• • • SMART BUILDINGS & IOT • • • Smart Building controls provide
comfort and conservation By Kas Mohammad, Schneider Electric’s VP Digital Energy for the UK&I
W
ith buildings producing nearly 40 per cent of global CO2 emissions, isn’t it about time we managed the built environment more effectively to reduce energy waste and create a more sustainable future? Smart IoT sensor solutions that connect seamlessly with existing building management systems (BMS) offer building owners, facilities management and engineering teams a practical step towards sustainability by optimising energy consumption and efficiency. These efforts are bolstered by the introduction of AI-powered solutions that harness large volumes of collected data to maximise energy efficiency and enable predictive maintenance.
While smart upgrades can make buildings more energy efficient, they can also make them more comfortable. This is possible thanks to a combination of sensors and remote monitoring tools that automatically adjust lighting or HVAC based on occupancy. In some cases, the occupants can manage the conditions themselves.
The following two examples demonstrate how smart building technologies can be deployed to make operational improvements and ensure occupant comfort and wellbeing.
AI delivers new lessons in sustainability
The University of Nottingham has adopted a digital-first, AI-powered approach to manage its buildings estate to improve operational and energy efficiencies, drive sustainability and decarbonisation efforts. The university, which has the fifth largest estate in the UK’s higher education sector, has been working closely with us for the past 30 years to optimise building operations and minimise energy consumption. It has a small team responsible for a large physical estate, so it made sense for them to embrace digital technology to help them achieve their goals. They recently deployed a suite of digital tools to provide 24/7 remote monitoring of the electrical installation, which also feeds into the BMS and the alarm management system for critical assets. These tools use AI-powered digital analytics to deliver real-time, comprehensive insights into estate operations, ensuring preventative or remedial action is acted upon quickly. This is achieved by directly integrating urgent actions into the onsite engineer’s work schedules.
The AI-powered system also identifies energy conservation measures, producing regular reports
that offer guidance to the estates team on how to optimise their time and resources more effectively. Our onsite engineers are always on hand to deliver preventative and condition-based fault remediation, besides support and training for the university’s estates team to boost their skills.
Gavin Scott, the Head of Sustainability at the University of Nottingham has compared the impact of the AI-powered analysis to having “thousands of eyes scrutinising the estate,” significantly boosting what he and his team can deliver. The University of Nottingham is a prime example of an institution striving to improve and create a more sustainable campus for students and staff, using state-of-the-art technology and expert services to boost productivity, efficiency and sustainability.
NHS rehab unit trials smart room controls
Moving on to improving occupant comfort and wellbeing, Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust has deployed personalised, voice-activated environmental room controls to enable patients to adjust the temperature, blinds and lighting.
This system is supported by our suite of smart building solutions specifically designed for healthcare. Our platform provides individual room control of environmental factors through a management system that is securely connected to a network of IoT-enabled devices. Patients can use it to control the temperature, blinds and lighting in their own rooms via a bedside terminal or by voice activation for patients with reduced mobility. It gives patients more comfort and autonomy, while relieving pressure on staff to focus more time on clinical care. The solution is being trialled at Linden Lodge, NUH’s 25-bed neuro-rehabilitation unit, with a view to being rolled out for the new £105 million National Rehabilitation Centre, due to open next summer.
In terms of the installation itself, Linden Lodge is a busy NHS facility and meticulous steps were taken to install the technology without impacting on patient care. We also had to factor in that we were working in an older building and needed to be flexible with the design and installation. However, we overcame these challenges to deliver a solution that has helped to create a positive patient experience.
The path to net zero is about delivering solutions for sustainable, efficient and people- centric buildings. Through our work with academic institutions and the NHS we’ve been able to improve operational reliability and occupant comfort.
28 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • DECEMBER/JANUARY 2025
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
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