Artificial intelligence could help U.S. buildings to significantly reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, according to a paper by researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
AI-driven energy use and carbon emission reductions could grow to 40% and 90% in 2050, respectively, compared with a business-as-usual scenario, the paper says. Absent energy efficiency improvements or policy support, building energy consumption would keep increasing. AI could be applied in four key categories: equipment, occupancy influence, control and operation, and design and construction.
The research focused on medium-sized office buildings in the U.S. It forecasts AI’s potential to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions through six scenarios. These include a setting that uses current building efficiency as a baseline, as well as two business-as-usual scenarios with and without AI, and three policy-driven scenarios.
In a separate study, the International WELL Building Institute examined AI’s potential impact on building energy consumption earlier this year. IWBI said that by implementing digital twins and AI, operators could use live data feeds to automatically open or close doors and windows, or increase or decrease the strength of fans throughout a building to achieve efficiency gains.
Related Stories
Building Team | Nov 7, 2022
U.S. commercial buildings decreased energy use intensity from 2012 to 2018
The recently released 2018 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) by the U.S. Energy Information Administration found that the total floorspace in commercial buildings has increased but energy consumption has not, compared with the last survey analyzing the landscape in 2012.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Nov 7, 2022
Gilbane, Turner, Populous tapped to design and build new Buffalo Bills stadium
The joint venture of Gilbane Building Company and Turner Construction Company, in association with 34 Group, has been selected to provide construction management of the planned new NFL stadium for the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y. The project team also includes the project management firm, Legends Project Development, and Populous as the designer.
| Nov 7, 2022
Mixed-use tower in China features world’s highest outdoor pool
Guangxi China Resources Tower, a new 403-meter-tall (1,322 feet) skyscraper in Nanning, China features the world’s highest outdoor pool—at 323 meters (1,060 feet) above grade.
Building Team | Nov 3, 2022
More than half of U.S. contractors say finding skilled workers is big barrier to their growth
More than half of U.S. contractors (55%) say finding enough skilled workers is one of the biggest barriers to growing their business, according to a DEWALT Powering the Future Survey.
Building Materials | Nov 2, 2022
Design for Freedom: Ending slavery and child labor in the global building materials sector
Sharon Prince, Founder and CEO of Grace Farms and Design for Freedom, discusses DFF's report on slavery and enforced child labor in building products and materials.
Codes and Standards | Nov 2, 2022
New York City construction official wants to boost design-build
The new associate commissioner of alternative delivery in New York City’s Department of Design and Construction aims to encourage more design-build project delivery in the city.
University Buildings | Nov 2, 2022
New Univ. of Calif. Riverside business school building will support hybrid learning
A design-build partnership of Moore Ruble Yudell and McCarthy Building Companies will collaborate on a new business school building at the University of California at Riverside.
40 Under 40 | Nov 1, 2022
40 Under 40 class of 2022 winners: Meet the contractors
Meet the eight all-star construction professionals to be named 40 Under 40 class of 2022 winners by the editors of Building Design+Construction
Building Team | Nov 1, 2022
Nonresidential construction spending increases slightly in September, says ABC
National nonresidential construction spending was up by 0.5% in September, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau.
K-12 Schools | Nov 1, 2022
Safety is the abiding design priority for K-12 schools
With some exceptions, architecture, engineering, and construction firms say renovations and adaptive reuse make up the bulk of their work in the K-12 schools sector.
