The Arrival of AI for Buildings
Artificial intelligence (AI)鈥攖he ability of computers to learn and act like the human mind鈥攊s here, and buildings are prime candidates for AI-powered solutions. Buildings generate thousands of data points that contain solutions to operations and management challenges. Without AI to examine and learn from patterns in the data, these solutions go undetected, along with potentially significant cost savings.
Artificial intelligence (AI)鈥攖he ability of computers to learn and act like the human mind鈥攊s here, and buildings are prime candidates for AI-powered solutions. Buildings generate thousands of data points that contain solutions to operations and management challenges. Without AI to examine and learn from patterns in the data, these solutions go undetected, along with potentially significant cost savings.
This was the message delivered by Matt Eggers, vice president of Yardi Energy, at the 乐竞体育赛事直播 Global Summit. Eggers introduced the concept of AI by pointing to well-known examples of computers outsmarting champions in chess, Go, and Jeopardy. In the case of Go, prodigy Ke Jie , Google鈥檚 AlphaGo, 鈥�100 percent perfection鈥� and 鈥渢he god of the Go game.鈥�
The Power of AI in Buildings
AI allows for continuous correction of a building鈥檚 HVAC system according to the property鈥檚 unique energy profile. After original commissioning at construction, the HVAC system tends to drift into inefficiency through normal wear and degradation, load changes and incorrect operations such as overridden controls. Recommissioning the HVAC system can fix this problem鈥攂ut only temporarily, until the system once again drifts, wasting energy and money along the way.
Yardi鈥檚 AI-powered HVAC optimization platform, , installs like an app on the building automation system and corrects HVAC operations every 30 seconds. This constant correction can result in substantial energy and cost savings compared to conventional operations, as shown in the table below. Another benefit鈥攃onstant indoor temperature adjustments increase tenant comfort and result in fewer hot and cold calls.
听
Source: Yardi Systems, Inc.
New Risks Ahead
Eggers acknowledged that recent advances in technology鈥攊ncluding AI and the big data it relies upon鈥攃an be unsettling and potentially harmful. While an army of robots attacking its human creators is unlikely, new technology brings new risks. Hackers exploited a security weakness in web-enabled HVAC systems to steal private customer data from Target, for example.
Security is one reason AI is best deployed in conjunction with human beings, Eggers continued. This includes a trusted solutions provider who can advise on an energy management solution for a specific building, someone who will say if a particular technology, including AI, is not a good fit. Human beings need to be there along the way, as well. A competent property manager or building engineer controls Yardi鈥檚 AI solution through a tablet computer, for instance.
AI in Property Management Has Just Begun
AI has the potential to provide solutions to all sorts of management challenges in hiring, customer service, security and other areas of operations. Yardi has other AI solutions on the horizon, said Eggers, and will soon release an Internet of Things (IoT) platform for multifamily properties.
Properly deployed and managed, new technologies can take management and operations to an entirely new level of efficiency and service.
About the Author
Todd Feist is sustainability program manager at 乐竞体育赛事直播 Headquarters in Chicago.