IoT revolutionizes energy consumption

Smart building technology is evolving rapidly, driven by a global demand for greater sustainability, less waste and more efficient use of resources. Smart buildings leverage technological advances in the Internet of Things (IoT) to efficiently manage assets, resources and services, improving building operations, energy consumption and resource management, and the overall resident experience.
With buildings accounting for 38% of global CO2 emissions and 40% of U.S. energy consumption, retrofitting buildings for energy consumption and sustainability is critical to achieving global climate goals. This priority has been made clear by the Biden administration, which in January announced the Building Performance Standards Alliance, the first partnership among 33 state and local governments committed to delivering cleaner, healthier and more energy-efficient buildings.
While optimizing energy consumption in the building sector can be a daunting task, it can start at the smallest level: the microchips that power the Internet of Things. Smart buildings integrate IoT technologies into numerous areas - from digitizing people and space utilization to rebuilding water supply networks. One of the biggest opportunities for smart buildings is to revolutionize energy consumption, starting with smart energy distribution systems and smart HVAC equipment.
Smart Energy Distribution Systems
Traditional energy distribution systems are built in a one-way fashion, with energy expected to flow from the generator to the load. In these systems, power plants generate energy and store it in urban centers. For renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, the energy distribution map is now completely different; energy distribution systems now need to allow for a full range of energy flows. Buildings that previously consumed only energy can now integrate rooftop solar panels that generate excess energy and return it to the grid. Smart energy distribution systems enable this full spectrum of energy flow and allow for the integration of renewable distributed energy sources that store energy back into the grid.
This not only reduces energy consumption by increasing system efficiency, but also unlocks the distributed energy generation model. Buildings become energy producers rather than consumers, thus enabling a shift to green energy. Advances in sensor and wireless IoT technologies lay the foundation for the smart grid transformation, and smart buildings play an important role in enabling a greener, more connected grid that will shape a more sustainable future.
Smart HVAC Systems
Smart HVAC systems are another exciting development in smart buildings that are tied to energy efficiency, air quality and occupant comfort. In the United States, cities, states, utilities and nonprofit organizations are stepping up efforts to electrify the building sector, where fossil fuel combustion for space heating, hot water, cooking and other uses accounts for 13 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas (greenhouse gas) emissions.
As the COVID-19 pandemic drives major developments in air quality and purification technologies, suppliers are looking to shorten HVAC upgrade cycles. Dealers and distributors are moving organically toward adding newer, smarter technologies to their HVAC equipment. In the digital age, building occupants now want granular control over the HVAC settings in every room and zone in their buildings. This is where the Internet of Things steps in, adding a new depth to the comfort experience in buildings. With motorized vents and dampers, as well as wireless connectivity to phones and tablets, residents can set temperature as well as CO2, humidity and air quality settings with just a few swipes. Building managers can also use IoT connectivity to automatically detect room occupancy and reduce energy use in that space accordingly, thereby optimizing energy use throughout the building.
Monitoring Building Health
Monitoring building health is another smart building growth area. In addition to traditional temperature and humidity sensors, more environmental sensors are being added to buildings. These sensors can be used for smart dampers for better airflow and outdoor air exchange, connectivity devices for predictive maintenance, flow meters for leak detection, gas sensors for air particle detection, and more. Fire and smoke detection have always been connected, but we are seeing more wireless connections using remote wireless and Bluetooth to create the installer interface. All three applications - energy management, building health monitoring, and fire safety - are adding more connectivity and digital capabilities.
The importance of reliability and cybersecurity
With all the benefits in mind, there are still challenges with smart buildings that require skilled engineering and problem-solving skills. The main challenge is technical: a wireless network of this complexity needs to be extremely reliable and stable. While the wireless mesh network technologies available today are fully functional, vendors and manufacturers need to ensure the reliability of their products in order to realize the true potential of wireless networks in the building environment.
Integrated wireless networks can also expose buildings to network vulnerabilities. To combat such threats, chip vendors and product manufacturers have been stepping up their cybersecurity game. A continued focus on security in the development and distribution of smart solutions is critical to transforming the building industry.
A smarter, greener future
What makes these opportunities exciting is that smart buildings are not limited to entirely new structures; buildings can also be retrofitted using smart technology. The ability to simply implement wireless connectivity in existing systems simplifies adoption and can accelerate the overall adoption of wireless communications in buildings.
Both the public and private sectors are committed to improving energy use in the building sector, which we can expect to be the basis for smart building adoption in the coming years. In a decade that is critical to reducing CO2 emissions and maximizing energy efficiency and consumption across all sectors, technological advances and the use of IoT in buildings can lead the way in promoting sustainability and improving quality of life at the individual and group level.