Chapter 09 · Sustainability & AISustainability & AI
Building energy optimisation
Definition
AI-driven monitoring and control of building systems — heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting — to reduce energy use while maintaining comfort and air quality.
References
This source provides part of the technical or institutional basis for the definition.
This source supports the explanation of how the term is applied, measured or governed in practice.
Overview
What it means
Buildings account for a large share of energy demand, much of it wasted through poorly tuned control. AI approaches range from predictive control using weather and occupancy forecasts to autonomous optimisation; Google's reported cooling-energy savings from AI control of its data centres popularised the concept for critical facilities.
How it is used
Commercial platforms retrofit existing building-management systems, learning each building's thermal behaviour and adjusting setpoints continuously. Applications extend from offices to industrial plants and data centres themselves.
Why it matters
Building efficiency has always been available and under-delivered, largely for operational reasons. Continuous algorithmic control attacks exactly that gap — turning efficiency from a retrofit event into an ongoing practice.