Introduction
Nowadays, commercial buildings require a significant amount of energy and contribute highly to greenhouse gas emissions, making the environment vulnerable. Numerous energy-saving or sustainable building initiatives have been affected by machinery and human faults that lead to poor facility management. With the advent of smart metering systems, data-driven building energy management is growing in popularity as a way to improve the energy efficiency of commercial buildings and the effectiveness of company operations.
We generate 2.5 quintillion bytes of data daily, according to IBM research. Making important business decisions requires using and understanding the wealth of data that is available at your fingertips. Data-driven building management provides facility managers with unequalled assistance, enabling them to quickly spot places where resources are being misused or where space is being underutilized. If your business hasn’t yet adopted a data-driven facility management strategy, you must not be aware of how much the correct facility management software may improve your decision-making and other processes. In this blog, we will look at the importance of AI and Data-driven Building Management Systems.
What is an AI and Data-driven Building Management System
Modern buildings produce enormous volumes of data. Property managers may increase operational control, efficiency, tenant comfort, and shareholder returns by collecting and analyzing this data to get a better picture of how your building operates. Facility managers have traditionally used building management systems (BMS) to oversee the daily operations of their buildings. If a problem arises and is not brought to the FM’s attention by the BMS, they won’t know about it until they receive a hefty electricity bill or a tenant complaint.
Furthermore, a BMS keeps track of building systems, including lighting, elevators, security, fire, and metering, and controls the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) on an individual basis. On that note, its building analytics features increase the efficiency of BMS technology by offering much more proactive and useful data that can be used to optimize the performance of the equipment and lifespan, get rid of inefficiencies, and reduce energy costs and consumption. With the aid of smart building analytics, you can make quicker, more informed decisions, freeing up more time for other priorities and producing value for your tenants and shareholders.
How sensor data is used in Building Management Operations?
At present, data has grown to be a valuable commodity across all industries, not just facility management. Data offers the chance for creativity, education, and progressive exponential growth. You may cut costs, improve operational efficiency, and foresee anomalies before they even happen with proper data analysis and business analytics.
Facilities management systems operated independently of one another up until a decade ago. Today, an organization’s infrastructure and building assets are managed through the Integrated Building Management System software. Accurate analysis and interpretation of data are now more attainable than ever, thanks to the evolution of AI and data science. When you have access to reliable data analysis, you may integrate digital information forensics with predictive data to identify which facilities need maintenance and when it needs repair.
Adaptation to a Data-driven Model puts you in Control
Your business can make the most of facilities management by using data analysis to set benchmarks, identify abnormalities before they happen, and stay within a reasonable budget. Your company can identify resource waste where it occurs and how it might improve space usage on the premises by using a data-driven methodology. Data analysis greatly enhances decision-making and provides a comprehensive picture of the company’s state. With the aid of Computer-Aided Facilities Management (CAFM) technology or an Integrated Workplace Management System, a data-driven facilities management approach begins by making sense of all available information. These tools assist the stakeholders in reaching accurate decisions, enhancing the employee experience, and increasing operational effectiveness, whether used independently or in collaboration.
How data-driven building management may help your business succeed?
Reduces Uncertainty
Data-driven approaches help organizations discover powerful insights hidden in their data. It gives them the ability to test different business strategies with increasing accuracy. The results of that testing can improve future predictions. Mining data in near real-time can help organizations minimize the consequences of missteps. It also helps improve recovery time. The faster you can tell whether a new strategy is successful, the fewer resources you risk. And the more success you gain. Data-driven methodologies assist firms in finding the valuable insights buried in their data. They can more accurately test various business strategies to implement the best practical strategy. The outcomes of the testing can enhance projections for the future. Organizations can reduce the effects of errors by mining data in close to real-time. Additionally, it speeds up rehabilitation. The fewer resources you risk, the quicker you can determine whether a new strategy is effective.
Ensures Asset Safety
You can properly manage your assets and space using AI-driven integrated facility management software to keep your business running smoothly. Facility management software will assist you everywhere, from ensuring safety to adhering to governmental site administration and operation standards to fundamental safety. You can also quickly follow modifications to facility planning processes and who has approved what with the aid of data-driven facility management. It aids in keeping track of everyone’s accountability.
Effective Collaboration
Depending on admin/user roles and accessibility privileges, advanced facility management software keeps all of its data on a secure cloud server that can be accessed from anywhere in the world with the proper credentials. As a result, your employees working remotely—in various time zones as well as different geographic locations—can effortlessly work together to view, modify, contribute, share, or trade useful data and insights.
Easy Integration
With the ability to quickly interface with your current business solutions and software, modern AI-driven building management software can gather all of your crucial business data and present it in the most effective way. By doing this, you may analyze facility management data more effectively and make business decisions without interfering with your operations or reducing your revenue.
Preventive Maintenance
The majority of heating and cooling equipment already has sensors built in to measure things like water pressure and boiler pump speed. If it rises or falls above or below a specific threshold value, they send a signal. Additionally, you may take it a step further and mix other metrics. Small variations frequently indicate a problem. For instance, a heating boiler’s water supply or return temperature starts to fluctuate, or the boiler’s power usage rises. This data pattern indicates that maintenance is still necessary even if the individual indicators continue to be below the threshold value when you measure different elements individually. Because of these collected data, data-driven maintenance can be planned precisely, scarce resources can be used more effectively, and operational problems can be avoided.
