“Smart” buildings are on the rise because they reduce energy consumption and many other maintenance or management expenses by between 30 and 70%. It is a clever balance that must be well prepared to be able to enjoy it.
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All buildings can talk, not all can become smart
Today, with IoT (Internet of Things) technologies, it is possible to make any building speak, even a castle or a fifteenth-century church. There are many wireless sensors for a wide range of applications.
Energy monitoring often comes first, but it is applicable to comfort, water management, corrosion, inclusion, anti-theft, security etc…
Technically, all buildings can “talk” and tell us what is happening.
On the other hand, not all buildings can become intelligent because, depending on the age of the technical installations, they will not necessarily have the ability to give details or receive orders that are too precise.
For example, at Campus Contern, we built our 6 buildings in phases between 2008 and 2019. The HVAC installations of the first buildings are more limited in terms of setpoints and flexibility than the last ones. If the system is not designed to separate the zones, the control by zone will be de facto impossible, even with a very good sensor.
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Important to follow the 3 steps: Measure, Optimize, Manage
Once the sensors have been installed, there is always an observation phase: the building will tell us where and how the energy is consumed, what the basic comfort data is, how the spaces are used, etc.
This inventory phase was very important for us to detect the priority actions, those that will have the biggest impact on our operations.
Then, we will be able to optimize the operation by acting on the biggest points revealed by our observation of the data: adjusting the temperature of the spaces when they are empty on weekends for example.
Finally, after the basic optimizations, then it becomes possible to set up alert management, autopilot, preventive maintenance, etc.
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Beyond energy, the smart building will allow savings in maintenance and management
The operation of a building goes far beyond the simple use of energy. Maintenance is a major expense item that can be greatly reduced. For example:
- Monitoring the proper functioning of elevators allows for a potential problem to be detected before the breakdown, which reduces the cost of intervention AND maintains service for the occupants, who will not notice anything.
- Monitoring the pressure and dust in the ventilation system allows us to detect anomalies before the breakdown and to deteriorate parts that are expensive to change or to do filter maintenance only when necessary, thus avoiding waiting too long (and having poor air quality) or replacing a filter for nothing (waste)
It also saves time and effort for managers once the system is in place because they will receive alerts, automate interventions, etc.
They will coordinate the service providers more easily and more precisely since the building will have provided precise data on the nature of the problem: no surprise, we come directly with the right equipment.
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The price and ROI are much better than it seems
This is always a sticking point: investing in the building of course, but what is the return?
At Campus Contern, we tend to value the result over ROI, even though obviously this is important.
The good news:
- There are many subsidies to finance between 50 and 70% of the investment
- These technologies are becoming more and more accessible. If they are well thought out and sized for your building, the ROI for the installation is between 1 and a maximum of 2.5 years, which is very short.
- The collateral benefits are also interesting.
- If we take the example of the elevator: an emergency intervention costs 10 times more than a preventive intervention.
- The more we anticipate and manage the building, the better the customer experience: fewer breakdowns, better comfort, more flexibility… and therefore satisfied tenants, who renew their lease.
Buildings couldn’t be smart even 8 years ago, but they can all become smart to different degrees. Just look at the subject.
It is also to remain at the forefront of innovation that we are members of the Smart Building Alliance Luxembourg.
We are available to give our tips if needed.
