Stefan Schwab, CEO, Enlighted spoke to IoT Insider about artificial intelligence and how it’s being used to power smart buildings on the latest episode of IoT Unplugged.
Enlighted is a company that uses IoT and AI solutions to transform buildings into smart, sustainable, and vibrant spaces. Schwab has 18 years of experience in the buildings industry, working in various roles across Germany, Singapore, Australia, and now the United States.
He defines a smart building as an “autonomous building” where the technology automatically adapts to the needs and preferences of the occupants, without the occupants having to worry about managing the building. He explains that while the technology to create smart buildings exists, the industry is very conservative and resistant to change, which has slowed the widespread adoption of smart building technology.
Some of the key challenges he identifies include interoperability between different smart building technologies, data privacy, and security concerns from customers, and the general hesitancy of the building industry to embrace new technologies. He believes education and a more collaborative, ecosystem-driven approach is needed to overcome these hurdles.
Schwab provides examples of how AI-enabled IoT sensors can make buildings smarter and more efficient. For instance, sensors that can learn occupant preferences for temperature and automatically adjust the environment, or sensors that can intelligently manage lighting and HVAC based on occupancy, rather than just turning off after a set period of inactivity.
The conversation also touches on the important role smart buildings can play in sustainability. Schwab notes that buildings contribute 40% of global CO2 emissions, so optimising building operations through smart technology is crucial for reducing environmental impact. However, he argues that there is still a lot of “lip service” around sustainability in the industry, and more concrete action is needed to implement smart building solutions at scale.
Overall, he paints a picture of an industry that is ripe for transformation, with the technology available to create intelligent, sustainable, and occupant-centric buildings. But realising this vision will require overcoming cultural and organisational challenges through greater collaboration, education, and a focus on tangible use cases that deliver value to building owners and occupants.
Schwab’s insights into smart buildings can be heard on the full podcast episode, which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and at the link below.
