Why is energy management important in building design?
A low carbon society needs buildings that are designed with energy efficiency and energy management in mind. We know that buildings account for over 30 percent of global energy consumption – the opportunities for improvements and savings are clear. Being able to optimize energy use and incorporate renewable energy sources are essential.
How can we make buildings more energy efficient?
Sustainability needs to be part of the building’s energy infrastructure: it starts with the use of more sustainable materials. Beyond that, buildings need an approach that hardwires smart energy management into their energy distribution from design and construction to maintenance. The ABB Ability Energy Manager provides a complete solution to push data driven efficiency to the next level.
How do BREEAM and LEED certifications help?
They’re both independently verified standards that provide credible insights into the sustainability of buildings. They also provide proven methodologies for improvements. BREEAM – short for Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method – is a leading method for assessing sustainability in the construction sector.
The system assesses the environmental, social and economic sustainability performance of buildings, communities and infrastructure projects. LEED or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is an internationally recognized green building certification system. BREEAM credits and LEED certifications, from gold to platinum, make it simple to compare projects and give customers certainty.
How does ABB help partners get the highest ratings?
We help them navigate the credits and certification process, highlighting the ways they can achieve the higher levels of performance needed. For gold or platinum certification, having a supervision system is essential. It streamlines the process and contributes to a higher LEED score.
We encourage partners to invest in measures that earn points across different categories. This is a simple way to ensure they are making the most of their green building investment – and getting the best value.
Is an energy management system now essential?
An energy management system is not mandatory for securing a LEED platinum rating; you can also install meters and collect data manually. It’s workable as a solution in theory. In practice, it is more efficient to have a system like the ABB Ability Energy Manager, which covers both the supervision and energy management.
What’s the future of energy management for buildings?
As we connect more devices and add more loads, buildings and users will need more and more power. AI will play a big role in future green buildings, making energy management automatic. AI can automate the analysis process and identify opportunities for energy savings and when maintenance is needed to improve efficiency.
For both users and AI to understand and interpret data, it helps to digitalize the building’s power infrastructure in the right way. That’s what ABB Energy Manager and our smart circuit breakers do. They give us the precise data needed to identify savings.
