Ken Sinclair’s remarkable journey in the building automation industry began in 1966 as an ASHRAE student member, a connection he maintains as a strong supporter and life member today. His early career quickly highlighted the critical roles of automation and paved his path.
Thermal Engineering, which supplied HVAC equipment, fans, pumps, infrared heaters, and rooftops.
Training as a service salesperson at Johnson Controls in Milwaukee provided him with unparalleled practical experience. Worked for an owner managing five large buildings.
This diverse background led him to become the Assistant Energy Analyst for the Province of Alberta, Canada, where he explored the nascent power of computer simulation in energy performance during its early days.
Pioneering SES Consulting and the Home Office Revolution
In 1975, Ken and Jane Sinclair co-founded Sinclair Energy Service Ltd., which has since been rebranded as SES Consulting. https://sesconsulting.com/our-story/#story They were true pioneers, establishing one of the first home offices equipped with a PET Commodore computer, a 300 baud acoustic modem, and a first-generation laser printer for printing reports at the University of Alberta. This innovative approach to the home office foreshadowed a future of remote work and digital collaboration.
Five Decades of Industry Leadership and Innovation
For 50 years, Ken and Jane Sinclair have been leading consultants in building automation, energy conservation, and the development of intelligent systems. Their enduring journey is a powerful testament to their passion, ingenuity, and relentless pursuit of excellence, which has significantly shaped the industry.
Ken’s career has been a trailblazing adventure. From managing buildings for local developers to pioneering computer-simulated energy performance in Alberta—back when mainframes and paper cards were cutting-edge—he consistently pushed technological boundaries. For over 50 years, Sinclair Energy Services Ltd. (now SES Consulting) has transformed large buildings across Western Canada through innovative optimization, conservation, and automation strategies. His collaborations and mentorships, including those with industry leaders like Don Holte of Nova Engineering, past president of ASHRAE International, have inspired countless professionals and helped define industry standards.
Groundbreaking Projects and Community Impact
Ken’s pioneering spirit was vividly evident in projects such as the University of Alberta’s groundbreaking 1975 DDC (Direct Digital Control) system. Here, he was instrumental in installing the first total campus control system utilizing giant computers, an experience that profoundly deepened his understanding of complex operations and hydraulic mastery.
Beyond technology, Ken has been a dedicated community builder, serving as a founding member and president of local chapters of AEE and ASHRAE. His contributions have earned him prestigious accolades, including the ASHRAE International Energy Award for his work on the iconic Robson Square and Vancouver Art Gallery projects. Furthermore, his involvement with BC Hydro’s Power Smart Program and the development of the High-Performance Building Operator’s Course exemplify his unwavering commitment to advancing energy efficiency and empowering building operators.
A Legacy of Innovation and Inspiration
Ken Sinclair’s story is a profound celebration of innovation, mentorship, and community. His 50-year journey reflects not only decades of unparalleled technical achievement but also a deep-seated spirit of shared purpose.
Here’s to Ken Sinclair—a true pioneer and an enduring inspiration. May his remarkable legacy continue to ignite new generations in the world of smart, connected buildings.
This has evolved to the present day https://www.automatedbuildings.com/
Congratulations, Ken, on this incredible milestone!
Ken and AutomatedBuildings.com have provided free education sessions at AHRExpo.com for the last 27 years.
We are now planning the sessions for Las Vegas 2026. Please provide your participation and support
Ken has also been part of Mondaylive.org zooms for the last 5 years. Monday Live! is an open ecosystem of contributors who exchange information, ideas, approaches, and best practices that help buildings advance to be smarter and enhance their value. Our mission is as a catalyst to identify, discuss and clarify relative topics that help drive buildings to be smarter
All 5 years of Zoom meetings are online. We have summarized most of the Zoom meetings here
Ken also wrote a monthly article for several years for Contractor Magazine https://www.contractormag.com/home/contact/20884391/ken-sinclair
Blasts from the Past
July 2000 I have been on the leading/bleeding edge of the building automation industry for over 30 years. I have seen pneumatic control give way to electronic, electronics turn into mainframe computers as big as refrigerators, mainframes give way to mini computers the size of suitcases, mini computers evolve to stand-alone panels the size of clipboards, which gave way to micro panels the size of pocket calculators, and now input and output devices become addressable. Now that the hardware had virtually disappeared and the migration of DDC control to the Internet had started, it seemed that the next edge was here, and I had better get on with my life’s vocation of catching up.
Since 1999 AutomatedBuildings.com has had a long history of industry support as the Building Automation Industry’s free source of information and connection.
In 1975, I worked on a Direct Digital Control (DDC) project that saw the first buildings operate without physical controls. That was the first big thing I saw in the Building Automation Industry. The problem was that the cost was too high and the system too complex for the masses.
The next big thing I saw was the rapid evolution of these DDC concepts into low-cost, stand-alone panels, “SAP”, with simple operator control languages, “OCL”. These concepts were pioneered by the likes of Delta Controls and Reliable Controls in my area of the world. This SAP concept was then deployed at a card level as microprocessor costs radically dropped. This was the early 1980’s and the rest of the world was still installing pneumatic devices while we had moved to virtual devices controlled by powerful OCL. This was truly the next big thing that redefined our industry. By the early 1990’s DDC became a way of life as the major control companies were forced to abandon their costly pneumatic controls. DDC allowed many new players into the industry which forced the big three to change.
Early DDC system communication protocols were a Proprietary Babel and in the early 90’s the concept of open protocols such as Lon and BACnet started to gain traction, truly the next big thing. The open protocols were quickly adapted by the new DDC companies who finally provided enough market pressure to force major control companies to embrace.
The next big thing in the late 1990’s in our industry was the internet and early adopters the likes of AutomatedLogic Controls, Andover, and Enflex blazed a trail of how the internet would become an integral part of our industry.
How the internet would become an integral part of our industry was the next big thing of interest to me, and in May of 1999 we started AutomatedBuildings.com to provide an online saga of the evolution of our industry as part of the world wide web.
Working with the web and its pioneers allowed me insight to this next big thing and it was huge. Even in the early years I heard of the coming of powerful web services.
Local History of our DDC Industry Several British Columbia start-ups that are now highly successfully international companies owe their start to a team of visionaries, who were focused and were resolved to get high performance controls in BC.
Selecting the Building Automation or Systems Integration Contractor The process that we use involves a formal “Request for Proposals” (RFP), allowing us to gather information and evaluate it in an impartial manner.
Create your “Request for Proposal for Innovation”
Web Control History Automated Logic Corporation attracted industry interest as they took the industry from BACnet to web-based controls in the early 1980s’ https://www.automatedbuildings.com/news/jan02/art/alc/alc.htm
History of Awful Mated Buildings We have been here before with Awful Mated Buildings and the climb over the Digital Divide, and now on a journey to “Digitalmindfulness.”
40 years of evolution in Building Automation. The first computer dedicated to monitoring building systems was installed in 1974 or 1975
