Control Network Newsletter
Celebrating 30 Years of BACnet
December 2025 marked the 30th anniversary of BACnet’s release as an ASHRAE/ANSI standard.
BACnet (Building Automation and Control Network) delivered the industry’s first open, interoperable protocol in 1995. The BACnet protocol was developed to overcome the limitations of proprietary, incompatible building systems that restricted integration and drove up costs.
ASHRAE established Committee 135P in 1987 to address these challenges. After eight years of development, the first BACnet release was published in 1995, giving building owners and system integrators the freedom to select BACnet compliant equipment from multiple vendors.
Following its adoption as an ISO standard in 2003, BACnet’s global use expanded rapidly. Today, it is specified in more than 75% of commercial building automation projects worldwide and continues to define the industry as the leading standard for open, connected buildings.
George Thomas, President and founder of Contemporary Controls, recently shared some reflections on Contemporary Controls’ evolution into Building Automation and BACnet. "When I started Contemporary Controls in 1975, building automation wasn’t a clearly defined field, at least not in the way we know it today," said Thomas. "Today, BACnet is a baseline requirement."
Thomas was first introduced to BACnet at an AHR Expo in Chicago in mid-2000, where he attended a session titled, “Introduction to BACnet,” and learned that BACnet was an open standard for building automation that supported both MS/TP and ARCNET.
"I was immediately intrigued, since ARCNET had become a major part of our business in the last decade," Thomas said. "I also appreciated the openness of the BACnet standard and was impressed with the number of companies endorsing it. At Contemporary Controls, we’ve always focused on supporting open protocols that promote interoperability in automation systems."
"My team and I walked the show floor and realized we needed to be part of this community. Even though we were still on the fringes of the building automation industry (pursuing Ethernet and ARCNET), we recognized its importance and the potential of the BACnet protocol."
Contemporary Controls has been exhibiting at AHR Expo ever since and is a proud member of BACnet International and BACnet Interest Group Europe (BIG-EU). Contemporary Controls is also an active participant in the annual BACnet PlugFest.
In 2007, Contemporary Controls introduced the BASremote as a programmable BACnet I/O Controller and the Modbus gateway which allowed Modbus devices to connect to BACnet/IP networks. In 2008, we introduced the BASrouter which is a BACnet/IP to BACnet MS/TP router based upon a portable router design. We continue to expand our BASautomation® line of BACnet controllers, routers, and gateways that are built upon BACnet and designed to meet the evolving needs of modern building management systems and smart buildings.
BACnet has become the leading global protocol for building automation, supported by active interest groups around the world and a strong ecosystem that continues to advance the standard. As buildings take on more complex needs—such as, integrated automation, cyber-secure remote access, and AI driven analytics—BACnet is evolving to meet these requirements.
The image below includes a snapshot of some, but not all, of our BASautomation line of BACnet-compliant products. For more information about the BASautomation line, visit BASautomation.
