return on investment
Challenging as it is to quantify the return on investment in a new field such as Intelligent Building Automation (IBA) initial indicators point to a positive relationship between the two.
In 2005 an independent study* carried out by the Converged Buildings Technologies Group (CBTG) found that using an integrated IBA approach could represent a 24 per cent saving on the cost of building management systems and a 4.5 per cent saving on building costs compared with traditional non integrated systems. Considering the rise in energy prices and advances in IBA technology to the present day, savings could now be much greater.
The software company Adobe invested $650,000 in energy and environmental retrofits, including an irrigation system and self-adjusting ventilation system, to its California headquarters in 2001. Five years later the company reported 115 per cent savings of over $700,000.
With increased connectivity and fewer office-based employees it no longer makes sense to be constantly heating, lighting, ventilating and powering an environment. Add to this more efficient cable infrastructures and heightened productivity due to a superior workforce environment and IBA represents a potentially sizeable return on investment for all commercial ventures.
