India Needs To Invest More In Smart Building Technologies

A new survey of 2,000 buildings across India by Honeywell and research-specialist IMRB International shows that government, building owners and service providers need to invest more in smart building technologies to better serve India´s rapidly urbanizing population and help create sustainable cities and infrastructure. While the country´s airports and hotels are leading the way with smart building technologies, the survey found that in general the smartness of buildings in India is low.

The survey marks the debut of the new Honeywell Smart Building ScoreTM, a first-of-its-kind global tool that evaluates buildings based on each facility´s use of technologies to make the building green, safe, and productive ´ three key aspects of smart buildings. The survey findings were accompanied by a white paper from Honeywell and Ernst and Young, ´Smart Buildings Make Smart Cities,´ which details how targeted investment in smart buildings can be used to drive economic and environmental benefits, protect human life and building assets, and support India´s goal to develop 100 Smart Cities. Honeywell leaders presented the findings at an event including government dignitaries and public policy experts, building owners, architects, and building consultants. ´The Indian government´s 100 Smart Cities plan is a forward-looking initiative that aims to improve quality of life and make the country a smarter place to live. We are pleased that Honeywell is taking an active role in this Smart Cities project through its Smart Building Score,´ said U.S. Ambassador Richard Verma, speaking at the event.

´Implementing smart building solutions can make facilities more connected and adaptive, reduce energy and operating costs, and improve the safety and quality of life for occupants and users,´ said Alex Ismail, President and CEO of Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions. ´The Honeywell Smart Building ScoreTM makes it simple and easy for building owners and facility managers to identify the right technologies to make their buildings greener, safer, and more productive. Although we have applied the Honeywell Smart Building ScoreTM first in India, we are planning similar initiatives around the world.´

The 2,000 buildings participating in the survey covered 10 key building verticals: airports, hotels, hospitals, private offices, retail, surface transport, government offices, education and social spaces, public services, and residential. These buildings are located in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Pune.

Among the key findings of the survey:

• In general, the smartness of buildings in India is low. On a scale of 1 to 100, the national average Honeywell Smart Building ScoreTM for these buildings is only 33.
• Airports and hotels in India have the smartest buildings overall (average Smart Building Scores of 49 and 41, respectively).
• Scoring the lowest were buildings in the education (27) and residential (26) categories. Most buildings in the survey score highest on green elements (45), potentially reflecting the focus on sustainability from leading global and Indian rating agencies, as well as government incentives to improve building sustainability and energy efficiency.
• Safety scores of buildings on average were very low, at 21, highlighting potential risks and the need for greater investments in safety and security solutions.
• The lowest rated aspect of buildings in the survey was the safety and personal protection of workers who service and maintain these buildings, at 8.
• Both private (34) and public (29) buildings have similar overall scores, indicating opportunities and needs exist for both sectors.
• Bangalore has invested the most in smart buildings (57%), potentially owing to newer construction, while Mumbai can do more (36%). These percentages denote asset capability only, and not asset coverage, or asset uptime.
• The survey points out significant differences between top- and low-scoring verticals. For example, while airports score 55 in safety, the education and social spaces as well as the residential verticals score 14. Similarly, public services, which includes police stations, fire stations, courts, passport offices, post offices, and prisons, have a safety score of only 18.

´India could save billions each year by incorporating modern technologies in buildings that drive green, safe, and productive outcomes,´ said Anant Maheshwari, President, Honeywell India. ´However, smart building technologies are still new to India and adopted primarily by large commercial buildings. With the promise of the Government of India´s 100 Smart Cities initiative, it was imperative to create a tool for assessing the smartness of buildings and establish an industry benchmark.´

The Honeywell Smart Building ScoreTM evaluates a building´s use of 15 technology asset groups that make a building green, safe, and productive, based on the systems´ overall capability, coverage of the facility, and uptime. The green asset group includes a building´s use of natural resources, flexible heating and cooling systems, and control panels for monitoring energy consumption, all of which impact carbon emissions, a facility´s environmental footprint, and utility costs for the building occupant or user.

The safe category includes access control, surveillance and intrusion monitoring systems, fire and life safety systems, emergency communications, and health and safety systems.

In the productive category, technologies that help boost productivity include indoor air quality sensors, lighting systems, and communications and data infrastructure such as wired and wireless networks, and backup electricity systems for uninterrupted power.

Madhavi Jha, Director - CC, Honeywell Automation India Ltd 56 & 57, Hadapsar Industrial Estate, Hadapsar, Pune-411013, Maharashtra. T: 020-66039400 M: 9971496212, Madhavi.Jha@Honeywell.com