WSJ: Artificial Intelligence Steps In to Lower Carbon Footprint of Buildings
August 31, 2023 Buildings significantly contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions, underscoring the importance of reducing their energy consumption to achieve net-zero emissions goals by 2050. This article explores how companies are investing in AI to mitigate their carbon footprint. JLL is actively investing in AI technologies to assist organizations in reducing emissions and operating more sustainably. Their investments include Turntide, a company installing electric motors coupled with small computers to learn from usage patterns and optimize heating and cooling systems, and Envio Systems, which develops sensors to adjust lighting, cooling, and energy-related activities based on occupancy and usage patterns. Despite the potential of AI to reduce emissions, challenges persist, particularly in acquiring sufficient data to train AI models. Siemens also leverages AI to compare buildings with similar counterparts and predict potential energy savings following the implementation of smart energy management systems. Additionally, venture capital firms like Fifth Wall are backing startups offering AI-driven solutions for decarbonizing buildings, as they believe AI can expedite processes such as identifying economically viable building upgrades, navigating regulatory requirements across different countries, creating design mock-ups, and developing sustainable materials.