Intelligent Building Management
"Smart buildings" are buildings designed, constructed or managed by ICT-based solutions which improve energy efficiency and resources management at all stages of a building's life cycle.
Building energy consumption levels play a central role in current greenhouse gas emission levels, representing 40 percent of total European Union energy end usage. Buildings are the largest single source of CO2 emissons within the EU-15 (including electric power consumption), with total consumption levels steadily rising since 1990.
Smart ICT provides an intelligent framework for smart buildings on the way to creating a sustainable, low-carbon economy. Intelligent building management systems - which operate heating and cooling systems for example - are just one tool in the smart building armory. ICT-based monitoring, response and optimization services can be implemented to maximize energy efficiency from building design through to construction and operation.
Germany is showing the way forward with an impressive array of measures which are helping redefine construction in terms of intelligent networks and the Internet of Things. Smart buildings will play a pivotal role in the development of new and innovative distributed energy production and energy sector business models as they become active nodes in smart grids. It is forcast that alone the implementation of intelligent building climate management systems could help reduce CO2 emission levels by more than 41 million tons in Germany by 2020.
Smart building advances already being made in Germany will furthermore help contribute to reduce the 45 percent global energy consumption increase by 2025 forcast by environmental pressure groups and industry associations.
