Combating Climate Change Through the Use of Smart Buildings

Of all recent technological innovations, the Internet of Things or IoT has become one of the fastest-growing with several unique use cases, particularly in the way our governments and other organizations go about tackling difficult existential challenges. As temperatures rise, natural disasters and extreme weather increase, and food and other production sources are impacted by the weather, it’s becoming increasingly important for scientists, politicians, and businesses alike to recognize global warming and climate change for the threat it is. Scientists currently expect that if left unchecked, temperatures will rise 3.2 degrees Celsius worldwide by 2100. Additionally, population growth is expected to rise from 7.6 billion to 9.8 billion by 2050. 70% of these civilians will live in urban or suburban areas. 

With these challenges and existential threats, in addition to the fast-paced urbanization growth that requires cities to have a nearly endless supply of energy, food, water, transportation, shelter, as well as health and human services. The majority of these resources also need to be housed inside buildings or constructions, which account for 36% of global energy use and 39% of energy-based carbon dioxide emissions. This is where smart buildings can be used to start making a real change.

Reducing Energy Use with Smart Buildings

Urbanization and urban planning offer a number of useful solutions that can be used to reduce climate impact and climate change at large. Office complexes, housing, stores, hospitals, and more comprise the majority of most city infrastructure, so finding ways to make them more appropriately utilize energy is pivotal to creating cities that can lower their energy usage and carbon footprint. This helps to slowly create a chain of improved energy management worldwide, which aids us in numerous ways such as:

• Reduced cost in updating or renovating older structures.
• The ability to drastically reduce energy consumption without the need for policy changes or large budget allocations. 
• The ability to individually or collectively reduce one’s carbon footprint through the use of smart buildings.

So how do smart buildings work exactly? One way is through the usage of connected building technologies. This allows you to easily manage things such as lighting, heating, cooling, and reduce unnecessary energy usage. Moreover, smart buildings can be used for preventative maintenance, prioritizing and troubleshooting issues by cost and business impact, as well as the ability to continuously optimize and improve energy efficiency. However, there are some issues for businesses, including:

• Possibly prolonged and costly renovations. 
• The need to retrofit and remodel your business.
• The change to business processes, energy use, and other factors of your business. 

How Smart Buildings are Being Used Now

While the aforementioned benefits are already impressive, there are plenty more smart buildings that can be utilized when paired with new technology. This includes things such as streamlined online dashboards, building management systems and facility crews, energy usage analytics to make smart spaces, and more. Additionally, software such as Azure Digital Twins can be used to establish user relationships and identify the needs of people, places, and devices inside your building and then route them through automated ticketing and mailing systems such as Dynamics 365. Azure Digital Twins can be used to also find structural and building issues such as open windows, heating and cooling issues, excessive heating or cooling usage, and unneeded electricity being routed to lighting or technology. 

Beyond simply software, there is also hardware that can be implemented into a smart building infrastructure to improve energy efficiency among other things. These include solar panels, smart battery storage, electric vehicles for Taxis and other fleet businesses, and a variety of other ways to avoid overloading your smart building and managing your power grid more efficiently. Moreover, solar roofs, panels, and electric cars which store energy can easily become another stream of revenue for your company, allowing you to sell back residual energy to various utility companies. 

A Smart Path Forward

It’s hard to argue against the usage of smart buildings, particularly when they could lead to a significant reduction in carbon emissions and the overall climate change process we’re currently experiencing. Additionally, it’s a decision that makes sense from a business perspective as well, with lower energy use leading to an overall lower cost of business. Through the usage of smart buildings, we can more easily create a sustainable future not just for our environment and planet, but for businesses and workers as well. 

Want to build a smart tool for your building?

Let’s Nurture offers a free consultation for any business looking to create technical solutions to real-world problems, especially for smart app solutions. We’ve been in business for over two decades, making our clients satisfied has always been our primary goal.