The modern home is well equipped with some degree of intelligence. From smart thermostats to home security systems, we are finding new ways to outfit our living spaces to deliver more comfort and energy optimization. Commercial facilities are also being designed with these goals in mind and often consist of a number of interconnected smart systems that work together.
Some believe that the optimization of homes and office facilities is merely the beginning. The article "Smart Homes" published in Mechanical Engineering, suggests that in order to truly optimize our energy consumption, groups of buildings must be integrated with one another. This will provide an optimal balance of supply and demand and enable in-house sustainable renewable energy s
ources that can feed extra energy back to grid. Essentially buildings, according to Mr. Geraud Darnies, President & CEO of United Technologies Corporation, will be "ecosystem themselves and rest in balance with the natural environment."
While this type of integration can allow for new opportunities to make smart decisions, it does pose a significant number of complexities relating to the technical challenges, as it becomes harder to monitor, predict and control. A scalable analytics system or solution capable of monitoring the performance, health management and control strategies would be necessary due to the complexity and uncertainty of such an integrated system.
As far fetched as this may seem, smart cities may be closer than you think. The development of data analytic programs are making this more of a reality, in addition to the increase of building control systems on the market. The cost savings impact of such a development is undeniable, but only the future will tell whether or not this will truly be a success.
Sources:
"Smart Buildings." Mechanical Engineering. December 2013.
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