by Brianna Crandall — April 18, 2016 — Strategic discussions and sessions at the recent 2016 Building Energy Summit indicated important trends in energy management and smart buildings, noteworthy as facilities managers determine where to focus limited time and resources, reports professional services and investment management firm JLL, which was a Platinum Sponsor of the Summit.
Investments in green and smart building technologies increasingly go hand-in-hand as corporations work to achieve ambitious energy (and cost) savings targets. While energy efficiency may be the primary goal, many additional benefits come with the investment, according to experts presenting at the conference — energy savings are just the tip of the iceberg.
Darlene Pope, event founder and senior vice president, Energy and Sustainability Services, JLL, points out:
Building technology is evolving more rapidly today than at any other point in history. This annual summit brings together the world’s leading thinkers in building energy — and this year, we took it a step further by delving into all the other ways building technology contributes to companies and communities.
When you consider that companies spend 10 times their energy costs on real estate, and 100 times their energy costs on their workforce, we have to consider how technology impacts the bigger picture. When we improve worker productivity and deliver a better use of space along with the energy savings, the return on investment is exponential.
Whether motivated by corporate social responsibility, the need to attract top talent, or a desire for cost efficiency, companies today are realizing smart building benefits well beyond their initial vision, including:
- Individual temperature and lighting control to ensure offices are just right for employee comfort;
- Intelligent lighting that “knows” how space is being used — to better shape workplace strategy;
- Mobile apps that can open doors, assign workspace, locate the best available parking spot, and even connect to the closest whiteboard for collaboration;
- Improved tenant satisfaction and worker productivity; and
- Lower operating and maintenance costs that make owners and investors happy.
With the 2016 theme of “Redefining Efficiency in the Built Environment,” the 2016 Building Energy Summit brought together hundreds of commercial building owners, energy experts and technology pioneers to explore strategies, collaborate on best practices, share successful case studies and provide the resources for benchmarking buildings, monitoring real-time energy usage, analyzing operational data, making efficient upgrades and changes, and integrating the latest technologies to significantly cut energy consumption.
But it also took the conversation to a higher level and addressed the impact of data and business intelligence that can be derived from a smart building. “We are exploring ways to make the building more responsive to the needs of the occupants — and move from a static environment to a dynamic workplace,” added Pope.
Key visionary sessions included the following:
- What’s Next: The Impact of COP21 on Global Sustainability Efforts
- The WOW Factor: The Future of Innovation in Buildings
- Smart Buildings: Define, Design and Deliver
- Smart Cities: District-Scale Energy and Sustainability Planning
- The Internet of Things and Its Impact on Building Operations
- Using Data and Analytics to Make Better Operating Decisions
- High-Performance Buildings: The Path to Net Zero
- Beyond Energy: The Value of Productivity, Health, and Wellness
JLL’s Energy and Sustainability Services (ESS) group helps commercial building owners and occupiers improve the energy and environmental performance of buildings.
