluorescent lamps are
connected to the ZigBee energy meter, which reports the
amount of energy consumed in each lamp to its coordinator on-
the-fly. The coordinator in each zone calculates the amount of
energy consumed in that zone and reports it to the operator PC
via the BACnet-ZigBee gateway. Each zone also has one
ZigBee illumination sensor to measure the luminous intensity
in that zone. Fig. 14. Display of luminous intensity, power consumption and energy cost
on the monitor screen.

IV. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORKS

Fig. 13. Experiment for real-time monitoring of energy consumption and cost.
The monitoring screen displays luminous intensity, power
consumption and energy cost in every zone as shown in Figure
14. The space for the experimental facility, zone and lamp in
the experimental facility can also be replaced by the building,
floor and room in a real building, respectively, and the scope of
application can be extended to the whole building. This
Recently, BACnet adopted ZigBee as a wireless channel to
bring about several advantages in building automation systems.
Here, we proposed an implementation method for the BACnet-
ZigBee gateway in order to support a wireless channel in
BACnet and demonstrated success using operational ZigBee
CBA devices. Implementation strategies may vary depending
on the required standards for specific applications. However,
we anticipate that the BACnet-ZigBee gateway introduced in
this paper will provide new opportunities for interfacing
BACnet with ZigBee.
The ultimate goal of our research is to extend BACnet and
ZigBee for use in an integrated network as part of the
infrastructure of building energy management systems. As a
first milestone, we have developed a full-size building lighting
control experimental facility, in accordance with the aims of
our research plan for an energy-efficient building environment.

5727
 Results obtained from the experimental facility verified that
efficient building energy management schemes can be realized
using a BACnet-ZigBee integrated network.
Smart grid, a future power grid system, is characterized by
a two-way flow of electricity and information to create an
automated, widely distributed energy delivery system [16]-[19].
Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and Demand response
(DR) in smart grid can be incorporated into distributed
computing and communications to deliver real-time
information and to enable the near-instantaneous balance of
supply and demand at the device level.
In Experiment III of this study, the information for the
amount of energy consumed in the experimental facility was
monitored in real-time and add ZigBee lighting
controller/actuator (ZigBee C/A) using unidirectional
communication from a BACnet-ZigBee gateway to an operator
PC. If we extend the existing unidirectional communication
channel to a bi-directional communication channel, as shown
in Figure 15, we can implement AMI and DR functions of
smart grid in our experimental facility. In that case, the
operator PC will play the role of energy service interface (ESI)
and will report the energy consumption in the experimental
facility (building) to a utility company in real-time. The utility
company in turn notifies the operator PC of the variable price
of electricity, based on which the operator PC (ESI) delivers
appropriate commands, i.e., switch on, switch off, dim up or
dim down, to each fluorescent lamp (electric appliance in
building).
In future work, we will develop a BACnet-ZigBee-based
AMI infrastructure for building energy management systems
and will also develop a DR algorithm for real-time
management of energy in a building. The validity of the
proposed AMI and DR functions will be examined in the
experimental facility developed in this study.
Fig. 15. Implementation of AMI and DR functions of smart grid in
experimental facility.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work is partly supported by the GRRC program of
Gyeonggi province [GRRC Hanyang 2012-B01, Integrating
User Facilities with Smart Grid using USN]
REFERENCES
[1] W. Kastner, G. Neugschwandtner, S. Soucek, and H. M. Newman,
“Communication Systems for Building Automation and Control,”
5728
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
Proceedings of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, vol.
93, no. 6, pp.1178-1203, 2005.
[2] J. Ploennings, P. Buchholz, M. Neugebauer, and K. Kabitzsch,
“Automated Modeling and Analysis of CSMA-Type Access Schemes
for Building Automation Networks,” Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers Transactions on Industrial Informatics, vol. 2, no.
2, pp. 103-111, 2006.
[3] S. H. Hong, and S. Lee, “Design and Implementation of Fault Tolerance in
the BACnet/IP Protocol,” Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers Transactions on Industrial Electronics, vol. 57, no. 11, 2010.
[4] H. Y. Huang, J. Y. Yen, S. L. Chen, and F. C. Ou, "Development of an
Intelligent Energy Management Network for Building Automation,"
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Transactions on
Automation Science and Engineering, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 14-25, 2004.
[5] ANSI, "BACnet: A Data Communication Protocol for Building
Automation and Control Networks," ASHRAE, 2010.
[6] ISO, "Building Automation and Control Systems - Part 6: Data
communication conformance testing," ISO 16484-6, 2009.
[7] A. Willig, “Recent and Emerging Topics in Wireless Industrial
Communications: A Selection,” Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers Transactions on Industrial Informatics, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 102-
124, 2008.
[8] J. Ploennings, V. Vasyutynskyy, and K. Kabitzsch, “Comparative Study of
Energy-Efficient Sampling Approaches for Wireless Control Networks,”
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Transactions on
Industrial Informatics, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 416-424, 2010.
[9] W. S. Lee, and S. H. Hong, "KNX-ZigBee Gateway for Home
Automation," Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
International Conference on Automation Science and Engineering, pp.
750-755, 2008.
[10] ZigBee Alliance, "ZigBee document 053474r17", ZigBee Standard
Organization, 2008.
[11] ZigBee Alliance, "Commercial Building Automation Profile
Specification," Commercial Building Automation Profile Task Group,
2007.
[12] C. Reinisch, W. Kastner, G. Neugschwandtner, and W. Granzer,
“Wireless Technologies in Home and Building Automation,” Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers Conference on Industrial
Informatics, pp. 93-98, 2007.
[13] ZigBee Alliance, "ZigBee Cluster Library Specification," ZigBee
Standard Organization, 2008.
[14] S. C. Park, W. S. Lee, S. H. Kim, and S. H. Hong, “Implementation of a
BACnet-ZigBee Gateway,” Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers Conference on Industrial Informatics, pp. 40-45, 2010.
[15] T. J. Park, and S. H. Hong, “Experimental Case Study of a BACnet-
Based Lighting Control System,” IEEE Trans. Auto. Sci. and Eng., vol.
6, no. 2, pp.322-333, April 2009.
[16] D. G. Holmberg, and S. T. Bushby, “BACnet and the Smart Grid,”
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Con. Engineers
Journal, pp. B8-B12, 2009.
[17] D. G. Holmberg, S. T. Bushby, and James F. Butler, “BACnet for
Utilities and Metering,” American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and
Air-Con. Engineers Journal, pp. 22-30, 2008.
[18] IEC, "International Electrotechnical Commission Strategic Group on
Smart Grid (SG3)," IEC Smart Grid Standardization Roadmap, 2010.
[19] NIST, "Office of the National Coordinator for Smart Grid
Interoperability," NIST Framework and Roadmap for Smart Grid
Interoperability Standards, 2010.