Connectivity: Smart Buildings and the Internet of Things

Building Energy Management: An Evolution

Nowadays, smart buildings have become more complex and dynamic and contain many systems and devices that support various standards. This complexity can reduce efficiency. Especially when systems do not interact with each other but operate separately and building personnel cannot obtain a holistic view of performance. Therefore, building energy management systems (BEMS) emerged to integrate various systems and functions. BEMS provides a holistic, intelligent view of operations and helps organizations make better strategic decisions about energy use, while reducing utility costs. However, legacy BEMS systems often lacked the ability to forecast consumption and demand. Instead, these new systems aim to diagnose problems and send alerts.

The rate of change in technology and smart buildings management technology over the last decade has been rapid and diverse. This is good news for old buildings and infrastructure. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 75 percent of a building's lifecycle cost is in operations and maintenance, and buildings are designed to last for decades. Consider, for example, that more than half of commercial buildings in operation in today's developed economies were built before 1970, so it is important to leverage technology and scalable solutions that can optimize assets and reduce operating costs. Limit long periods of time.

With so many advances in technology every year, it can be difficult to stay up to date with the latest building technology. To ensure success, building owners and operators must clearly understand the benefits and limitations of the latest technologies. Failure to do so may result in missed opportunities to reduce operating and energy costs and improve occupant comfort and employee productivity.

These new technologies are becoming increasingly important as the power demand and efficiency of buildings improve. According to the US Energy Information Administration, worldwide energy consumption will increase by by 2040. Our global population is expected to grow by from 6.9 billion in 2010 to 9.6 billion in 2050, and our electricity needs are expected to increase exponentially in this “always on” digital economy. Buildings currently consume approximately of the world's electricity. By 2040, this consumption will increase to of electricity.

As a result, organizations need a more analytical and data-driven approach to smart building operations and management to help maximize operational efficiency, reduce energy waste, and lower overall cost. There is also a growing need for smart buildings that provide more comfortable and modern environments that enable people to work more efficiently. A study by the Continental Smart Buildings Alliance (CABA) found that buildings incorporating health and productivity measures (e.g., improved ventilation, improved lighting conditions, and green building certification measures) that directly impact health and wellness, absenteeism, employee turnover, performance employment, and energy satisfaction. It offers proven benefits beyond savings.

Buildings of all sizes can benefit from this technical and analytical approach: research shows that the small and medium-sized commercial building market will grow by more than to $38 billion by 2025. In fact, these small markets and medium-sized buildings could save on their energy bills with more effective monitoring. Additionally, using a common IoT platform, large commercial buildings can improve building operations and reduce energy consumption by per year.

Smart buildings and Internet of Things

What exactly is the Internet of Things? And what does this have to do with building energy management?

The Internet of Things is a concept used to connect any device with an on/off switch to the Internet and/or each other. The Internet of Things uses a common Internet Protocol (IP) to connect devices, including everything from smartphones, tablets, and digital assistants to a variety of sensors and systems such as HVAC, lighting, and security.

In other words, the Internet of Things is a rapidly expanding digital ecosystem of interconnected devices. There were approximately 10 billion connected devices in 2015. By 2020, this number had more than tripled, reaching 34 billion. This growth is driven by the current environment where high-bandwidth internet is widely available, technology costs are falling, smartphone use is expanding, and smarter devices are being designed with built-in sensors and Wi-Fi capabilities.

So how does IoT enable smarter buildings?

IoT helps create dynamic and intelligent cloud-based cross-networks by connecting electrical, mechanical and electromechanical systems and platforms. These systems can help communicate with each other to provide the data and analytics needed to intelligently monitor themselves and take action when necessary (for example, reducing air conditioning or heating use in an area where it is least needed). It enables administrators to intelligently optimize performance and create a smarter environment.

Smart Homes

The technology to provide this competitive advantage already exists. Significant reductions in the prices of IT components such as the Internet and wireless sensors have made smart buildings technologies much more affordable, creating a strong business case for building owners and investors to invest in smarter technologies to improve building performance.

For example, advanced smart energy sensors could play a key role in BEMS, a market that will nearly triple revenue from $1.2 billion to $3.2 billion between 2016 and 2025, according to Navigant research.

These devices include “sensor” technology that sends digital data to a BEMS to support actionable analysis and insight. For example, smart sensors that measure temperature, carbon dioxide levels, humidity and air pressure and provide continuous feedback can provide valuable information. Smart controllers, gateways and sensors can also improve energy efficiency and help reduce costs.

These smart devices, systems and platforms connect seamlessly to a centralized, open IP backbone to provide a comprehensive view of building performance. This backbone not only integrates all data generated by devices, but also presents it through user-friendly interface screens (desktop, tablet and mobile) using powerful graphs, data-rich reports and visualization of trends. Most importantly, this central backbone helps facility managers make strategic decisions through data analysis and actionable insights to keep buildings running smarter and operating at peak efficiency. Data analytics can also include artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms that help buildings intelligently diagnose and optimize themselves. This creates more comfortable environments that increase productivity by increasing employee loyalty and satisfaction.

