Page 23 - RC19 RealcommEDGE 2019 Fall Issue

a tool. For example, companies such as BrainBox AI,
a Canadian company that is introducing these types
of solutions to market, connects an artificial ‘brain’
to a building’s HVAC system so that it can ‘think’
for itself and make decisions based on real-time
internal and external data. It seamlessly integrates
into a building’s existing HVAC system, analyzes the
building for a period of four to six weeks and uses its
suite of algorithms to send more efficient operating
instructions to the HVAC system.

Once BrainBox AI’s solution is implemented, a building
experiences a 25 to 35% reduction of total energy
costs and a 20 to 40% reduction in a building’s carbon
An artificial brain for autonomous heating and cooling footprint in under three months. It also improves
When thinking of the energy consumption of a building, it is occupant comfort by an average of 60%, which has
imperative to consider the HVAC (heating, ventilating and been shown to build tenant attractiveness and boosts
air conditioning) system. These systems typically account employee productivity and retention.
for 45% of total energy usage in commercial buildings, so
the potential for savings is significant.

In fact, there are three main energy consumption
categories in the US: light duty vehicles, residential HVAC
and commercial HVAC. What’s interesting is that the first
two categories are already being addressed by numerous
organizations, many of which we know very well, such as
Tesla, Ecobee or Nest. However, the commercial HVAC
world has presented itself as far more challenging, and it
is about time a game-changing innovation is introduced
to it. In an overwhelming number of cases, HVAC systems
are poorly designed and operated, and current methods
used to improve a building’s energy efficiency, such as
continuous commissioning, are time-consuming and can
become very costly. AI, on the other hand, is revolutionizing
building management by preemptively changing how HVAC
systems behave and offering a low-cost, high-impact Autonomous buildings can address sustainability
solution to improve commercial HVAC management. challenges facing real estate and the built
environment. Great strides have been made in
Using deep learning, cloud-based computing and sustainable transportation, yet building automation
algorithms to support a 24/7 self-operating building is lacking such progress. The introduction of
that requires no human intervention and enables autonomous building technologies will be key to
maximum energy efficiency is the future. Automating the making cities more sustainable and will make a
commissioning process in this manner would enable a full significant difference in our global fight against
building commissioning every five minutes. It is the next climate change.
disruptive innovation that will enable significant energy
savings in the real estate space, while simultaneously
improving occupant comfort.
brainboxai.com
Using AI to get results—and fast
When thinking of AI to enable cost savings by reducing
energy consumption, the industry needs to think beyond

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