Complete Guide to BMS Upgrades/Retrofit
20th October,2025 by Cableguys Automation 15 minute read
A BAS retrofit refers to the process of upgrading an existing building automation system by replacing outdated components, such as controllers, sensors, and software, with newer, more efficient technologies.
Upgrading the building management system (BMS) in your facility can deliver real performance for far less than the cost of completely replacing your existing equipment
If you’re wondering if a BMS upgrade is right for your company then this guide is for you. Read on to learn more about:
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BMS upgrade benefits
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The BMS upgrade process
You’ll also learn why partnering with Cableguys Automation will ensure you get a BMS upgrade tailored to your needs today and optimized to serve you long into the future.
Is Your Facility Ready For a Legacy Upgrade?
Your Facility is due for a Legacy upgrade if it exhibits the following traits
Legacy BMS systems are simply less efficient when it comes to energy management and often have not been adjusted to account for building or equipment upgrades. That means higher heating and power bills.
Over time, your building has undergone changes that result in increased operational or facility needs. If your legacy BMS system performance is struggling to meet the new demands, it’s time to consider an upgrade.
Older BMS systems often have difficulty displaying data analytics that allow facility managers and building owners to make intelligent decisions. You can add a wide variety of data visualization upgrades to your legacy system. This will enable you to run in-depth reports while providing a far superior user experience.
Inefficient legacy BMS systems can cause employees to take matters into their own hands during the hot summer or cold winter months by adjusting thermostats, restarting systems, and opening windows. The result? Skyrocketing heating or cooling bills and decreased productivity.
Higher Bills
Increased Facility or Operational Needs
Difficulty Displaying Data
Uncomfortable Employees
+30%
What Are the Benefits of a BMS Upgrade?
Lower Energy Costs
Improved Tenant/Occupant Comfort
Improved Reliability
A new BMS system will allow you to make the necessary changes to help ensure that building tenants and occupants have a comfortable work/living environment. This will also discourage people from manually adjusting the A/C or heating too high or low.
You’ll have the ability to fine-tune a modern BMS system which will help ensure improved energy savings. For example, you can adjust room temperature on usage or occupancy patterns. These and other changes can reduce operating costs and increase energy efficiency by up to 30%.
As building management systems age, they tend to develop peculiar quirks that cause reliability issues that can persist for many years into the future. Upgrading your BMS will help you start with a “clean slate” and allow for reliable operation of the connected systems and components.
How Does the BMS Upgrade Process Work?
Front End
Here’s what is typically involved in a legacy BMS upgrade
A modernized front end can help better maintain your facility. For example, an upgraded front end can tell us, through new algorithms, when it sees symptoms of a component failure.
The work involved requires a new primary controller and build graphic to show the building layout, scheduling, alarming, and historical trends. You’ll get an upgraded graphical user interface, floor plans, unitary graphics, alarm portal, history log, and mobile portal.
If your current legacy system is open protocol, you can replace the older controllers with any make or model you desire. However, if the controllers of your current BMS system aren’t open, there is a chance that we can still replace them and expand the licensing.
You’ll also get the ability to connect to different dataBMSe types and communicate with old data. We’ll need to obtain JACE licensing for old BMS network protocol drivers to ensure proper communication and integrate the existing controllers to normalize data on the JACE platform. This allows you to use existing BMS networks and devices while saving time and money.
An upgrade to your current system will allow you to use non-proprietary protocols. It will also enable your legacy system to speak to multiple different protocols and connect to a wide range of systems. Expand open protocols can have Mod Bus, BACnet, and Long Works.
The work involved includes JACE licensing for new BMS network protocol drivers to ensure communication and controller integration to normalize the JACE platform data. It allows the integration of devices that would not have been possible with older or existing control systems.
As the upgrade process moves forward, our highly skilled technicians will turn over more than a few proverbial stones in your existing system—and there’s an excellent chance that they will find undiscovered problems or the root cause of the issues you’re currently facing.
We will identify the existing problems and find innovative solutions that work for both the BMS system and your existing or future needs.
Improved Reliability
Improved Reliability
Different Protocols
Undiscovered Problems or Issues