It is often considered widely that buildings happen to have a significant impact on the environment. There are estimates that suggest that they lead up to 40% of worldwide emissions, with construction as well as operations stages sharing equal ownership of this impact. Apart from this, it has been suggested by some organizations that almost 90% of buildings do not happen to have software systems in place when it comes to energy management. Despite the dearth of systems in this area, the prospect of AI remains pretty important.
The execution of digital platforms when it comes to the operations space has the capacity to significantly enhance energy efficiency. Depending on the unique features of the building, these upgrades can range from 10% to 50%. For instance, warehouses that need lighting but at the same time have fewer heating, ventilation, and air conditioning- HVAC systems might witness lower savings.
Commercial buildings, which go on to experience a high probability of fluctuations in terms of occupancy, could very well achieve savings of almost 50%. One can expect that each building will experience an average reduction of almost 30% when it comes to energy consumption.
The repercussions would be enormous if one could raise the percentage of buildings that happen to have energy management systems from 10% in the current scenario to more than 50% and take into account the average energy consumption decrease of 30%. This has the capacity to reduce one-third of the CO2 emissions concerned with energy efficiency, which accounts for 20% of the worldwide CO2 challenge.
The demand for digital systems
In the years that have gone by, there has been a pretty evident increase in the demand for energy management methodologies. This increase can very well be attributed to the transition of priorities within corporate entities, especially among Fortune 500 companies. Previously, energy management was mostly taken care of by facility managers and was not considered a major aspect of the overall cost structure of real estate companies. In light of the elevating energy prices across the world that happen to be driven by geopolitical factors that have an effect on oil and gas costs, there is an increasing recognition as well as a focus on the requirement to develop and also execute decarbonization tactics.
Nations like Germany as well as France are at present facing major increases in energy costs. It is well to be noted that real estate CEOs across the world are increasingly acknowledging the financial feasibility when it comes to investing in energy management systems. The investors anticipate to achieve attractive returns on their funding within a period of five to seven years. They expect the internal rates of return to dip within the range of 20% to 30%.
To offer a better understanding, when analyzing energy consumption in a commercial building, it can be seen that almost one-third of the energy happens to be used for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning- HVAC purposes. A third is dedicated to lighting, while the left-over portion is given to other utilities like charging stations as well as minor refrigeration needs. A profitable starting point happens to be prioritizing HVAC optimization and lighting systems as per occupancy patterns. This can be followed by integration when it comes to solar roofing as well as advanced storage systems to further make the energy demand seamless and at the same time reduce costs.
It is worth noting that these developments happen to be especially noticeable across the US market. The way in which one communicates with customers has undergone many noticeable changes. Today, the focus has gone on to shift from solely adopting such measures for sustainability to also taking into account the economic sense as well as the return on investment they give out.
Understanding of the source of data
In order to construct future-proof, environmentally friendly structures, it is important to explore the integration of AI in their design and construction processes. But in order for AI to be more effective, there happens to be a need for high-quality data. Traditionally, the data which was accumulated by buildings has been stored in separate silos.
To proceed, it is essential to understand the origins of this data first. These sources of data can come from various systems like HVAC, lighting, solar panels, access control, as well as EV chargers. These systems, however, are mostly not designed to communicate with one another. When it comes to the emergence of industrial IoT, a change in the perception of data that was in the past deemed insignificant has been observed, and it now happens to find its place in the data lake.
Now that one happens to have access to this data for analysis and has at the same time developed data platforms designed to gauge the information collected by these sensors, utilizing AI to gather valuable insights across commercial and industrial buildings, warehouses, office buildings, schools, and industrial campuses is now possible. This helps in gaining a better understanding of their performance and utilization when it comes to the resources as well as the environmental impact.
The major element of AI is its capacity to rapidly generate a building representation by comparing it to similar buildings as well as environments, even when limited information happens to be available. This includes aspects like utility bills, size, and geography, and it is not an exact science. Coming up with a blueprint that goes on to demonstrate a potential decrease of almost 35% in energy consumption based on similar use cases happens to be a valuable utilization of data.
Designing buildings for the future
It is extremely important for building designers to communicate with construction companies as well as for both parties to look into operational considerations before the building design process picks up, construction takes place, and physical construction happens. The reality is that these parties very rarely communicate with one another, making them look like passing ships in the night. Quite regularly, there are times when communication breaks down between designers, operations companies, as well as construction teams. This disconnect mostly results in inefficiencies and a final design that significantly deviates from what was originally planned.
One pretty effective method to obtain a more objective perspective is to make use of a digital twin across the design phase of a building. The twin offers a holistic 3D representation of the design, thereby showcasing the tenant experience, energy consumption, as well as carbon footprint during occupancy and also when all systems are operational. Some of the elements to consider while analyzing the feasibility of constructing a net-zero structure are the construction costs, the material choice, potential trade-offs when it comes to material usage, and also the long-term financial implications over a 10-year period.
There is a certain system that can offer partial information; a stage has not been reached yet where one can generate a total review of a building’s environmental impact and carbon footprint during the design phase. This data happens to be crucial in gauging whether a full net zero approach or a less than net zero approach should be pursued, as the outcomes in relation to the investment are pretty insignificant.
AI at work
It is well to be noted that AI is poised to have a major influence on the development of a complete perspective on energy usage across the entire lifecycle of buildings. It will play a critical role in making sure that buildings are constructed well right from the very start. At present, there happens to be a strong focus on AI within the consulting and services sector. However, it is indeed mandatory for building managers to have a clear understanding of the RoI that’s associated with any changes they make.
To decrease energy and operational costs effectively by using tools like ChatGPT in decision-making, it is important to assist customers in terms of gaining a better understanding of their major domain. Although it may look like contradictory, accomplishing this will aid in effectively aligning the AI’s objectives with both the business goals as well as the needs of the environment. By adopting this sync, the decarbonization of buildings can be taken into account not only by their environmental impact but also because of their return on investment.
Implementation of artificial intelligence in energy management
The future happens to be characterized by a shift from rule-based optimization to a schedule-based one. At present, the heating is turned on when it’s cold outside, and the lights are on when it’s dark. This oversimplified approach does not take into account the various factors that can influence the need to activate these systems. The role of AI in this field is indeed extensive.
Auditing as well as consulting services in the construction sector happen to be crucial for the future development of smart as well as energy-efficient buildings. These services happen to involve assessing the performance of buildings, determining those that are functioning effectively plus those that are not, and also determining areas where upgrades can be made. AI will go on to provide a significant advantage to individuals looking to construct environmentally friendly buildings and, at the same time, reduce the carbon footprint of their properties, which happen to be increasingly becoming costly as well as burdensome.
