What this shows is that the idea of a smart building has always existed on a continuum. There is no single point at which a building is considered 100% “smart,” and most commercial, industrial, and residential buildings employ some level of automated technology.
Building overheads are a significant cost for any building owner/user. However, while these are a necessary business expense, the level of spend is often wasteful because it’s not intelligently applied. So, lights may be on in unused rooms or spaces heated when there are no people around to enjoy the warmth. The main motivation behind the smart building is to avoid this kind of wasteful use of energy and resources, both to cut cost and to improve energy efficiency
The main features of smart buildings in Ethiopia
Systems are connected
The most fundamental feature of a smart building is that the core systems within it are linked. So, water meters, pumps, fire alarms, power, lighting etc are all connected. This is what makes a building “smart” – the ability of the systems within it to talk to one another.
The use of sensors
Sensors are an integral part of smart buildings and play an important role in collecting data to inform decisions about where to allocate resources. So, for example, footfall counters may be integrated into the building to provide information on where people are at certain times of the day and which areas are high traffic.
Automation
Information is gathered and analyzed by the systems that have been put in place in a smart building – importantly, this is done constantly and in real time. This ongoing monitoring allows for automated adjustments that can control conditions across an entire building.
Data
Smart buildings generate a large volume of valuable data about their own use, which is something that regular buildings simply don’t do.
Smart building in Ethiopia
To show how smart building features can be utilized in Ethiopia, the Moseb building used.
Benefits of smart buildings in Ethiopia
They make the occupants more productive
Air quality, physical comfort, security, sanitation, lighting and even room and space availability can all be delivered at an optimum level to enable occupants to perform well.
Reducing energy consumption
Smart buildings are greener, more energy efficient and more cost effective.
The end of guesswork
The use of sensors and cameras provides precise data on how the building is being used, which can be converted into insightful decision making. Space utilization can be improved based on actual data, as the building generates actionable, living intelligence automatically.
Significant operational savings
This includes the savings that can be made in terms of everyday spend and maintenance on equipment. It also extends to the potential savings that are offered by identifying underutilised resources and the potential for growth into unused spaces.
