Today, technology is a regular part of our everyday lives. In our cars, the homes we live in, and sometimes even found on our wrists in the form of smart watches or in our pockets.
Technological innovation doesn’t stop there either. It can be fully integrated into your life as a facilities management professional too.
Smart buildings and smart cities are here and you can find control over your facility’s energy usage by implementing smart technology into your workplace. But how can you overcome the big challenges that come with big upgrades?
1. Cost
Likely the first concern with implementing smart technology into your facility would be how much it will cost, and will the results make the costs worth it? But a lack of funding impacts building upgrades in facilities so often, even when they are not related to new technology.
Smart technology will give an unparalleled control over your building that could make a huge difference in energy as well as make it easier for facilities personnel to operate spaces and keep spaces comfortable. The automation of the smart systems implemented could help save on energy costs without compromising safety or comfort.
2. Using new technology
Reach out to your smart technology vendor when you are unsure about your ability to operate the new addition to your building. You want to make sure you are making the most of your new investment, and some vendors may be able to offer training or documentation that will help you navigate your smart tech.
Some people are not even aware that smart technology can exist for HVAC systems, lighting, window shading, or other areas of your facility. Other people may only have heard of these systems, but could be reluctant to use them because of a fear that it could be too difficult to use.
Speak with your facilities team to determine their level of familiarity in this area. Once you can identify the needs of each individual, it will become easier to develop a plan to get everyone on the same level of understanding and to remove any stress or fear of using new tech in your facility.
3. Security
A common concern with a new internet-connected system is the cybersecurity risk. It is important to understand what reasonably can and cannot be done in your building to ensure your information remains secure.
However, smart tech may actually provide improvements to your current security measures. Smart buildings can provide you with advanced data protection.
Connecting people with technology can improve your building's physical security as well.
4. How it can change your building
Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) technology paired with smart connectivity controls provides not only temperature controllability but also cost savings. Facility managers can manage equipment, lighting, security and electricity remotely from a single interface with technology upgrades. The ability to connect a system to optional door, ceiling, window and carbon dioxide sensors, a building can truly become “smart,” so that the heating and cooling technology automatically adjusts based on in-room conditions.
VRF technology can save you up to 30 percent on HVAC energy costs, as a result of their smaller design which uses less material than older HVAC models, according to the General Services Administration. These systems are also more accurate, with a decreased margin of error. This means that there will be an extended amount of time between repairs and replacement cycles.
Implementing a smart system into your building can measure data without using identifiable images of staff, improve the environmentally friendly credentials of construction, and bring down monthly costs. Your building can benefit from smart technology too. Smart buildings are still relatively new but given the wide range of benefits they can offer, they will become the normal standard in time.