Data Analytics & Smart Building Science Articles | Buildings IOT Blog

Smart buildings offer tremendous benefits. From energy reduction to increased productivity to better occupant experiences, it’s no wonder smart technology is becoming an essential part of modern buildings. But with increased connectivity and each device serving as a potential point of entry, smart buildings are vulnerable to cyber attacks in ways that traditional buildings are not. 

There is no single set of cybersecurity standards for the design and installation of building control and automation systems. Instead, cybersecurity strategies have historically varied depending on how developers, designers, and vendors approached each building’s requirements. But the network-connected IoT devices used in smart buildings are highly susceptible to cyberattacks. According to a 2020 report:

Data infrastructure can be thought of as a network of roads along which data travels. Poor infrastructure is like trying to drive on roads with missing street signs, toll booths, traffic lights that don’t work, dilapidated bridges, and random roadblocks. These obstacles can make traffic grind to a halt, or even get lost on the way to its destination.

One of the primary goals of integration in smart buildings is providing a unified outlook that facilitates robust historical data analysis. Integration architecture must be designed to support the analysis of data flowing from multiple systems, and this data must be unadulterated, wide-ranging, obedient to a set of rules, reliable, and up-to-date. This requires standardization when the architecture is first designed, and again once when deployed. 

Taking advantage of advancements in building automation applications requires the integration of operational technology (OT) system data into the enterprise (IT) side of smart buildings. Converging networks ensures seamless flow of data across interconnected building systems and allows for ongoing monitoring, analysis, and automation of the physical operational environment. Ultimately, IT and OT convergence benefits all stakeholders and allows you to make the most of smart technologies.      

Commercial buildings account for about 35% of all electricity consumed in the United States, and about 30% of the energy used is wasted. That means there is enormous untapped potential for savings. Exploring the latest energy conservation techniques in buildings can help you discover the best ways to harness that potential and reap the benefits of improved efficiency in your Building Energy Management programs.

An increasing number of US states are legalizing cannabis for medical and recreational use, with just over half of the commercial supply provided by indoor cannabis cultivation. Energy use data from these indoor growing operations shows how energy-intensive the industry is. One recent study found that for each kilogram (about 2.2 lbs.) of cannabis produces anywhere from 2.3 to 5.2 metric tons of greenhouse gases. In Colorado, the state’s coal industry actually emits less greenhouse gas than the cannabis sector.

Making your building smart leads to significant improvements in efficiency, occupant comfort, and performance. But smart technology means more connectivity, and more connectivity means new vulnerabilities. 

Many discussions about greenhouse emissions tend to revolve around transportation and manufacturing. But a huge proportion of energy used in the United States is used by buildings. In fact, buildings account for about 35% of electricity consumed and a similar portion of greenhouse emissions.

Smart buildings require communication. Open-source data tagging standards make that communication seamless and ensure interoperability of components, regardless of who developed the software or manufactured the devices. Introducing standard ways in which to describe various elements within a building, along with their relationships to each other, makes integration of new technologies easier—and more useful—than ever before.