Quantifying AI's Possible Impact on Building Carbon Emissions

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AI technology, combined with smart policies and incentives, has the potential to greatly reduce energy use and carbon emissions in buildings. Plus, insurers are using drones, satellites, AI, and machine learning to gather detailed aerial imagery for better risk assessment and informed underwriting decisions.

Quantifying AI's Possible Impact on Building Carbon Emissions

Technology is at the forefront of the push to decarbonize the world’s buildings. One of the most promising technologies to help buildings be more efficient and reduce their carbon footprint is AI. AI has numerous applications for building management, and when paired with sensors and automated building controls, it can fine-tune a building’s operations significantly better than a human could.

But exactly how much can AI and machine learning really help? One research team believes they have figured that out, and their findings provide valuable insights into what is needed to hit our carbon reduction goals. In a paper titled "Potential of Artificial Intelligence in Reducing Energy and Carbon Emissions of Commercial Buildings at Scale," published recently in Nature, researchers tried to estimate what emissions of buildings would look like under different scenarios.

They estimated what carbon emissions from buildings would look like in a “business as usual” scenario both with and without the use of AI. Then they compared that to their predictions for what carbon output would look like if policies were enacted to push the property building industry to upgrade to more energy-efficient standards through "building codes and energy efficiency standards, incentives, subsidies, financial assistance, and government-funded programs.”

What they found was that AI can provide significant benefits. “Adopting AI technology at scale is expected to decrease US medium office buildings’ energy consumption and CO2 emissions by ~8 percent compared with the ‘business as usual’ scenario without AI,” the report said. However, according to the study, for buildings to see the most benefit, technology needs to be paired with effective policies: “Combining with energy policy and low-carbon power generation could approximately reduce energy consumption by 40 percent and carbon emissions by 90 percent compared to business-as-usual scenarios in 2050.”

For the purpose of the study, the researchers used a mid-sized office building as their hypothetical example, so the results don’t represent what AI could do for every building. What the study illustrates is that while technology is a critical part of our decarbonization journey, it can’t achieve our goals alone. It will need to be paired with governmental help, both in the form of incentives and regulations.

What’s Happening in Commercial Real Estate

Cut to cure
KPB Architects have released images of their conversion project of the HSBC Tower in London. The innovative design features terraces that are carved out of the building to be used for breakout and entertainment areas.

Drink and run
Amazon is considering requiring workers to stay a minimum number of hours in order for an office visit to count towards their three day a week mandate in an attempting to crack down on “coffee badging.”

Propmodo Technology

In today's uncertain real estate market, insurers are using advanced tools like drones, satellites, AI, and machine learning to gather detailed aerial imagery for better risk assessment. This technology helps reveal structural conditions and environmental factors, aiding informed underwriting decisions, especially as extreme weather events increase.

Check out this week’s Propmodo Technology focus on Insurance and Risk Management with the support of our friends at Partner Engineering and Science, Inc.

What to Watch

Join us on Tuesday, July 30th, for a Propmodo Live webinar where we will explore the latest office occupancy trends reshaping workplace performance and utilization. We'll delve into shifting demand patterns, highlight success stories from various sectors, and discuss the effects of hybrid work models on occupancy and operational strategies.

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