"The Coalition for Smarter Buildings (C4SB) is bringing globally accessible open-source, open standards-based, re-usable and specialized digital infrastructure to buildings." They seem to be more (but not exclusively) commercial building oriented organization with very similar values to ours.
I'm thinking about joining at their "Community" level. It seems that there could be synergies between FOSS stuff they seem interested in for commercial-scale buildings and our more residential orientation.
I stumbled on this organization while looking for resources related to BACNet. They are a "Project Series of the LINUX Foundation". While primarialy focused on commercial building stuff their charter dosen't seem restricted to that. They have started a "Community" membership level you can read more about at here.
My own interest comes from my home renovation project in which I am using HA as my SCADA base. All my "devices" (in an HA sense) are PoE based microcontrollers with sensors, actuators, switches, etc. All lighting is either PoE/Artnet or DMX/Artnet. I'm evolving towards using BACNet for all wall switches and switched outlets using Legrand DLM room-level networks along with my own RP2040/ESP32 endpoints speaking BACNet/IP. All wiring therefore remains over CAT5e except for 120V to electrical outlets.
Hey
Thanks for the share but looks like an other project to open-source some stuffs that will go nowhere...
All the more done by the Linux foundation with Microsoft as partner in it is no interest at all from my point of view.
Vincèn
It’s definitely an interesting space, especially with them being under the Linux Foundation umbrella, which usually lends some serious credibility to open-source initiatives. While they lean heavily commercial, I could see some cool long-term benefits for us if they actually help bridge the gap between industrial protocols and residential setups like Home Assistant.
Perhaps I'll take a peek again later on to see if they have any momentum. If Nabu Casa were to become visible/active there that would tell me they see some benefit to coordination.
When learning about commercial building automation systems I found their general approach to be different from HA but nothing looked fundamentally incompatible. The commercial roots of the BAS products I researched seemed clear, just as HA's roots in the DIY community are. BAS seems to have added smarts to the room/floor endpoints first (or in parallel with) central supervision, which has grown in sophistication. HA started with an RPi exercising central control over completely dumb endpoints and has grown as endpoints have gotten smarter. HA can be used to manage endpoints that directly and independently communicate but the concept of federated control isn't yet in HA's DNA.
There will probably always be a dividing line between residential and commercial automation requirements. The differences in deployment scale probably guarantee it. The underlying technology convergence probably also guarantees the line will be very fuzzy. I don't know what the BAS guys need to learn from us but I've already learned some really useful things I'll be applying in my own home just by reading BAS product datasheets and ApNotes.
I just received my Bacnet MS/TP to Bacnet/IP router so I'm going to start hooking up some Legrand DLM switches, Plug Load Controllers, their DLM <> Bacnet MS/TP bridge, the router, and the HA Bacnet integration to see how they play together. Hopefully they will and I can start commissioning them for their intended use. BTW, that first "killer app" for me is detecting when I turn on my CPAP and then powering on the O2 Concentrator. Right now the O2 is on an HA scheduled on/off cycle. I can save perhaps 2-4 KWh per day by turning it on only when needed.
(For those whose first thought is "Geez, all you need is a couple Zigbee controlled outlets with load sensing.", I don't disagree. I actually have that. But I'm ditching all things wireless for reasons you can read about in other threads. Plus, learning about commercial BAS concepts and applying it at home is a lot better at dealing with my aging brain than EMDR exercises and boring Sudoku puzzles:-) )
Have you come across a company UBX Systems. I doubt they are open source. Their sensors use LoRA Semtech chips, so I doubt it. They do some very slick stuff, including taking into account weather and weather prediction to minimize energy usage.
It sounds like you're doing a very extensive remodel. I hope you looked into Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) and are employing it. I was rewiring a house that had the exterior walls sealed but down to the studs inside. The HRV was operational, but the 2000sqft house was heated by a small wood stove. Being the first to arrive every day, I started a fire, using only one 4" x 18" piece of wood. It kept the house warm all day, and the air was fresh despite the dust we generated. You could probably get some ideas from Ventacity Systems though they usually design for larger buildings.