Top 10 Smart Building Myths Exposed

Although smart buildings have been proven to save energy, streamline facilities management and prevent expensive equipment failures, many property owners and investors do not see the value in smart buildings, so Jones Lang LaSalle created a graphic that discredits the top 10 smart building myths.

A summary of the graphic follows.

Myth 10: Smart building technologies are expensive. Smart building technology investments typically pay for themselves within one or two years by delivering energy savings and other operational efficiencies.

Myth 9: Smart buildings are only about energy. A smart building management system often can detect potential equipment failure. Knowing the right time to repair or replace equipment extends machinery life, and reduces facility staff, operations and replacement costs.

Myth 8: Smart buildings and green buildings are the same thing. Smart buildings maximize energy efficiency from building systems and ensure air quality, while a complete “green” sustainability program includes strategies beyond building automation systems.

Myth 7: Industrial facilities or laboratories can’t become smart buildings. All types of buildings — whether residential or commercial — can be built or retrofitted to become highly automated and smart, even highly specialized facilities such as laboratories can be outfitted with smart building technologies.

Myth 6: Smart buildings can only be new buildings. Some of the smartest buildings in the world are not new at all, but have demonstrated the return on investment in smart technologies.

Myth 5: Smart building technologies are not interoperable. In the past, building automation equipment and controls were designed as proprietary systems. However, affordable new technologies now make it possible to gather data from disparate systems produced by any manufacturer.

Myth 4: Smart systems don’t make a building more attractive to tenants. Anything that improves energy efficiency, reduces occupancy cost and improves productivity is valuable to tenants, as numerous studies and surveys attest.

Myth 3: Without a municipal smart grid, a building can’t really be smart. Smart buildings gain functionality when supported by advanced electrical grids, but even without a smart grid, owners and investors can draw a wide range of benefits from smart buildings and a smart building management system that can monitor entire property portfolios.

Myth 2: Smart buildings are complicated to operate. Combined with a smart building management system, a smart building is often easier to operate and maintain than a building that lacks automated systems.

Myth 1: Smart buildings are a no-brainer. This myth isn’t a myth at all — it’s actually true. As affordable new technologies are adopted, tenants are beginning to expect smart building features — and owners and investors are beginning to realize the return on investment in smart systems.

Join JLL and Environmental Leader for a free intelligent energy systems webinar, Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 2pm EST/11am PST.