As global energy consumption continues to increase, the need to manage energy efficiently becomes increasingly important. The Covid-19 pandemic may have slowed global energy consumption, but deeper changes are still needed to achieve the tertiary eco-energy decarbonization objectives for 2030, 2040 and 2050 (40%, 50% and 60%).
In 2020, widespread lockdown led to a significant drop in energy consumption and thus a reduction in CO2 emissions globally. However, these effects are temporary. As companies begin to reopen, energy consumption will increase again. The infographic below summarizes the pandemic's impact on energy use during the 2020 lockdowns.
Interoperability: the key to unlocking building potential
The building sector alone represents 40% of global energy consumption. The sector is beginning to transform and modernize by increasingly integrating digital technology into its operations. In another article, we discussed how interoperability was the key to unlocking the potential of buildings. Interoperability, or the ability to make systems from different suppliers communicate, is gradually developing. There is a wide variety of systems and technologies integrated into buildings. A building may very well be equipped with IoT sensors, however, if none of these devices can communicate with each other, or only with equipment from the same supplier, the building cannot be considered intelligent. Having systems from different suppliers without sufficient interoperability increases the time needed to control them and reduces the chances of achieving energy efficiency objectives.
The challenges of underexploited buildings
Some buildings are already equipped with appropriate systems, but still struggle to use their full potential. There is little or no data utilization and equipment behavior remains complex. Smart buildings enable operational cost reduction of up to 30%. Let's take the example of equipment with abnormal behavior in a building:
- Problem identification can take days, weeks or even months
- Once the problem is identified, information will be transmitted to the site manager
- Ultimately, they will have to engage costly and time-consuming interventions to repair the dysfunctional equipment
The process is long and during this time, the energy bill keeps rising. Added to this are other problems that are more difficult to notice, such as lighting or air conditioning running outside building operating hours. Equipment can also be activated manually for specific and temporary use, then forgotten. Over time, problems multiply due to lack of intelligent operation, leading to significant energy losses.
The solution: smart and connected buildings
However, with a connected building, all these problems can be solved. The work of many building managers would evolve with a "helicopter view" that allows simplified management and control of equipment across a building portfolio. They could use interoperability via intelligent connectors allowing interface with any equipment. By displaying the status, history and behavior of all equipment, the manager will be instantly alerted to errors and malfunctions to enable immediate reaction.
The diagram below models how using the right digital tools can detect the slightest energy loss. In this way, smart buildings can reduce energy consumption by:
- identifying equipment operating outside building occupancy hours
- detecting consumption peaks
- detecting abnormal behavior
- flattening the load curve
Conclusion: towards a sustainable building sector
Sensinov paves the way for an interoperable and sustainable building sector through solutions designed for managers to implement energy efficiency policies. This is an important step in reducing environmental and energy impact because the benefits of integrating "smart building" solutions are significant for optimizing building management and reducing their energy consumption. It is now necessary to consider the environmental impact of buildings and take the necessary measures.
