> boot bas_academy --weeks=12

Learn how buildings think.

A structured 12-week program on Building Automation Systems for commercial and industrial facilities — from control loops and field devices to BACnet, sequences of operation, fault detection and a hands-on virtual plant.

Start Week 1 → What is a BAS?

WEEKS: 12
HOURS / WEEK: 8–10
BADGES: 12

BACNET/IP · UDP 47808 · DEVICE 1201

> who-is

i-am AHU-1 · VAV-3-14 · CHW-PLANT

> read CHW-PLANT loop.dp

present-value 14.2 psi

setpoint 13.5 psi

pump-1 speed 71 %

> trim-respond --requests=0

setpoint trimmed → 13.2 psi · est. pump power −9%

Concepts first

Control theory, field devices, network architecture and protocols — the vocabulary every BAS conversation runs on.

Real documents

Read specs, sequences of operation (ASHRAE Guideline 36), points lists and trends the way contractors and engineers do.

Hands-on lab

Discover BACnet devices, script trends in Python, tune PID loops, write PLC ladder logic and build a virtual chilled-water plant.

// curriculum

The 12-week path

This schedule (with weekly learning objectives and quizzes) fits the full BAS Training Program into 12 weeks at about 8–10 hours a week: three 2-hour weeknight sessions plus one 2–4 hour weekend block. Weeks 1–7 cover Stage 1 (concepts and consultative fluency) and Weeks 8–12 cover Stage 2 (the hands-on lab). Items marked Stretch are optional; skip them if the week runs long and come back after Week 12.

Every week: one Smart Buildings Academy Podcast episode (on the commute or in the shop), plus 15 minutes of glossary updates in your notebook. Every month (Weeks 4, 8, 12): one field visit with a controls contractor on an active commercial or industrial project (new construction, retrofit or service), written up in your notebook.

Stage 1 · Concepts Weeks 1–7

WEEK 01 · 8 H

Control Fundamentals

DP control-loop sketch, 2-minute owner explanation

WEEK 02 · 8 H

Field Devices and VFDs

Equipment points list (AI/AO/BI/BO)

WEEK 03 · 9 H

Architecture and Protocols

Office-building network riser

WEEK 04 · 10 H

Sequences of Operation (Guideline 36)

Chilled-water plant sequence, G36 comparison

WEEK 05 · 9 H

Reading Controls Documents

Spec scope summary, I/O count

WEEK 06 · 9 H

Energy, FDD and Re-Tuning

Trend-review checklist

WEEK 07 · 10 H

Market, Selling and Capstone A

Platform cheat sheet, mock scope

Stage 2 · Hands-on lab Weeks 8–12

Before Week 8, install Python 3.10+, Wireshark and Node-RED (or CODESYS) on your laptop.

WEEK 08 · 10 H

Lab Setup and BACnet Scripting

YABE discovery, Wireshark capture, BAC0 trend

WEEK 09 · 10 H

Control Logic and PID

Working DP-reset sequence

WEEK 10 · 10 H

Industrial Controls: PLC and Modbus

Booster/lift-station PLC logic

WEEK 11 · 10 H

BOPTEST and Data Tagging

Results table, Haystack-tagged points

WEEK 12 · 10 H

Capstone B: Virtual Chilled-Water Plant

Virtual chilled-water plant demo

// badges

Earn all twelve

Complete a week — every session checked off, the "done when" check met, and at least 4 of 5 quiz questions correct — to unlock its badge. Capstone badges glow amber.

If you fall behind

>Protect these weeks: 3 (protocols), 4 (sequences), 5 (documents), 9 (PID). Everything else builds on them.
>Compress these: Week 11 can drop BOPTEST and keep only the tagging. Week 10 can cut the PyModbus work.
>Buffer: add a catch-up week after Week 7 if needed. The schedule then becomes 13 weeks, with no loss of content.

After Week 12

Go back to the Stretch items. Consider Niagara TCP if an employer will pay for it, and keep up the monthly field visits and weekly podcast.

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