Changes in working patterns and the need to optimise energy use are creating new challenges for building managers. Smart building technologies are helping address these issues, explains Alastair Reynolds, general manager for services at Honeywell Building Solutions Europe.
The connectivity provided by the internet of things is making buildings smarter. As a result, buildings are increasingly capable of adapting to the needs of occupants while also managing energy use and day-to-day operations better. By integrating next-generation systems, it is possible to create systems that anticipate the needs of users.
The result is the cognitive building. Smart buildings are changing the experience of occupants in ways that empower the people that work in and own them. These benefits are quantifiable: by integrating next generation analytics, it is possible to measure their value. This combination is transforming the building environment into a tangible contributor to organisational outcomes.
As a consequence, the role and scope of the building manager is changing, too. Automation helped free building maintenance teams from many basic, repetitive tasks, but it wasn’t smart – it was a routinised process. Cognitive buildings aim to take technology beyond automation to one that monitors events and feeds back insights in real-time, which can be used to help reduce energy consumption, optimise space use, improve security and enhance safety.
For example, it is feasible to monitor occupancy rates, energy use, individual pieces of equipment and user interactions, remotely and as they happen. It is also possible to deploy and extend environmental controls and security measures, such as access systems, to enhance the safety and comfort of occupants.
Optimising performance
One of the biggest challenges facing building managers is making sure that energy systems are operating efficiently, reducing the building’s carbon footprint and bringing down costs. Energy presents many simultaneous challenges – energy costs, the comfort of occupants, and security and reliability of supply, to name a few. A recent study by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) revealed that a smart building can realise up to 30-50% savings compared with conventional buildings that are deemed energy inefficient.
This includes heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, which all need to be closely monitored. Traditional building management systems typically have stand-alone applications with separate monitoring and control stations for HVAC controls, energy metering and power management, central plant equipment and lighting. Though each application is beneficial on its own, the real power lies in managing them as one intelligent solution that can identify occupancy trends and match this against actual energy needs. For example, turning off lights or turning down HVAC systems in unoccupied parts of a building can offer immediate savings without compromising comfort or safety.
Improving the use of space
Space optimisation helps companies use their offices more effectively. Technology that can monitor and track footfall can help building managers identify where changes might be desirable. This can extend to the use of car parking spaces, depending on sensor installations.
Developments are continuing. Artificial intelligence is adding sophisticated fault detection and preventive maintenance through the use of next-generation data analytics. It is helping improve comfort by integrating mobile apps and wearables that help occupants directly control the ambient temperature and lighting levels, for example. AI-based systems can learn and adapt as circumstances change, perhaps due to shifting patterns of occupancy.
Liberating ideas
Many buildings contain multiple disconnected systems. Often these do not communicate with each other, leading to manual maintenance, data trapped in proprietary systems, disconnected teams, and over or underused space. However, when properly applied, a fully integrated digital system can help overcome these obstacles, cutting operating costs by monitoring and controlling building processes over an entire business and multiple sites.
Advances in technology are expected to continue to make cognitive buildings more intelligent and adaptive to the needs of their occupants. Building managers will be able to use future developments to their advantage, giving them more information on energy use, space optimisation and other efficiency gains that can improve their operations.