IoT Technology Can Help Reduce World’s Energy Consumption

6 January 2020

What is the key to motivating businesses to adopt energy efficiency improvements for their properties? Environmental gain? Financial savings? PR opportunities?

The unfortunate reality is that carbon emissions from property will only increase unless we take action, many businesses perhaps don’t realise that saving energy can also reap financial returns and will in turn prove to customers their commitment to carbon neutrality.

The United Nations estimates that property accounts for about 40% of the world’s energy consumption and a third of all carbon emissions. Furthermore, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 30% of the energy used in commercial buildings is being wasted. The reality of this statistic is detrimental to our environment.

We estimate that 13% of the world’s global energy consumption can be reduced with efficient IoT, building controls and energy efficiency practices. This could result in huge savings; if 2018’s global consumption of 23,000 TWh was reduced by IoT that would create a reduction of 2,990 TWh – that is India and Russia’s total consumption combined!

The benefits of energy reduction via IoT can realise a reduction in energy costs by up to 30%. CODA is the next generation of traditional BMS and IoT platforms because it is a truly integrated building IoT solution (BIoT) coupled with big data analytics platforms for industrial and commercial building and estate digitalisation.

It delivers reduced utility costs, provides granular energy data, building health diagnostics, asset condition monitoring and health and safety improvements. The digital twin technology also delivers scenarios in digital format first, so clients can see the impact a change in setting, situation or operation can have on their metering data and hence carbon footprint and energy consumption.

Energy reduction in commercial buildings:

• HVAC accounts for 40% of building’s energy consumption. Don’t be tempted to ‘up’ the heat in winter, particularly during peak times of 12-2 pm in London and 4-7 pm in the rest of the UK as this is when the energy can be up to a third more expensive. Keep the building to a comfortable 19-21C.

• Lighting can cause waste energy consumption in buildings often when left on out of hours. PIRs ensure lights are only on when needed and rooms are occupied.

• Kitchen extracts and ovens are often subject to energy waste as they are always on. With innovative IoT controls, the extracts can be turned off when the oven has finished its cycle.

• Maintenance is key, avoidance of maintenance and cleaning of units such as HVAC and other heavy plant can result in poorly performing and inefficient systems costing the business in wasted energy consumption.

• Building occupiers – whilst IoT cannot control the building occupiers it can be used to influence the way they interact with the building systems. The demand for a higher temperature in colder months and the associated increased energy consumption this causes could be mitigated if we educate and show – with data – how their demands impact energy consumption and carbon emission. By knowing the impact this causes we can show how they can do more for the better through IoT data and software by influencing their behaviours and everyone can have a say in how businesses can actively reduce energy consumption and contribute to global emissions reduction.