BACS in practice: 5 lessons learned

Since the announcement of the new BACS legislation, we have noticed that many questions are arising in practice: who exactly falls within the scope, what is expected concretely, and what are the key points of attention when it comes to enforcement?

We closely follow the legislation and notice that its interpretation sometimes clashes with practical realities. Based on these insights, we share 5 lessons learned that can help you assess the legislation in a more targeted way.

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1. Define the scope first, then draw conclusions

The first question you will probably ask is: does my organisation fall under this obligation?

Determining the scope happens in two steps:

• First, verify whether the building or building unit qualifies as a non-residential building unit.
• If so: check whether there is a comfort heating or cooling circuit with a thermal output greater than 290 kWth.

An important point to keep in mind: process heating is outside the scope, both when determining whether the legislation applies and when implementing the BACS system.

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2. Thermal output as the determining factor

To determine whether the legislation applies (> 290 kWth), only the circuit with the highest thermal output is considered. In other words: the combined capacity of all generators or installations that are hydraulically or refrigerant-technically connected. Heating and cooling are considered separately, so their capacities do not need to be added together. From 31 December 2029, this threshold will be reduced to 70 kWth.

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3. Don’t forget the decentralised units

If your building falls under the BACS obligation, decentralised generation units must also be included in the monitoring. Think, for example, of standalone air conditioning units used for cooling or heating. Individual measurements are not required; grouping units is perfectly acceptable. However, they must be connected to the control system. An exception applies to generators below 12 kW, unless they are part of the main heating system.

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4. IAQ: not every room requires a sensor

For IAQ measurement (Indoor Air Quality), one measurement per 100 m² is sufficient. It is therefore no longer necessary to measure each individual room starting from 15 m². This significantly simplifies implementation in practice. It remains important, however, that the sensors are connected to the BACS system. In spaces with a usable floor area larger than 100 m², the number of sensors may be limited to one per room.

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5. Enforcement is not yet in place

The technical requirements currently published by VEKA are not yet final. The legislation and the associated requirements are still being further refined, including the definition of potential exceptions. Supporting documentation is available on the VEKA website, and this will continue to be expanded.

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More questions about BACS? Mail to info@enprove.be and we are happy to hulp you further!