In 2008 the Smart 2020 report from The Climate Group and the Global eSustainability Initiative (GeSI) showed that there were a number of ways in which you can use ICT to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The report used the term 'smart buildings' to describe the technologies that you can apply to make the construction and running of buildings more energy efficient and estimated that using ICT could help reduce their emissions by 15% in 2020.
One of the elements of smart buildings is a building management system (BMS), which consists of a combination of software and hardware that helps run the building. BMS solutions often cover a range of building functions including lighting, heating, cooling and ventilation, among other things. The building management can even be tied in with security systems, since you can monitor them all from a central control unit. The low-carbon aspect comes from the ability to programme the BMS to perform specific functions under particular circumstances. For example, switching off the lights in the evening or responding to changes in the environment, such as turning down the heating if it gets warmer outside. The BMS can also feed back details of power use so you can use it to monitor energy and emissions.
The smart 2020 report pointed out that the full benefit from smart buildings will only be realised when greener construction becomes mainstream. Refitting existing buildings with better windows, more insulation, more efficient heating systems, multiple sensors and so on is possible but expensive. In fact cost is the main drawback to fully implementing smart building technology. One alternative is to make better use of existing BMS solutions, which many modern commercial buildings already have, to identify what aspects of the building and its management need to be addressed to make it more energy efficient.
The idea is to use separate software that adds an analytical layer on top of the existing BMS, identifying issue thrown up by the BMS data. Microsoft recently carried out a pilot programme into the use of such solutions across 13 buildings at its US headquarters. The software provided three main functions: bringing together data from building systems and external sources, such as utility bills and weather data feeds to identify possible energy efficiency improvements; detecting and diagnosing faults in building equipment; and managing and prioritising the various notifications and alarms that BMS software throws up. Microsoft is now rolling out the technology across its HQ campus and anticipates that it will repay its investment in less than 18 months.
But the drive for lower-cost smart building solutions has gone even further. A company in the US – FirstFuel Software – has developed what it calls the 'zero touch' approach, which doesn't even require a building management system to be in place. The company's software simply combines the electric and gas usage data from utilities with weather and climate data and GIS-mapped building characteristics to model how energy is being used inside the building. The results are benchmarked against similar sites to provide you with recommendations for saving energy. The system doesn't rely on any devices installed in the building, but apparently field-tests have shown the results to be within 10% of on-site calculations and the recommendations were consistent with on-site findings.
These cheaper and simpler smart building solutions have a part to play in reducing emissions. Even if less accurate in energy management or limited in building control, they can tell you what's wrong, where you can make savings and what actions you should take. Many (if not most) companies, particularly smaller ones, won't need anything else and it provides an introduction to smart buildings for those that ultimately move on to a more comprehensive solution.
Pete Foster is a writer, researcher and consultant on sustainable ICT