Donatas Karčiauskas, CEO of Exergio

Research studies continue to highlight that aside from environmental benefits, AI-based platforms in building energy management deliver economic savings and improve occupant well-being. Energy experts provide real-case examples for these tools.

Vilnius, Lithuania. Numerous studies delve into the potential of AI for buildings and their energy efficiency. While such AI-based platforms are often seen as primarily environmentally focused, the latest research showcases that they also deliver economic and social advantages.

“Latest AI platforms that focus on energy performance also provide other benefits such as cost-efficiency and even better quality of work for energy-efficient building occupants, creating a triple win for businesses, people, and the planet,” said Donatas Karčiauskas, CEO of Exergio, a company that provides AI-based solutions for buildings’ energy performance.

Energy performance experts provide insights on 3 key areas that benefit from such tools – environmental, economic, and social impact.

AI Tools are Needed to Reach Net-Zero Goals

The key aspect of implementing AI-for-energy tools in buildings is to reduce energy waste. It is particularly important in commercial buildings, where environmental impact is the highest due to energy consumption.

By managing energy systems in real time, AI helps lower carbon emissions by ensuring sustainable use of resources. Unlike traditional systems that react to changes, AI can predict energy needs and adjust operations accordingly, leading to more sustainable building management.

“With AI tools, we can fine-tune every aspect of a building’s energy use, squeezing out efficiencies that add to environmental gains. We have implemented such tools in office buildings and malls, where payback of deep renovations could take up to 10 years. It’s already too late to retrofit all the old build stock if we want to reach net-zero goals by 2050,” Karčiauskas explained. “AI, on the other hand, is capable of integrating thousands of data points of sensors in huge buildings. Most importantly, it takes action right away.”

The importance of data collection and sharing has also been outlined in the latest version of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.

Economic Benefits are Reached By Cost Savings Without Deep Retrofits

Another advantage of AI solutions for energy-efficient buildings is their ability to deliver cost savings. Traditional deep retrofits, while effective, come with high costs and extended payback periods.

AI offers a more efficient alternative, with solutions that integrate into existing systems and start delivering savings almost immediately. For instance, in Poznan, Poland, buildings equipped with Exergio’s AI platform achieved 20% reductions in energy waste, translating to financial savings of €80K in 9 months.

“Buildings are complex ecosystems, and AI allows us to uncover hidden efficiencies within them,” said Karčiauskas. “With the help of advanced algorithms, we have quickly found out that small, intelligent adjustments can lead to big savings. It’s about maximizing what’s already there, rather than overhauling entire systems.”

Due to AI Solutions, Working Spaces are Becoming More Comfortable for Occupants

AI also plays a key role in improving the comfort and well-being of building occupants by being able to make decisions. If traditional tools continuously monitor HVAC systems, AI solutions take it a step further by being able to adjust them, ensuring that indoor environments remain comfortable.

“AI gives us the power to make buildings more human-centric,” Karčiauskas added. “We’re able to create spaces that not only save energy but also enhance the daily experiences of the people who work and live in them. Old tools could amp up the cooling of large spaces when occupancy is low, wasting a lot of energy, and AI tools would not allow that to happen, because they make decisions on real-time data.”

This is particularly crucial in large office buildings and shopping centers, where maintaining consistent conditions can be challenging.

“Let’s not forget that we still often fear AI and think that it will replace us. However, in reality, it already benefits all of us, and human supervision is inevitable, especially in building management,” concluded Karčiauskas. “It’s like having a tool that predicts a disease when it is not visible yet. In the end, it will be engineers who will provide maintenance, and AI will only help us by telling us which parts need fixing.”