SMART TECH AND IOT
When is a building truly sustainable?
By Armin Anders, Co-founder & VP Business Development, EnOcean T
he unbridled CO2 emissions and the current energy crisis make the urgent need for action clear: we need to save energy! Buildings play a central role in this. 99% of buildings are existing buildings, and a complete energy renovation is not economically feasible. For alternative sustainable measures to be viable, also be present alongside energy savings. In from sustainability measures, otherwise, these alternative solutions will not lead to the desired outcome.
Sustainable buildings through digital data collection
The solution for sustainable buildings lies in maintenance-free sensors that send real-time data to IoT systems. The information is then used to determine the exact need for space and equipment and to intelligently control three important sustainability aspects: Ecology: The environment and its valuable resources should be preserved for future generations. Digitized automation enables reduced CO2 balance. In addition, the use of environmentally friendly materials can be increased, and the consumption of limited resources such as copper reduced. Economy: Sustainable building operation should be economical and provide a permanent, sustainable basis for earning and able to adapt to the individual needs of the additional features that take into account changing needs or new legal regulations. This leads to attractive overall operating costs, which include investment and operating costs, conversion measures, and disposal. Social aspects: The human factor is crucial in digitization. In terms of social sustainability, all members of a community should have the opportunity to participate in a pleasant work or living environment. The individual needs of users, their health, and work productivity are the focus.
The possibilities and advantages of digitization for sustainable energy saving are
26 APRIL 2023 | ELECTRONICS TODAY
Radio-controlled sensor technology provides the basis for this in both existing and new buildings. Sensors record the required raw data and transmit it to a cloud for storage, processing, and evaluation. This can be done either classically via gateways or recently also via Wi-Fi access points, which eliminates the need for additional gateways. The special advantage of radio sensors is that they can be furniture or objects such as desks, printers, etc. This provides them with precise information can have a 360-degree real-time view of the building and its usage, as well as its history, through suitable applications and dashboards.
Why wired sensors are a no-go Wired sensors are expensive and anything but sustainable. With wiring costs of over 100 euros per sensor, the typical acquisition costs triple. rewiring costs and time are incurred for every renovation. For this reason, truly sustainable applications rely on radio sensors, as costs sensors provide the required data from numerous points in the building as a technical basis.
Where do radio sensors get their energy?
Although radio sensors offer many advantages, they also have a major disadvantage: the power supply via batteries. These are usually changed annually by professional service providers to avoid early failures, resulting in high ongoing maintenance costs. After just two years, the sensor price typically more than doubles. The huge amount of battery waste also becomes a problem. For this reason, self- powered and batteryless radio sensors have now established themselves as maintenance- free and sustainable alternatives. Battery-free wireless sensors use the energy available in their environment. Movement, light or temperature differences can serve as a power source without the need for a battery change. This makes them environmentally friendly and reliable. They can also be freely placed and expanded at any time. They enable the digitization of buildings with thousands of data points and can provide the required demand-dependent control from any location. Thus, battery-free wireless sensors are a basic requirement for a sustainable IoT solution.
Digital technologies are revolutionizing building operation and management
Building data collection through digital
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