AI and automation to help reduce building energy consumption

Honeywell and CISCO collaboration on an AI-powered solution uses real-time occupancy data to help in reducing energy consumption and manage the environmental impact of buildings for worker productivity and comfort.

This collaboration is part of Honeywell’s larger initiative to help companies lower the environmental impact of their buildings and aligns Honeywell’s portfolio with three key megatrends: automation, energy transition, and sustainability. The joint effort of Honeywell Forge Sustainability+ for Buildings and Cisco Spaces, uses AI and machine learning to help monitor assets to adjust HVAC systems based on real-time occupancy for a single building or an entire campus. 

Cisco Spaces collects occupancy and environmental data from Cisco network infrastructure, environmental sensors, collaboration devices and third-party IoT devices without the need to add additional hardware. Honeywell Forge Sustainability+ for Buildings then uses this information to help improve energy efficiency and provide insights on building utilisation. Together with Honeywell’s latest Optimiser Advanced Controller for Buildings, this real-time occupancy data can help further improve energy efficiency for greater resiliency.

Room temperatures, lighting and ventilation are autonomously adjusted based on where people are in the building and customer selected controls. This ultimately helps automate daily building operations, optimise energy use and drive employee comfort while monitoring GHG emissions.

Greg Turner, Chief Technology Officer of Honeywell’s Building Automation segment said, “Buildings have historically been a substantial contributor to overall carbon emissions, but with the rise of hybrid work, operators now have the opportunity to take a fresh look at addressing their environmental impact by moving their HVAC systems away from consistent 9-to-5 schedules. By tapping into a building’s existing technology infrastructure and harnessing the power of AI to fine-tune heating and cooling according to zone occupancy levels, our collaboration with Cisco empowers building owners to gain control of their environment and significantly curb emissions.”

Wes Sylvester, Vice President of Cisco’s Industry Solutions Group said, “The convergence of IT and OT infrastructures, seamlessly interoperable with leading building management system (BMS) platforms, ushers in an era of real-time data insights that can optimize energy usage, regardless of building age or retrofit status. By working closely with Honeywell, we’re enabling building operators with enhanced visibility and control over operational data, setting a new standard for energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact.” 

For more information on Honeywell, visit www.honeywell.com