How IoT can Improve Facilities Management

By Apac CIO Outlook | Monday, July 20, 2020

Fremont, CA: Facilities management is a challenging job with countless demands and responsibilities. Facilities managers are responsible for maintenance and engineering, security, tenant relationships, property management, environmental control, space planning, communications, and more. And the ecosystem in which this takes place is not at all stagnant. Changing government regulations create compliance challenges. Besides this, facilities managers face other challenges regarding energy costs increasing, changing expectations of tenants, and occasional mishaps in the building. With the help of internet of things (IoT), they can overcome such obstacles.

Let us look at how IoT technology can improve facilities management:

Creating Smart Buildings

In the landscape of facilities management, the IoT is any network of devices that help make a building smarter. Technology like smart energy meters can help get rid of the routine visits to take meter readings. IoT can also include environmental controls and connected thermostats, motion sensors to monitor where tenants are within the floorplan, diagnostic sensors for machinery, and cameras and security sensors inside and around the building. For instance, setting up sensors around an office building can allow one to optimize workspaces better. Facilities management can then leverage the real-time information captured by IoT technology to understand what conference rooms and other spaces are over-and underused and make changes accordingly to enhance the tenant experience.

Predictive Analytics

Predictive analysis is another useful feature of the IoT. By gearing up mechanical assets with sensors that measure things such as power quality, temperature, and vibration, facility managers can receive real-time feedback on equipment status.

Moreover, IoT analytics tools can analyze the data and make predictions about when equipment needs maintenance and when it would fail. For instance, vibration data is a strong predictor of looming faults in HVAC systems, which gives the facilities managers to take proactive actions and make the emergency repairs.

Cost Savings

Facilities can save huge costs by utilizing IoT technology to measure and track occupancy for other applications, like climate control and managing lighting. By collecting a suite of data related to temperature, light, CO2, humidity, and even volatile organic compounds (VOC), it will be easier to improve tenant health and wellbeing.