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Open to Decarbonize
Open systems technology has the power to accelerate building decarbonization
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Open to Decarbonize
Open systems technology has the power to accelerate building decarbonization
Open systems technology has the power to accelerate building decarbonization
By Fabio Mercurio, Global Head of Strategy, Sustainability & Portfolio Management Smart Buildings at ABB
As we consider the biggest opportunities for our sector in 2024 enabling greater connectivity and integration between devices, increased energy efficiency, and ultimately accelerating buildings decarbonization, are in sharp focus. Buildings are responsible for 40 percent of energy consumption and for 30 percent of global GHG emissions (direct and indirect energy emissions including materials and construction). This offers huge potential to improve energy efficiency and we are experiencing unprecedented levels of evolution in technology that moves us towards a net-zero future.
BUILDINGS
Tackling the complex challenges to buildings smartification
While smart building technology is available and progressing at full speed the real challenge lies in meeting differing, and sometimes conflicting customer needs. In a multi-unit space, for example, customers range from building owner to facility manager and down to an individual tenant. When taking into account the different functions buildings rely on, the electrical and mechanical installations through to elevators, escalators and security systems, integrating data to optimize energy efficiency and comfort for all users can be complex. The numbers of different systems and components can be large, and they are unique to each building.
BUILDINGS
Making life both smarter and simpler
Building occupants and managers can now have solutions for everything from heating, door entry, lighting, and blinds, to electric car charging - each with its own app. The irony of this is that the technology promising ease can instead become overwhelming to run. Yet if all management and charging solutions, along with appliances, irrespective of the brand or manufacturer, can communicate with one another, not only can complexity and overwhelm be eliminated, but advanced efficiencies are also made possible.
HOMES
Open systems with unlimited potential for residential applications
The key to unlocking progress lies in the evolution of open technology and industry collaboration. Open systems technology enables us to start addressing the real challenge of providing the right kind of connectivity access and functionality to property managers while enabling a unit to be individualized for the tenant. Partnerships between like-minded partners can make this a reality. A universal standard, supported by all major platforms, can enable the secure, open interconnection of previously separated worlds. This can help smart homes, incorporating a diverse range of devices and technology, to operate in full harmony and with occupant ease. Matter and Thread – the revolutionary standards for home connectivity – do exactly that. Matter is the connecting layer within apps and is backed by Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung, among other major players, to boost interoperability between smart home devices and platforms. While Thread is the wireless protocol that allows all devices to seamlessly speak to each other.
BUILDINGS
Partnerships to power efficiency and increase comfort
Truly smart buildings of the future use connected devices and appliances integrated through a centralized system to save money, time, and energy. This is where partnership is essential and has the power to be genuinely groundbreaking. A case in point is our global partnership with Samsung Electronics which combines and integrates ABB-free@home® into the SmartThings platform.
SmartThings includes over 350 different partners and their products and when this is combined with our own solutions it covers literally every smart home solution need. Residents can use their personal devices to manage the full spectrum of Samsung white goods and consumer electronics, as well as electric vehicle charging and all smart home control and management devices for HVAC, lighting, shading, door-entry and security with only one user interface.
As well as bringing comfort and convenience to people’s lives in ways they can easily control, collaborations like this deliver improvements in critical areas such as energy efficiency. Consumers benefit from optimizing off-peak tariffs, for example, supporting grid optimization and lower energy costs. This is why vendor collaboration is so important – the whole becomes much greater than the sum of the parts.
"vendor collaboration is so important – the whole becomes much greater than the sum of the parts."
COMMUNITIES
Building tomorrow’s smart communities and enabling a low-carbon society
Ensuring smart and sustainable functionality is embedded at the beginning, from design to construction processes, creates a future-proof building build for efficiency, security, convenience and comfort. But just as important as smartification in the new build sector, is revolutionizing our existing buildings, set to serve us for decades to come and each and every one with its unique structure.
Our recent investment in Lumin in the US is one example of how we can achieve this through partnership. It provides an innovative platform enabling electrification upgrades without changing a home’s existing electrical panel, offering unprecedented insights into energy consumption, to shift loads in support of the energy transition for communities.
Given that 70 percent of our 9.8bn global population is expected to live in urban areas by 2050, and with 40 percent of all energy consumption being by buildings, it’s imperative that smart connectivity evolves from single dwellings to multi-dwelling properties and environments.
By enhancing our smart home solution to a system that is holistic, connected, bi-directional, and integrated with Samsung SmartThings, we can fulfill the needs for all types of multi-dwelling and even mixed-use properties. This will enable the greatest possible impact in energy management and superior convenience in smart communities.
We now have the technology, and through the power of partnership and a shared vision, we can create the energy-smart, sustainable communities of our future.
About the Author
Fabio Mercurio Head of Strategy, Sustainability & Portfolio Management ABB Smart Buildings
Fabio Mercurio leads strategy and portfolio management for ABB Smart Buildings, a $3+ billion division of ABB that offers solutions for safe and reliable energy distribution and for smart and sustainable homes and buildings. His responsibility includes division strategy definition and implementation, portfolio management, sustainability, collaboration with startups, and inorganic business development (mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures, partnerships, and strategic investments). Fabio initially joined ABB in 2019 as Vice President for Corporate Strategy for the entire Group. Prior to that, he served a 12-year tenure for Kearney, a management consulting firm. He spent over a decade in Asia and China where he headed the firm’s innovation practice, focusing on strategy and innovation for international and Asian groups across energy, automotive and electronics. Fabio is also member of the Board of Directors of Brainbox AI, has mentored several startups and has worked for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Beijing (China) and the Italian Consulate in Miami (USA). He holds a master’s in business administration (MBA) from China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), as well as a master’s degree in Economics from University of Tor Vergata, Rome. He speaks Italian, English, Mandarin-Chinese and Spanish.