With decades of unrivalled expertise and experience, a myriad of successful projects and a drive to develop young engineers and apprentices, Crown House Technologies’ (CHt) Kim Spencer saw off stiff competition to win this year’s Building Controls Industry Association’s (�鶹ԭ��) Engineer of the Year award.  

Kim joined many other industry professionals in what was a hotly contested category but saw his dedication to the industry over his 46-year career and commitment to empowering others further rewarded with award success at the 2025 �鶹ԭ�� Awards ceremony held in May.

Open to individuals working for controls installers, manufacturers, facilities management companies or consulting engineers, the Engineer of the Year award recognises those who demonstrate engineering excellence in controls and building energy management systems (BEMS).

It also acknowledges individuals that have applied technical knowledge and project management skills to meet and resolve engineering challenges, in addition to showing commitment to their duties and responsibilities in the wider building controls and automation sector.

So, it was with great pleasure that the �鶹ԭ�� bestowed Kim with the 2025 Engineer of the Year award.  

The entry

During his 46-year career to date, Johnson Controls, Andover Controls and CHt have all recognised Kim as a key building control commissioning expert.

Having initially been employed by Birmingham University as an apprentice electrician, it wasn’t long before Kim’s talents saw him working as Lead Commissioning Engineer at Johnson Controls. His role saw him working around the world, including three years in Brazil overseeing the commissioning management of two airports’ mechanical control schemes, such as the chilled water and ventilation systems.

He was chosen for this role because of his pneumatic control experience and ability to connect with new people. In fact, during his time abroad, he learned Portuguese to better communicate with the local team and develop their pneumatic controls competence.

His unrivalled expertise also saw him employed as the Commissioning Manager for a Ministry of Defence (MoD) bunker, completing his certification for Andover Infinity products and commissioning the complex ventilation system.

A previous manager of Kim’s, Tom Breckney highlighted his incredible breadth of knowledge and expertise. He said: “Kim and I have worked together for around 15 years. In my first project management role, I wanted the best team and so battled for the right people. That included Kim, who I was aware of from our time at Johnson Controls.

“He immediately fulfilled what I had heard about him and continued to do so until our last joint project in 2023. Kim is very humble, but no matter what he’s asked to do, no matter how complex or in what location, he always gets it done.

“His wealth of knowledge is vast and he has shared it with junior team members. Kim is a great engineer, a great man and a dear friend. He will be missed when he calls it a day later this year.”

Why they won

The aforementioned MoD bunker features a complex ventilation system that had 13 separate modes and had to be installed with relay logic to control fully redundant standby fans and dampers. Upon initial commissioning activities, Kim discovered the existing control scheme did not function and had significant design issues.

Consequently, Kim’s role changed from commissioning management to specifically resolving the large complex’s ventilation system issues. In addition to reviewing the specification requirements, Kim sought clarification from the design engineers, investigated the installation and redesigned the ventilation building control scheme based on his findings.

With the building control panel manufacturer unable to support the project, Kim proactively produced updated panel drawings that highlighted all the required changes. Furthermore, Kim created a resource programme requirement based on the contract programme and trained the graduate apprentices on relay logic and the requirements for modifications on a 15m building control panel. Through Kim’s technical leadership, the ventilation works were completed within the project programme.

While Kim’s technical knowledge and project management skills were undoubtedly deciding factors in his award win, his development of young engineers and apprentices was equally vital. Keen to share his expertise and experience with newly employed engineers, Kim offered his support to all newly employed engineers from around the world while working at a data centre in London.

Working closely with them, he regularly undertook one-to-ones where he explained subjects, such as electrical safety, breaker types and operations, generators and transfer switches, modes of operation and building controls connections.

Consequently, Kim and the young engineers finished the complete electrical power monitoring systems (EPMS) ahead of programme and below budget.

Testimony to Kim’s drive to further knowledge and skills of others is his work with Dean Murray. The two met in 2015 when Dean, then a newly qualified electrician, was working at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. They have continued working together over the past 10 years, in which time Kim has shared lessons from his four decades of experience. Consequently, Dean has progressed into a leadership role as a Senior BMS Engineer. Kim is a vital member of the team, as Dean reveals: “I’ve had the privilege of working with Kim for 10 years and his influence on my professional growth has been profound. His expertise and dedication have both shaped my career and set a benchmark for excellence.

“His problem-solving, mentorship and unwavering commitment to quality are traits I strive to emulate. I am grateful for his insights and hope to be half the engineer he is.”

Find out more about the 2026 awards