The development of smart connected buildings is rapidly increasing. Research firm Memoori predicts the ‘Building Internet of Things’ market will grow from $US22.9 billion in 2014 to more than $US85 billion in 2020, predominantly in the areas of security, lighting control, fire detection and safety. Gartner predicts smart commercial buildings will be the biggest user of IoT until 2017.
Managing the network of an office building, apartment block, store or factory by connecting the various devices and assets offers huge efficiency boosts and significant cost savings. For instance, objects enabled with sensors can help prevent issues, minimise maintenance requirements and reduce the time spent on building management.
With the IoT, a person no longer needs to actually be inside a building to know what’s going on: energy consumption, internet connection or alarm systems can be monitored from almost anywhere via a mobile device.
Smart buildings offer a huge range of valuable insights, such as energy and water consumption, or foot traffic at different times of day. This gives companies the significant advantage of being able to predict likely wear and tear on equipment, prevent unnecessary maintenance or failure and reduce wastage. An enormous amount of equipment can be connected within any building, from appliances such as fridges and televisions to fundamental building features like the water supply, heating and even doors and windows.
The benefits of enabling a smart building
By implementing IoT technology businesses can make more informed decisions with insights gleaned from real data, and gain valuable benefits.
Here are five of them
- Monitor resource consumption
Smart devices can monitor the use of resources, including water, electricity, data or even specific assets like heaters and fans. With smart plugs or sensors attached to equipment, companies can analyse usage patterns, identify inefficiencies and prevent issues from occurring. For example, building managers can tell if something has been turned on out of hours or has not been turned off.
- Perform preventative maintenance
The are many assets within a building where the consequences of a breakdown can be catastrophic. Enabling equipment with sensors allows businesses to set up alerts for potential failures. For example, connecting a lift shaft will allow a building manager to set up service request notifications if there is an issue rather than waiting until something goes wrong and potentially endangering employees or customers.
1. Centralise building management
Managing a building is a complex task that is often fragmented across various teams including IT, property management and business administration. By implementing an IoT solution, companies can centralise these processes and dramatically increase productivity. Everything from the electricity to the rubbish bins in an office can be equipped with sensors so they can be managed from one location. This means that maintenance schedules are made simpler.
2. Manage assets remotely
By connecting building assets and devices, companies have the option to manage them all remotely and respond to issues in real-time. Multiple buildings in different locations can then be overseen by collecting sensor data in the cloud. These assets can be managed via a laptop or even smartphone. This allows companies to quickly respond to any serious issues while also ensuring that building management responsibilities do not lie with a single person who has to be in the office to get anything done.
3. Produce valuable insights
Collecting data from devices is only useful if the organisation is also generating actionable insights. Any asset in a building can produce useful information that will help drive down costs and boost efficiency. For example, equipping doors with sensors can provide data on how often they are opened and closed. According to Gartner, on large sites such as industrial zones, office parks, shopping malls, airports or seaports, IoT can help reduce the cost of energy, spatial management and building maintenance by up to 30 percent
4. Manage assets remotely
By connecting building assets and devices, companies have the option to manage them all remotely and respond to issues in real-time. Multiple buildings in different locations can then be overseen by collecting sensor data in the cloud. These assets can be managed via a laptop or even smartphone. This allows companies to quickly respond to any serious issues while also ensuring that building management responsibilities do not lie with a single person who has to be in the office to get anything done.
5. Produce valuable insights
Collecting data from devices is only useful if the organisation is also generating actionable insights. Any asset in a building can produce useful information that will help drive down costs and boost efficiency. For example, equipping doors with sensors can provide data on how often they are opened and closed. According to Gartner, on large sites such as industrial zones, office parks, shopping malls, airports or seaports, IoT can help reduce the cost of energy, spatial management and building maintenance by up to 30 percent.
