I/A Series Niagara: Schneider’s Niagara system, explained.
Schneider sells a complete Niagara-based building management system under its own name. Here is what is in I/A Series Niagara, how it compares to EBO, and…
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Technical guides, project stories, and news from the crews who install and program these systems.
Remembering Mitch
Twenty-two years at Athena, from truck driver to General Superintendent. Raiders fan, NASCAR fan, grower of good things. Still on the crew.
In:
People & Culture
Leading Without Limitations
SMACNews
SMACNews featured our VP, Athena Chiera, in its cover story on women in HVAC and sheet metal leadership, and on why retention is the real scoreboard.
In:
Press & Awards
Hackers turned up the heat.
Hackers pushed French supermarket freezers to 122°F through their controls. What that attack and others like it mean for your BAS security, plus four first steps.
My Turn at the Safety Congress
I took over our safety program in 2008. This year, the SMACNA Safety Sponsorship sent me to the NSC Safety Congress. Here's what I brought home.
In:
People & Culture
Access Expert or Security Expert? A field guide to Schneider’s two access control products (and who should install them)
Two Schneider access control products, one deep EcoStruxure Building Operation integration, one common installation mistake. A plain-English guide to Access Expert vs. Security Expert — and…
Cloud-managed BMS, explained — what Neeve actually does.
What a cloud-managed BMS actually is, what Neeve actually does, and where it fits — from an integrator that runs it on our own building first.
Twisted-pair adapters, compared — the open T1L standard vs. Schneider’s free topology.
Which twisted-pair adapter fits your building? A side-by-side of the open T1L standard, Schneider's free-topology approach, and where each one belongs.
Reuse the wiring you already have — upgrading building controls without a rewire.
How the Schneider SpaceLogic Twisted Pair Adapter lets you upgrade to BACnet/IP without pulling new cable — and where its limits sit.
How lab pressurization actually works — and what most BAS designers miss.
What separates a lab BAS from a building BAS, why valve mechanism matters more than valve brand, and how Athena Engineering ties lab controls into Schneider…
How We Migrated Piper Spirit From LonWorks to BACnet/IP
In 2025 we migrated the BAS at our own headquarters from legacy LonWorks to BACnet/IP. Our controls crews did the work. Here is what we did,…
Forty Years In. The Arc Behind the Work.
Forty-plus years of Athena Engineering — founded in a Covina garage, grown into a San Dimas firm with its own building on Foothill Blvd. The full…
In:
People & Culture
Two Generations on the Cover
Diversity Professional Magazine
Inside the Winter 2020 Diversity Professional Magazine cover feature on the Chiera family. Three generations of work, one suit and one uniform in the truck, and…
In:
Press & Awards
Inside the Ebell of Los Angeles
How Athena Engineering designed and built a custom VRF retrofit for the Ebell of Los Angeles — a 1927 historic theater featured in LG's national case…
Schneider Electric Brands
A field guide to Schneider Electric's brand portfolio — Square D, APC, TAC, Andover Continuum, Invensys, and more. The legacy lineage running 40-60% of major commercial…
Powered by Niagara: what the small Tridium sticker on your BAS controller actually means
A short guide to the open framework most building automation systems are actually running on — and why it changes the math on vendor lock-in. Includes…
To Our Daughters: Play in Dirt, Dream Big
Revisiting a 2019 essay about being asked, on nearly every jobwalk, how I ended up in construction. Seven years on, here's what I'd add.
In:
People & Culture
Why are BACnet/IP Controllers a Big Deal?
IP controllers aren't new anymore — they're the default. But the why still matters, especially if you're writing a spec, planning a retrofit, or wondering whether…
Three Wins, One Year
The Walt Disney Company
How The Walt Disney Company nominated Athena Engineering across three supplier councils in 2018 — SCMSDC, WBEC-West, and NMSDC. Three wins, three ceremonies, one client relationship…
In:
Press & Awards
The Kaiser Partnership
Kaiser Permanente
How a small 2011 design-build job grew into a 15-year Kaiser Permanente partnership — recognized in 2018 with the Exceptional Partner Award presented by Kaiser's VP…
In:
Press & Awards
The Safety Program, Reviewed Twice in 2025
ICW Group · ISN
Two third-party safety reviews in 2025 — ICW Group's insurer-side audit and ISN's RAVS 360 culture verification — both gave Athena Engineering top-tier scores. Here's what…
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Press & Awards
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