Monday morning, 8:00 a.m.: An employee drives straight down the last few meters to a parking space in the underground garage. An app on his cell phone told him in advance which parking spaces were still available. While he parks his car, the building technology prepares his office by adjusting lighting, heating or ventilation according to his preferences. All this is made possible by wireless and battery-free sensors that are networked with the building’s IT infrastructure and obtain the data needed for building automation.

Data is the new gold – and there is no shortage of data in the information age. Buildings also generate a lot of data that can be used for different use cases. In the field of building automation and for the Internet of Things (IoT), they form the basis for a wide range of processes. They tell you how the building is being used and show where optimization is still needed.

Since entire company complexes, municipal buildings or airports cannot be digitized at the push of a button, companies face major challenges that need to be overcome with clever IoT solutions. Read below to learn how to get more out of your building – there’s more to it than you think.

Smart buildings are networked buildings. These include offices, hotels, shopping centers or airports. Extensive use of IoT can make these buildings as comfortable to use as possible. However, smart buildings not only deliver a high level of comfort, they also play an important role in the energy transition.

Data analysis and intelligent algorithms help to reduce the building’s energy consumption and CO2 emissions – an important adjusting screw for obtaining subsidies and meeting the requirements of the EU Green Deal. Prerequisite for this: special
sensors
distributed at neuralgic points within the building complex. These sensors are networked together and enable energy and cost savings through data collected in real time.

This can be achieved, for example, through automated air conditioning and electrical engineering. Motion or heat detectors, for example, detect whether someone is in the office. The intelligent building technology then switches the light on or off accordingly.

Increasing efficiency and reducing operating costs – these are the most common reasons for collecting data in buildings. The data analysis serves as a decision-making basis for the control and regulation as well as the maintenance and repair of technical systems, such as elevators. As a rule, elevators are serviced by an external technician at a fixed time interval.

However, if an elevator is equipped with a sensor that measures and monitors the condition of components and transmits the obtained data to the cloud platform, you can significantly reduce the maintenance effort. If a defect due to wear and tear is imminent, technicians are notified by e-mail so that they can proactively maintain the elevator – even before failure and an expensive repair occur. Thus, data analysis and information management is particularly important for predictive maintenance.

The clever sensor technology also increases safety in the building: In the event of a fire, it detects how the smoke spreads. Over loudspeakers, a computer voice explains to people which escape route they should take. The MC100 and MC Technologies router solutions are ideal for retrofitting existing elevators. Thanks to LTE, no expensive cabling is needed to monitor operations or provide an emergency call system.

From temperature and air quality to lighting and the number of people in each room, IoT sensors continuously measure what’s happening in your building. They collect the raw data they need and transfer it to an IoT system. Because: Buildings are only smart if all components are brought into a central system. The sensors thus form the basis for building automation .

When you rely on innovative IoT solutions for your building, you benefit from lower energy consumption . In addition, you always keep an eye on technical faults that occur and take a proactive approach to maintenance work. And let’s not forget: For your employees, a smart building goes hand in hand with increased well-being and productivity.

As one of the leading European manufacturers in machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, we offer you the right solution for your needs. Fill out our contact form to learn more about the interplay of building automation and IoT as well as about our products – our sales team is ready to advise you.