Smart building technology is currently being used throughout the engineering and construction industries in many ways and in varying degrees. Whether it’s controlling the temperature in a building, locking doors or windows or controlling lights and ceiling fans, technology makes monitoring a home or business much more convenient. With this advancement in technology, you can also monitor your building envelope. A building envelope is the physical barrier that separates the exterior from the interior of a building. Here are a few of the many benefits new technology offers when it comes to monitoring a building envelope.
How Smart Sensors Enhance Building Management
Software, sensors, analytics and automation all combine to enhance how a building is managed. Some of these sensors will use real-time weather data to control the temperature inside the building by automatically adjusting the HVAC system. On a similar note, technology can be used to monitor the performance of your HVAC system in general.
The real-time data shows the usage of the system, which could identify a potential issue if it appears to be working harder than it should. You can essentially take a snapshot of your building at any given time to identify problems and work toward improving efficiency by addressing any building envelope failures.
Potential Cost Savings With New Technology
One of the goals of a building envelope inspection is to identify areas where energy is being wasted. With smart technology, you can easily identify these areas right away and fix the problems promptly. Consequently, your HVAC system won’t have to work as hard and will result in energy savings. This technology will continue to advance, so the potential for more significant savings in the future is very likely.
Will Technology Eliminate The Need For Building Envelope Consultants and Inspections?
While some of the sensors can detect an issue, they can’t go to work to fix the issue. There’s still value in speaking with building envelope consultants and getting frequent evaluations, but it’s no secret that technology will make them less frequent in the future.