Feature
Business As Usual
Despite sustainability being top of the boardroom agenda, many businesses are failing to think about the spaces that they operate in when considering their wider sustainability goals and strategies. For some, this is accidental, and for others the fear of disruption is holding them back. However, retrofitting does not necessarily need to be a disruptive rip-and-replace project. A digital-first approach can help to ensure business continuity while delivering on sustainability progress.
Renovating with digital technologies is not only less disruptive to daily operations but also more effective from a lifecycle carbon perspective, a true sustainability win. Moreover, failing to decarbonise buildings quickly could lead to stranded assets that lose value and become less appealing to investors, making the risk of not retrofitting greater than the investment itself.
Strategise, Digitise, Decarbonise
A smooth retrofitting experience means maintaining productivity whilst becoming more sustainable. The truth is that we already have the digital tools available to transform the carbon footprint of existing building stock and minimise the impact of new builds. By following three key steps - strategise, digitise, and decarbonise - business leaders can ensure that buildings are future-proof and ready for incoming regulations and employee scrutiny.
Next, digitisation allows businesses to measure and monitor energy consumption and carbon emissions. After all, leaders don’t know what energy they are wasting until they are tracking it, and it is only through this digitisation process that trusted data can be gathered.
Finally, decarbonisation can be achieved through smart
energy management. With technologies and solutions such as automation and IoT devices, renewable energy sources, and upgraded building systems and infrastructure, businesses can make great strides towards improving their green credentials. This
electrification and digitisation of buildings will enable
businesses to effectively reduce energy waste and costs, without compromising on the successful running of the building.
By focusing on areas that will have the biggest climate impact such as minimising energy demand and reducing reliance on fossil fuels and unsustainable energy sources, leaders can create a digitally-driven strategy that brings maximum reward with minimum disruption.
References: 1:
https://www.iea.org/energy-system/buildings
2:
https://www.weforum.org/stories/2022/11/net-zero-cities-retrofit-older-buildings-cop27 3:
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/office-building-emissions-retrofits-schneider-electric/694375/
First,
developing a clear,
achievable roadmap to reduce
emissions will help the retrofit process go as smoothly as possible. By defining the level of implementation needed, the potential impact on emission reduction, and accounting for any operational disruption, leaders can assess the timescale to reach ROI and gain board buy-in.
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