Internet of Things (IoT) continues to bring dramatic changes by automating our daily activities. Real estate experts have used smart building technologies to develop automated homes. Smart home statistics show that the global market will be beyond $53 billion by 2022.
Automation of homes brings more control and management to homeowners. Technology handles some of the mundane or repetitive tasks in buildings without human effort. Smart buildings use artificial intelligence to customize homes to suit the needs and lifestyle of the dwellers.
In an ideal smart home, technology interconnects devices to give the user a fully-automated experience. The homeowner can control some of the functions remotely using a smartphone. Some of the application areas are home security, lighting systems, and heating and air conditioning systems.
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Advantages of Investing in Smart Building Technologies
Smart building technologies have an array of benefits for homeowners and tenants. They are also friendly to the environment. Here are ten pros of smart buildings.
1. Increased Comfort
The principal goal of building a smart building is to improve the comfort for the dwellers. The building learns the user’s preferred conditions inside the house and adapts to them. The system does this by noting the patterns that homeowners use when operating the installations.
HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems help to optimize the conditions of the living space of a building. They keep the temperatures and the quality of the air in check irrespective of the conditions outside. The action of HVACs also depends on the number of house occupants.
An automated HVAC system acts in the background saving the home users the bother of operating switches. They ultimately improve the quality of life.
2. Reduced Energy Consumption
Energy conservation is essential for organizations and homeowners considering the rising energy prices. Smart homes have come to save the situation.
At times, people forget to switch off home appliances and lights when leaving the house. The amount of wasted energy can be enormous over time. Smart building technologies force tech devices and light bulbs to go off if left working for a significant period.
Even when devices are in use, technology can reduce their use of power. A smart oven can heat the food and turn itself off after a specific timeframe. Similarly, a lighting system can reduce the intensity of the emitted light on a sunny day.
Heating and air conditioning account for more than 80 percent of energy requirements in most homes. Smart building technologies regulate HVACs by turning them on and off as needed. There is a significant reduction in wastage of energy as the machine does not run when it is not necessary.
Smart buildings use artificial intelligence to monitor equipment and systems that are energy-intensive. They can control the flow of air into and out of the house to regulate temperatures, thereby saving electricity. This results in fewer expenses on energy in a smart home compared to ordinary buildings.
3. Enhanced Security
A smart security system is effective in reporting intrusion than the traditional infrastructure. Several devices work together and send alerts to the homeowner.
Outdoor surveillance cameras can send signals to intrusions sensors in real-time. If there is some suspicious activity recorded on the camera, the sensors will activate an alarm. It may also send an alert to the responsible security personnel.
The system could also send a message to the homeowner’s mobile device. Modern security systems allow live streaming of the surveillance camera footage over the internet. Some systems can even differentiate between real and false threats and depending on factors like the repetition of the trigger.
4. Improved Maintenance Procedures
Smart HVAC systems allow homeowners to have full control of the whole installation. They can track the performance of the system and the condition of various components to detect functional issues. This allows for the immediate repair of broken parts.
Buildings backed by technology can report hitches in various devices and systems before they fail. They can also manage the functioning components to adapt to the condition as the system awaits repair. Smart homes collect system data and provide diagnosis reports after failure to assist technicians to troubleshoot problems.
Maintenance procedures do not have to take place on-site. Technicians can manage smart systems from a network operations center (NOC) and solve problems even before tenants learn about them. Operating from a NOC is cheaper than sending a technical team to the building.
5. Big Data Benefits
Controlling the parameters of a manually operated system is challenging as there must be someone on-site. Smart buildings can monitor their systems round the clock. They collect large data sets and consolidate it in central storage.
Big data is important to businesses with smart systems. Smart building designers like BBD Life Style can create improved systems based on the insights they draw from this data after analysis. This can lead to the upgrading of the existing buildings and the rise of more sophisticated smart homes.
6. Accessibility and Communication
Managers of smart buildings have invaluable tools for serving their tenants. They can access buildings online enabling them to assess the prevailing conditions seamlessly. They don’t have to invoke direct communication with the tenants.
Traditional buildings systems require users to move to the control panel and key in data for them to respond. Most of the gadgets have manual switches, unlike smart buildings which support more natural commands like voice. You can regulate the room temperature by issuing a voice command to the heating system.
7. Safety and Risk Control
Smart buildings have advanced ways of averting dangers like fire. The system works automatically to run several operations at the same time.
Smoke detectors trigger the fire alarm which activates various integrated building systems. Fans start to rotate as smoke exhaust dampers open. The intercom and paging systems inform the occupants about the danger and issue safety instructions.
Then the access-control system proceeds to unlock evacuation doors, and the lights are turned on. The security cameras in the building provide the evacuation team with live videos of the situation. The images guide them on where to concentrate on in their efforts put the fire out.
8. Clean Energy
The world over is going green, and the energy industry is the focal point of this discussion. Energy consumption today comes with an ecological impact and responsibility. The development of smart building technologies is in line with the idea of conserving the environment.
Reducing energy consumption through monitoring and control measures defines green buildings. All green buildings have some building automation system (BAS). Yet, not all of them use smart building technologies.
An example of BAS is harvesting sunlight and integrating it with photoelectric and occupancy sensors through an IT interface. This lighting system provides optimum light intensity in the house. In the long run, this ensures frugal consumption of energy.
Smart building control systems are against the wasteful use of energy. The building only consumes what is necessary to maintain optimal conditions for occupants. Focusing on renewable sources of energy and using them sparingly helps to conserve the environment.
9. Guaranteed ROI
Energy saving is a critical element which most building owners give priority. Smart buildings use less energy than comparable ordinary buildings. Adaptive systems learn the demand trends for heating and lighting and use the least necessary power.
Another thing is that smart buildings attract and keep tenants. Their rates are higher than the market average. This guarantees homeowners a steady income which may be higher than in an ordinary building situation.
These factors combined make smart building technologies a worthwhile investment. The initial cost may be high, but the long-term returns are high.
10. High Resale Value
People who have experienced the convenience of smart systems at home prefer them when integrated into the design of the building. The infrastructure is long-lasting, and it makes the building more comfortable and cost-effective to maintain than conventional structures.
Most home buyers today want smart homes to enjoy the benefits of automation. They understand the cost and are willing to pay.
Research shows that installing smart building technologies can raise the value of a house above the initial investment. Such a building should fetch some decent money.
Take Advantage of Smart Building Technologies
Smart homes use IoT to respond to environmental stimuli automatically. They have improved security, reduced energy consumption, and advanced methods of maintenance. This shows technology is becoming a need for home buyers.
Corporate leaders have exploited technology to make their buildings compliant with energy policies. Real estate engineers have also revolutionized the way occupants access essential utilities. The development has benefited property owners too as they can get more value for their investment.
Smart building technologies help to save money, which is a plus for businesses looking to trim their budgets. IoT also provides data, which organizations in making business decisions.
Home automation is here to stay. Manufacturers of intelligent systems and investors are eying the industry. Consumers can only expect more impressive building products as time goes.
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