Smart buildings: how can they support the challenges of the energy transition?
Smart buildings are transforming the real estate sector. They incorporate technological systems designed to improve construction and operational efficiency as well as occupant management and functions.
These buildings are based on a set of sensors that collect data such as temperature, humidity, noise level and the level of use of equipment. The analysis of this data makes it possible to control heating, air conditioning, lighting, video surveillance systems and alarms in real-time. In addition, the availability of data makes it possible to better understand the occupants' habits and to modify or automatically adapt systems according to their behaviour
Although they do not mean the same thing, the concepts of smart buildings and green buildings have a lot in common.
Green buildings are facilities that are the result of sustainable construction to promote occupant health and resource efficiency, minimising the impact of the built environment on the natural ecological system. These habitats are real drivers of the energy transition, which is defined by the change in energy production and consumption patterns from fossil-based to zero-carbon.
The dynamism of connected real estate is proven by the number of investments it attracts.
The average amount per fundraising doubled between 2018 and 2020. This craze is based in particular on the implementation of regulations such as the tertiary decree or the climate and resilience law, which are gradually feeding the performance culture within new and existing buildings. In 2017, the European Commission published a report on the subject of connected buildings, according to which an intelligent heating and ventilation system and optimised lighting can save 24 to 32% of energy. So both green and smart buildings offer financial and environmental benefits by allowing us to better control our energy bills.
Establishing ourselves in the smart building realm to become a green growth company is a goal that WeMaintain has set itself. Since 2017, we have been developing our IoT technology so we can improve the quality of our service and help to reduce the energy consumption of equipment. We equip devices with connected sensors and the data collected by these tools allows us to carry out much better preventive maintenance and reduce the number of breakdowns. Very soon, these sensors will allow us to optimise the use of equipment by providing us with information on the occupancy rate of lifts, for example. Such data will then give rise to recommendations that will help managers to make energy savings.
So when it comes to the energy transition, high-performance buildings do not have to be either green or smart, but necessarily both. The result is that owners and managers benefit from increased performance and functionality in their buildings while reducing their environmental impact.
Interested to know more about WeMaintain's solutions? Contact our UK Head of Sales at cheryl@wemaintain.com