Steve Kenny, vice president and general manager of Honeywell Building Management Systems
The Internet of Things (IoT) landscape is one that is continually evolving and shifting to meet the modern demands and needs of numerous industries and applications. Although IoT devices have impacted many sectors, these technologies have had a significant influence on automation within commercial buildings. Smart devices are proving invaluable for controlling, monitoring and automating individual functions within buildings, which is driving the use of increasingly sophisticated building management systems (BMS) to make larger scale impacts. Connecting a series of IoT-enabled lights with outdoor light sensors via a BMS, for example, can enable building and energy managers to automatically adjust room lighting based on sunlight levels.
With potential such as this, it’s no surprise that the global building automation systems market is anticipated to grow from around $77 billion in 2023 to over $130 billion by 2030.[1] The value these systems can bring to businesses — by reducing energy consumption and operating costs — comes from how they are set up and, crucially, the smart devices underpinning them.
IoT devices in commercial buildings
There are many different types of IoT building technologies available that energy managers can utilise to reduce operational costs and enhance energy efficiency. For example, smart building management systems offer a comprehensive solution by integrating various IoT components. These systems use sensors to monitor various factors such as occupancy levels, temperature, and lighting conditions, enabling real-time adjustments. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems with IoT integration can optimise temperature control by responding to occupancy levels and weather data, reducing energy usage and costs.
While these smart systems present the opportunity to reduce energy usage and operational costs in the long run, they can come with significant upfront costs. For businesses that might not have the funds available, installing these systems might not be a possibility especially as it could be a while before savings can be made. Nonetheless, there are other actions that can offer meaningful reductions in energy usage with a shorter payback period.
In any building, like a commercial office space, there tends to be hundreds if not thousands of plug sockets. From computers, printers, fridges, and other plug-in devices, offices have countless devices which consume energy — referred to as small power. In fact, small power can account for a quarter of a building’s entire energy usage,[2] and this consumption happens in plain sight.
Although many businesses can address small power usage by encouraging employees to be mindful of turning devices off at the outlet when they’re not in use, this might not be a reliable solution, especially if there are a significant number of outlets.
Integrated smart sockets
Historically, electrical sockets were not integrated into BMS, but new technologies now make it possible, enabling continuous insight and control into small power loads. These solutions can help establish any sockets across a building that have been left on unnecessarily as well as any devices in sleep mode that might consume electricity without staff noticing.
These smart electrical sockets allow businesses visibility into their building’s energy usage, remotely power down unused sockets, and automate functions such as scheduling, grouping, and alarms. Data is available down to an outlet level, enabling more robust information and control of energy use in a building along with other site energy data such as HVAC and lighting use. Furthermore, whilst these ready-now smart sockets can integrate with a BMS, they can also run effectively as a stand-alone solution. As such, these smart solutions are a perfect alternative for businesses that are looking to reduce energy usage, but are not able to offer full BMS integration or implement costly HVAC strategies.
Looking ahead
Today, IoT devices are continuously adapting and evolving to meet ever-changing needs. Considering automation within buildings is set to increase rapidly, energy managers should look towards adopting the latest IoT offerings to ensure their buildings are running as efficiently as possible.
Reducing energy usage is an important initiative for many businesses and, to prioritise energy efficiency, it is vital for energy managers to utilise IoT offerings. Modern technological electrical sockets are the latest IoT devices that can help to reduce building energy use as quickly and efficiently as possible, without a large upfront investment.
[1] Fortune Business Insights, Building Automation Systems Market Size 2023-2030, Published: August 2023 [Accessed: October 18, 2023]
[2] US General Data Administration, Plug Load FAQ, Poll, S. and C. Teubert, 2012 [Accessed October 18, 2023]
