OECD released a new report that shows the increasing role of buildings in fighting against climate change. Buildings account for nearly 70% of energy-related CO2 emissions in major cities like New York, Paris, and Tokyo. It highlights the urgency for countries and megacities to decarbonise the building sector.
More than 140 countries have declared net-zero goals, but most of them still lack concrete mechanisms that would help monitor and reduce emissions, especially in the building industry.
Among indicated plans, a global trend has emerged to prioritise retrofitting existing buildings, up from 39% in previous years. Retrofitting is a more efficient option than constructing new energy-efficient buildings.
However, experts from Exergio state that adopting digital technologies with AI can save up to 30% of energy without the need for deep renovations.
According to the latest OECD report, Global Monitoring of Policies for Decarbonising Buildings, building owners can incorporate digital technologies into their systems, optimise energy use, and meet sustainability targets.
Donatas Karčiaukas, CEO of Exergio, has been improving the approach by introducing AI-driven analytics into similar models. "AI-based analytics is a more advanced way to monitor energy as it can identify inefficiencies more precisely and faster than traditional ones. With AI, we can detect issues like a malfunctioning sensor before it becomes noticeable, based on subtle changes in energy consumption patterns,” explained Donatas. “AI not only analyzes data but also predicts potential problems, and optimises energy use in real-time. This way we can save up to 30% of energy for our customers.”
“This technology is not yet widely used but is a part of the future of building management. Upon increasing data volumes and huge operational systems, there is a need for platforms that would integrate all of this information and systemise it for end-users. While working with our platform, we realised that the next step is to allow building managers to understand where the biggest issues currently are or may emerge soon," elaborated Karčiauskas. “We can only achieve that by integrating the data from thousands of sensors and inputs, and we’re talking about a single building here.”