Data Analytics & Smart Building Science Articles | Buildings IOT Blog

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Energy has always been a significant expense in commercial buildings and improving energy efficiency with Energy Management efforts has long been an important way to keep costs in check.

Implementing fault detection in your building can have many benefits. For example, more than 30% of the energy consumed by commercial buildings in the US is derived from HVAC systems. A large portion of that energy is wasted due to a lack of efficiency. The identification of faults within HVAC systems can reduce energy consumption by 5-15%. That’s a huge amount of savings just from optimizing one component of your building.

However, many buildings have very rigid, rule-based fault detection systems in place. This is problematic because a simple system such as this is only able to identify issues within specific sets of conditions. This places limitations on what types of issues can be identified and the extent to which maintenance can be performed.

The utilization of an intelligent fault detection system can significantly impact not only your energy consumption but also your ROI by identifying anomalies and challenges that affect the health and lifetime of individual components and entire systems. By ensuring that your fault detection and diagnostics are backed by an intelligent solution, you’ll be sure to unlock the full potential of your savings, maintenance, and occupant comfort.

In hospitals, air quality counts. According to research at Texas A&M University, indoor air pollution in hospital environments increases the risk of hospital-acquired or healthcare-associated infections (HAI) to patients, staff, and visitors, and can have a significant impact on patient outcomes. Smart technology allows hospitals to take control of indoor air quality (IAQ) and support the health and well-being of everyone who comes through their doors.   

The return on investment (ROI) of a commercial building reflects the profitability of facility investment. But ROI isn’t just about how much money an investment saves. It must also take into account how improvements impact occupant satisfaction, tenant retention, lease rates, and sales price.

Safety of tenants and visitors is a priority for building management. Building owners and facility managers must comply with OSHA recommendations to ensure that anybody entering a building should not only be safe but feel safe as well. Combining smart facility management and safety through robust tech-driven solutions can help you protect occupants and create more inviting environments.

In the face of economic uncertainty, commercial building owners often consider selling off at least some of their assets. A building assessment report supported by an intelligent building management platform (IBMP) can help accurately and efficiently communicate your building’s equipment when it comes time to provide due diligence in the sales process. But an IBMP can also do so much more. 

Since 2020, there has been unprecedented interest in making buildings healthier and safer. At a time when the future of commercial buildings is uncertain, the ongoing conversations about what constitutes a healthy building and how to create it are particularly important. Many companies are developing hybrid work models where employees alternate between working remotely and onsite. This reimagining of the workplace is revolutionizing the way we use office space.

Covid-19 has led building owners and developers to reimagine and transform their premises to protect health and promote wellness. The focus on healthy indoor environments combined with the proliferation of building-centric IoT offerings will drive the development of smart buildings through 2022 and beyond. Building owners who understand emerging smart building technology trends and their impact will stay at the forefront of innovation and command higher valuations for their properties.     

The U.S. EPA estimates that nearly 30% of the energy used in commercial buildings is wasted. Inefficient energy usage in lighting and space heating during the winter months results in increased energy consumption and carbon emissions by commercial establishments. Further, the associated price fluctuations in the energy market add to the unpredictability of energy costs for commercial buildings. Efficiency strategies can help facility and property managers reduce commercial energy usage to create sustainable buildings with lighter carbon footprints.