Business
BUILDINGS AND CLIMATE
CHANGE – THERE IS A MASSIVE CONTRIBUTION TO BE MADE
By Mark Freeman , offer manager – digital buildings at Schneider Electric South Africa
Many building owners , operators , developers and financiers are still not fully aware of the myriad of solutions available to make buildings – old and new – more sustainable as well as the resultant value and investment returns .
Conny Schneider | Unsplash
Technology exists – its just a case of using it in both old and new buildings to achieve greater efficiency .
To improve awareness and help decision-makers – from end users to real estate owners – better evaluate such investments , Schneider Electric , alongside Accenture and the World Economic Forum , in 2022 developed a Building Value Framework .
Part of the wider net zero carbon cities initiative , this includes a practical operational checklist spanning a set of recommendations to future-proof building investments – whatever the building ’ s size , use , or geographic location .
THE DECARBONISED , SMART BUILDING The most obvious action point is to avoid the use of fossil fuels ( heating with oil or coal , for example , or cooking with gas ), and use electric alternatives instead . Electricity is not only more efficient ( less energy wasted ), but also cleaner ( less carbon released into the atmosphere ).
On the digitisation front , building operators can sharply increase energy efficiency via sensors and automation systems that ensure heating , cooling and lighting are only provided when and where needed .
Digital also enables building managers and tenants better monitoring of energy consumption and gives them insights on behavioural changes that might improve energy usage . Deploying building management systems ( BMS ) on top of this data allows the building to use its energy most efficiently , as well as flagging to building staff and tenants any opportunities for improvement .
Finally , digital twins can help developers optimise a building ’ s efficiency right , minimising costs and waste from the design and construction stages , and reaping efficiency benefits right through to the day-to-day operations .
THE SYSTEM EFFECT Decarbonising and digitising individual buildings are only two steps , albeit important ones . Buildings can go one step further – when their energy and resource management capabilities are integrated into the wider power , transport and EV-charging ecosystems around them . Doing so can help stabilise cities ’ energy supplies and accelerate the transition to net-zero .
Again , concrete examples of what this looks like exist : in Järvenpää , Finland , a logistics centre operated by the retailer Lidl , harnesses the heat captured from its cooling operations through an energy management system , they then sell this heat on to the local grid for use in heating the neighbouring district .
THE BUILDINGS TRANSITION IS POSSIBLE TODAY Sustainable , resilient and people-centric buildings can be achieved today . It can go a long way in addressing the twin challenges of climate change and soaring energy prices . These buildings must become commonplace in towns and cities around the globe . It ’ s not a case of inventing new technologies , but of rather adopting this tech , fast . RACA
www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I March 2023 47