Facility managers are increasingly looking to adopt the Internet of Things (IoT) in their building maintenance strategies, with 60% of professionals predicting that IoT will impact their building and maintenance policies within the next year, according to a survey by Schneider Electric.
Roughly two out of three respondents plan to increase investment in building capital expenses in 2016, including advanced building technologies. A few factors are hampering facility managers from taking full advantage of building data, the survey indicated. Seventy percent of facility managers said that their building management staff is very or extremely skilled in data analysis, but only 27% utilize data-driven analytics solutions for building management.
Key barriers to uptake include the amount of funding required (39% say that is a top concern), and a lack of internal resources available to interpret data into actionable results (31% report that as a top concern). Only 26% of respondents feel that available building information is totally adequate for facility maintenance planning. A majority of respondents cited room for improvement in this area, and only 15% said that they fully utilize predictive maintenance tools to proactively assess and target equipment maintenance.
“Facility professionals need to be able to better visualize what’s happening across their footprint and make educated decisions to correct and improve conditions,” said Brett Wheless, director of field services, Schneider Electric. “More than half of facility managers are still largely reactive when it comes to maintaining building systems, which can have major impacts on occupant comfort and can decrease the life of the building. We are now seeing a change in attitude among facility professionals that is driving them to think differently about the way they collect and assimilate building data.”
Related Stories
| Jun 5, 2014
Over budget Homeland Security headquarters project may be canceled
A massive new headquarters for the Department of Homeland Security is more than $1.5 billion over budget, 11 years behind schedule, and may never be completed.
| Jun 5, 2014
Insurance giant sues nearly 200 Illinois communities for failing to prepare for climate change
Farmers Insurance filed nine class action suits against nearly 200 communities in the Chicago area, saying that local governments should have prepared for rising global temperatures that have led to heavier rains and flooding.
| Jun 4, 2014
Dikes, water pumps, and parks will help New York City area be more resilient
The Obama Administration has pledged $1 billion in federal funding to protect the New York City region from flooding like the area experienced from Superstorm Sandy.
| Jun 4, 2014
Green initiative may scuttle high-rise projects in Berkeley, California, critics charge
Volunteers in Berkeley, Calif., are collecting signatures for the “Green Downtown & Public Commons Initiative,” a controversial measure that critics charge would halt some development in the city.
| Jun 2, 2014
Parking structures group launches LEED-type program for parking garages
The Green Parking Council, an affiliate of the International Parking Institute, has launched the Green Garage Certification program, the parking industry equivalent of LEED certification.
| May 28, 2014
Commercial building measurement standard could meet resistance from owners
For some building owners, a new measurement standard could mean that their building would shrink in size and lose value.
| May 28, 2014
Resiliency measures for hurricanes can help with tornadoes
Architect Butch Grimes, who examined the wreckage after a half-mile tornado struck Tuscaloosa, Ala., believes toughening building codes can reduce damage from twisters.
| May 28, 2014
Rooftop wind turbines becoming green status symbol in New York City
New York City developers are using rooftop wind turbines in an effort to attract buyers by highlighting a building’s green credentials.
| May 28, 2014
Peer review process under way for the WELL Building Standard
The standard is the first protocol of its kind that focuses on improving human wellness within the built environment by identifying specific conditions that, when holistically integrated into building interiors, enhance the health and wellbeing of the occupants.
| May 22, 2014
ASHRAE releases best practice guide for liquid cooling systems in data centers
The publication provides guidelines on interface requirements between chilled-water systems and technology cooling systems and on the requirements of liquid-cooled systems that attach to a datacom electronics rack.