Better Decision Making
If all the data – many hundreds of readings every day from hundreds of thousands of sensors – is analyzed by clever machine-learning algorithms that seek for patterns on their own, you can get one step further. In this manner, correlations that you were unaware of are uncovered, such as those relating to the utilization of the building resources. You can learn about the real occupancy of a facility by using infrared sensors or image processing to detect presence in a room. This profession frequently yields knowledge that can aid in building optimization. For instance, it is well known that the best meeting spaces are also the busiest. Therefore, using this information can help start renovations, optimize cleaning schedules, and cut back on energy use. There are instances of businesses delaying new buildings because they were able to raise occupancy levels at the current site without sacrificing quality or user experience.
Reasons why AI and Data-driven Building Management Systems are crucial nowadays?
AI and Data-Driven BMS Boosts Decision Trust
Facility managers frequently have a lot of variables to take into account while making decisions. They must take into consideration compliance, human, health, and safety issues. Also, building managers could find it difficult to navigate this complicated landscape without industry-leading solutions. It becomes much simpler to develop more effective facilities management procedures that protect your business and the lives of its employees when facts and data support your decisions.
Generate Insightful Reports and Infographics
Data-based engineering and building management methods don’t necessitate knowing complex statistical procedures. The finest systems will display their data in a report that is simple to read and understand. You may use the key insights you gain from each element to respond fast and make the appropriate software and management platform investments. Utilizing cutting-edge technology, you can even set up procedures for a speedy response. When it comes to monitoring indoor air quality, you need reports that are based on facts, and you need to respond quickly to ensure that your facility stays running smoothly. Data-driven reports enhance the decision-making process and corporate culture in general. With the aid of facility management software, cutting-edge technology, and a desire to engage with evidence-based approaches, FMs may optimize their everyday operations by using more effective facility management practices and keep their facilities operational even during difficult times.
Enhance compliance, accountability, and safety
Physical worker safety is gaining importance, but so is indoor air quality. Organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) advise regulators in the U.S., Europe, and other countries to monitor air quality safety, particularly during the COVID pandemic. Moreover, FMs will continually need to enhance indoor air quality safety and accountability through radon testing, CO2 monitoring, and pollutant filtering. Here too, data can be useful. When indoor air quality is being monitored by intelligent technology, you will have a record of data that can help guide future decisions, hasten indoor air quality improvement, and give evidence of compliance.
When FMs must monitor occupant safety, this kind of quick decision-making is essential. Intelligent monitoring systems can aid in proving the necessity of facility upgrades for budgetary reasons or requests for government funding opportunities. Facility managers have been using these technologies to show the necessity for portable HEPA or HVAC Induct air purifier systems ever since the start of the pandemic. It can also be used to support the implementation of portable or HVAC Induct air purification systems.
Strengthening Cloud Interaction
The majority of smart technologies are connected through cloud-based infrastructure. Everyone who needs it will have immediate access to the data in your facility due to this interconnection, which will enable you and your staff to access it through your smartphone, app, tablet, or computer. This interconnectedness is essential for large facilities that cannot tolerate an operational malfunction, even for a short period of time. Your team may work together and effectively modify building-wide ecosystems such as power grids, lighting, IT infrastructure, quality of water, and HVAC air quality systems with the use of an inter-departmental connection in the cloud.
Building managers may be able to adjust operations immediately to comply with changing conditions and requirements according to this data-driven methodology. To maintain the functionality of your building, you may immediately take necessary actions if you have intelligent solutions with cloud connectivity. Your entire team will be able to interact online, change systems online, and arrive at swift, informed decisions as a result.
Inter Connectivity of Systems
Data-driven techniques are necessary for implementing efficient facility management plans and keeping up with improvements in building management operations. To attain utmost efficiency, your systems must be connected to the cloud, control consoles, and document that clearly. For overall operational effectiveness and cost savings, this is also essential. For instance, you may link indoor air monitoring solutions with systems like your building management systems and Integrated Workplace Management Systems to understand how each component of your facility is interacting with one another.
To make sure your ventilation, heating, and air conditioning systems are working properly, keep an eye on real-time data generated by facility appliances. In order to better evaluate employee performance and identify poor air quality, you can also install indoor air quality monitors in useful places. It’s possible that the ratings for your indoor air quality are worse near particular machinery. You can balance your facility by separating these triggered responses and modifying your systems as necessary.
FMs May Receive System Alerts of Potential Issues
Problem-solving is a large part of the FMs’ jobs and responsibilities. Therefore, FMs must be open to using data-based strategies to address potential issues. With data at your disposal, you can future-proof your structure and prevent problems before they arise (or get worse). Your HVAC systems could notify you of leaks, energy waste, and inadequate air filtering if they are internet-connected.
For example, you could put into practice specific remedies in the pandemic while working to address larger issues. When the COVID-19 pandemic strikes, for instance, and your company needs to reopen quickly, but your air filtration system is insufficient, you can immediately install portable air purifiers in strategic, high-density areas while you wait for HVAC upgrades. By gathering this data, you can help your firm solve challenges and make better informed strategic management and financial decisions. Digital solutions with cutting-edge technology and analytics can help FMs perform more efficiently and spot potential issues before they happen.
Evidence-based Decision Making
Effective data utilization enables more effective facility management techniques. Air quality data shows proof for work orders, maintenance of machinery, occupational safety, and improvements, which aids FMs in performing better. This information is also available to you via a mobile device. When making judgments about your daily duties, you can still consider your data. When the quality of the air inside the home is poor, specific solutions cause notifications to appear. Solutions like portable air purifier systems, which can clear an area at a rate of 240 cubic feet per minute, or other tools with even better cleaning rates, can be put into service immediately.
Monitoring indoor air data, such as VOC and CO2 data, can assist with occupancy rate analysis, energy cost estimation, and personnel cost adjustment. Data-based approaches will assist you in putting your best effort forward and making choices that significantly improve your operations, whether you need to upgrade your facilities.
