As a society, we are getting deeper and deeper into the age of “smart” technologies. It’s reported that 85% of Americans own two or more smart devices.
However, these smart building controls are even more meaningful when used in a business setting. Here, they have the potential to cut costs while improving public perception.
So, how does this work? What are smart controls and how can a business use smart buildings to make their business better? Read on to find out!
What Are Smart Building Controls?
Smart building controls take advantage of technology to control the functions within a building. These range from turning on and off the lights to controlling the entire HVAC system. The options here are plentiful.
Most smart building controls are automated and involve turning on or turning off different devices. This makes it so that the devices are turned off when they are not needed but ensures they are still on when they need to be.
For example, one of the most popular types of smart building controls is smart lighting controls. These use motion or other sensors to tell if people are in the room. If they sense that no one is in the room, they turn the lights off or turn them down.
How Do Smart Building Controls Help Businesses?
Smart building controls provide a lot of benefits to a business. These don’t necessarily change the way business takes place but, instead, improve the general efficiency of the building itself.
Many of these benefits specifically come from the way they allow building automation systems to take place.
Saving Money
The most obvious way in which building automation helps businesses is by saving money. A greater level of control over electrical appliances directly leads to monetary savings.
Let’s return to the smart lighting systems example that was already discussed. These lights turn off or dim when no one is in the room. This means that, when no one is in the room, energy isn’t being spent unnecessarily to provide power to lights no one is using.
This prevents a business from having to pay for lighting when it simply isn’t necessary. Cutting down on this simple cost has the potential to dramatically reduce energy bills. When paired with energy-efficient lighting, this has an even greater impact.
These technologies are also better than they were before. Now, sensors like these are capable of detecting motion through plastic, glass, and thin non-metal materials. Many are even paired with daylight sensors, offering two smart technologies at once.
Smart lighting is just one example of a technology that improves a business. There are plenty of different devices and appliances that will see reduced energy usage when paired with automated building components. Plus, there are other smart technologies that simply use less energy in general.
Saving money like this is obviously a good thing. However, it is becoming more and more important in the near future. Various factors across the global landscape have led to the price of electricity going up.
So, cutting electric costs provides an immediate benefit. However, doing so also allows the business to be more prepared as it moves into the future.
Greater Control
While saving money is a fantastic benefit, there is also something to be said about the greater level of control provided by smart devices. These devices give you the ability to adjust everything going on in your building to your exact specifications.
Smart routines are a great way to do this. You may create schedules for the heating and cooling systems so that they run at a higher intensity at one part of the day and run at a lower intensity at another part of the day. You may also decide to have a security system turn on after the work day is over.
This level of control is simply not offered by conventional appliances. However, it is something that will benefit many businesses.
Public Relations
While reducing energy costs is a great way to save money, it is also a great way to show that your company cares about the environment. Sustainability is key right now and customers want to do business with companies that are making an effort to be sustainable. Emphasizing sustainability goes a long way when it comes to public relations.
One of the biggest ways to become more sustainable is by reducing energy usage. This is the key benefit provided by smart building controls. So, as your building becomes smarter, it also becomes more sustainable.
After pushing forward a series of smart building changes, you could create an entire advertising campaign that explains the changes you just accomplished. This campaign should emphasize that your building just cut energy consumption by a certain percentage. You may even want to calculate and then precisely state the amount of CO2 emissions your changes have eliminated.
With the boost in business provided by an advertising campaign like this, you may end up paying for the smart changes you made. Plus, many governments provide tax incentives, utility rebates, or grants to companies attempting to reduce energy usage. These factors, plus the fact that you are already saving on monthly costs, give another financial incentive to the project.
Making Use of Smart Building Controls
Smart building controls have the ability to change a business in a positive way. They help reduce costs, provide a greater level of control, and create a better public image. Overall, there are plenty of ways in which businesses benefit from properly making use of smart building controls.
If you are interested in smart lighting controls for commercial buildings, make sure to contact LITELUME to find out what options will work best for your business.