With the right IoT platform, buildings are ready for advanced energy management with easy technology integration. An open, secure and scalable platform that provides deep and actionable insights can significantly improve the operational efficiency of buildings. Additionally, data correlation and analysis across historically unconnected systems can provide unexpected insights.

In short, the Internet of Things creates tremendous opportunities for collecting and sharing information that will have a staggering impact on how buildings are managed and operated. Using a common smart buildings IoT platform, devices connect to software and other services to realize these opportunities.

A real-world example illuminates the future of buildings

“EDGE Building” It has an area of 40,000 m2. This building is located in Amsterdam's Zuidas business district. This example shows how a smart building can use the Internet of Things to help improve all aspects of a company's workplace, from building and energy management to lighting and security.

Designed according to the principles of the "new business world", this building challenges the traditional organizational structures of companies. The Edge features a glass exterior, expansive open space floor plans for flexible workspaces, and an impressive 15-story atrium filled with natural light and surrounded by balconies.

One of the world's most sustainable buildings with a ratio of .36, Edge includes a wide range of integrated energy and facilities management solutions: power distribution system, IT infrastructure, control devices and smart power distribution monitoring software. Sensors, valves, smart actuators and other BEMS-compatible and connected field devices have been installed in ceilings and technical rooms to create a smarter building that makes the Internet of Things a reality.

Built for professional services firm Deloitte, the building contains approximately 28,000 smart IoT sensors that control LED lights, temperature, humidity, infrared and motion, and many other aspects of the building's interior. For example, sensors can alert cleaning staff to the most heavily used work areas during the day and provide safety information through an automated security robot patrolling at night.

These sensors and other systems also assist employees during their workday. With the help of a proprietary Deloitte app, employees can work from a desk (no designated offices or rooms), access car and bike parking and the company gym, adjust heating in a workspace, and easily locate co-workers and other tasks. to use

Additionally, the Edge is a net-zero energy building, producing 2 of its energy through solar panels covering the building's roof and south wall. Other environmentally friendly features include thermal energy storage of the water heating system, active ventilation with motion sensors and rainwater collection.

All sensors and smart systems are connected to an IP backbone that provides real-time access to critical building data. The building includes EcoStruxure Building (formerly SmartStruxure), an open and collaborative smart buildings IoT platform that connects BEMS with a variety of building systems, devices and services to enable facility managers to proactively monitor, measure and control both locally and remotely. uses – all cases exist.

Building data and information technology systems

EcoStruxure Building helps provide comprehensive building system connectivity by connecting smart devices, sensors and systems to building management, power supply and process functions. The solution also leverages Microsoft's Azure cloud platform to improve the delivery of global analytics, software and services.

The world of smart buildings technology is uniquely poised to benefit from the Internet of Things. But how can organizations – whether large multinationals or small to medium-sized businesses – best adapt the Internet of Things to deliver significant transformation over time?

Smart buildings IoT best practices should be considered:

1. There's nothing wrong with using IoT on a trial basis: Organizations looking to take more measured steps before overhauling their building systems should start small. For example, they might use a pilot project focusing on lighting or another aspect of the building's needs. Note that this test system and other systems must be end-to-end configurable.
2. Create a solid plan from scratch. What specific and measurable goals does your organization want to achieve? Careful planning from the beginning is the key to success. Developing a well-thought-out and robust program defines key requirements for hardware, software, security, smart infrastructure and other factors.
3. Involve all key stakeholders. The plan should include all stakeholders of the facility, including operations, finance, information technology, and security. Stakeholders should take the time to establish operational, productivity, and sustainability goals and objectives that align with the organization's values and mission and evaluate the return on investment before deploying an intelligent system. They can then present a unified plan and work with prime contractors and vendors to create a more effective strategy.

Careful planning at the beginning of the project helps reduce costly last-minute changes by avoiding overhead such as multiple software systems and parallel networks. For example, stakeholders can identify their “needs” and agree on how to use IoT and other smart technologies effectively.

When making the construction process smarter and more efficient, organizations should consider the following three important aspects of planning:

1. Technology integration and interoperability: Take a holistic, rather than unilateral, approach to adding the systems that form the backbone of your network. Different devices and systems must also be scalable, compatible and able to integrate with BEMS. Organizations must be prepared to expand intelligent systems in the future as new technologies emerge and additional features and capabilities will be required.
2. Smart Buildings Data Analytics: While advanced BEMS can collect, filter and translate large amounts of data to provide actionable insights, facility managers and other personnel must be trained to analyze relevant data to make smarter decisions.
3. Cyber security and data privacy. Increased connectivity and data capture means more opportunities for data leaks and intrusions. With this in mind, organizations should use a smart building platform that includes cybersecurity. Additionally, establishing oversight of data collection, storage, and usage, as well as other cybersecurity policies, helps ensure the security of company data.

As a result, while the Internet of Things is still a new concept (only a small percentage of organizations currently use the Internet of Things for building management), more and more buildings are using the technology to create smarter buildings that increase efficiency, productivity, and efficiency. They give general satisfaction.