Kartikay Sharma
With hose pipe bans coming into effect across the United Kingdom, Ross Sheil, SVP at AI powered building intelligence platform Infogrid asks why so much of the onus for reducing water consumption is falling on consumers rather than the commercial real estate sector.
With rivers drying up around the world and droughts being declared across much of the UK and in other countries, it is becoming clear that we all need to do our bit to save water. Hosepipe bans dotted around the country and tips on limiting water usage at home certainly go some way to help with water scarcity. But we’re missing the bigger picture here.
Keeping plants alive may be out, but needlessly running millions of litres of water down the drain from our commercial buildings is fine? We need to change our perspective.
It’s time for the commercial real estate sector to step up and address the sheer scale at which it wastes water every day, from dripping taps and leaky pipes to unnecessary water usage when complying – inefficiently – with regulation. As a sector it’s been sluggish to innovate, but it cannot continue on this trajectory, or remain in the shadows while consumers are being asked to take responsibility where they have control. The numbers are stark, a single dripping tap can waste
However, it’s possible to save millions of litres of water with smart technologies. In fact, one leading UK bank now saves 8.1 million litres of water a year across 550 sites thanks to remote monitoring, automation and new building intelligence technologies. So, why aren’t all commercial properties taking action? Can you imagine how much water we could save then? A lot more than a standard hose pipe ban I would say.
With this much at stake, it’s high time the real estate sector in the UK (and the world) steps into the 21st century, exploring how digitisation can help protect the planet and its resources – from conserving water to reducing Co2 emissions. There’s no time to wait, it’s time to act.
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