A recently released study evaluates artificial intelligence’s potential in the building sector, focusing on medium office buildings in the U.S.
Artificial intelligence has emerged as a technology to enhance productivity and improve life quality, the study notes. “However, its role in building energy efficiency and carbon emission reduction has not been systematically studied.”
A methodology was developed to assess and quantify potential emissions reductions. Key areas identified were equipment, occupancy influence, control and operation, and design and construction.
Six scenarios were used to estimate energy and emissions savings across representative climate zones.
“Here we show that artificial intelligence could reduce cost premiums, enhancing high energy efficiency and net zero building penetration,” the report’s authors noted.
According to the study, adopting artificial intelligence could reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions by approximately 8% to 19% in 2050.
“Combining with energy policy and low-carbon power generation could approximately reduce energy consumption by 40% and carbon emissions by 90% compared to business-as-usual scenarios in 2050.”
Buildings are complex systems, with thousands of components, such as walls, windows, and HVAC and lighting systems, the study notes. “Building constructions usually involve planning, analyzing, developing and constructing, each requiring substantial knowledge, investment, and labor. Building constructions often pose potential threats to the health and safety of construction workers.”
AI has the potential to reduce costs across various stages of the construction process, mitigate risks, and enhance health and welfare benefits, the study said.
“Moreover, the interactions between building occupants and building components are nonlinear and difficult to capture using traditional rule-based control algorithms. With advanced AI algorithms such as deep learning and reinforcement learning, the AI model can itself learn from operational data and evolve itself with continuous live data to optimize objective functions and improve performance,” the study said.
The report is available for download here.
