Our new report, Digital Buildings: How smart technology can decarbonise buildings and combat climate change, demonstrates the importance of smart technology in reducing carbon emissions. The report finds that fitting smart Internet of Things (IoT) technology to non-domestic buildings could save 4 to 8 million tonnes of carbon each year. This amounts to 5 to 10 per cent of all building emissions. In particular, smart technology could help the public sector estate reduce its emissions by up to 15 per cent, enabling a fiscal saving to the taxpayer of between £264m and £380m annually.

The Government’s commitment to making homes, schools and hospitals greener is a welcome first step towards reducing the environmental impact of the built environment. However, with buildings being responsible for 36 per cent of overall carbon emissions, we must seek to go further, and smart technology can play a significant role in this.

Read the report here