Challenges and opportunities of Internet-of-Things in occupant-centric building operations: towards a life cycle assessment framework

Donna Vakalis; Runa T. Hellwig; Marcel Schweiker; Stephanie  Gauthier

doi:10.1016/j.cosust.2023.101383

Challenges and opportunities of Internet-of-Things in occupant-centric building operations: towards a life cycle assessment framework

Donna Vakalis^*, Runa T. Hellwig, Marcel Schweiker, Stephanie Gauthier

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The urgency to address the environmental impacts of the building sector, particularly emissions allocated to building operation, necessitates immediate, informed action. Occupant behaviour is a known driver of building operational emissions. Use of Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices holds great potential in mitigating and distributing occupancy-driven energy demand, ultimately aiming for net-zero emissions. However, a full accounting of the environmental impacts and advantages is still lacking. As the adoption of IoT scales up, what will be the environmental impact of the tools used, from sensor life cycle to data storage? This study reviews the interdisciplinary literature on life cycle assessment (LCA) of IoT in buildings, encompassing emissions from pre-deployment to end-of-life, as well as savings from reduced building operational emissions. This opens a vital discourse on the opportunities and challenges of building-related IoT.

Original language	English
Article number	101383
Journal	Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability
Volume	65
Number of pages	8
ISSN	1877-3435
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2023.101383
Publication status	Published - 1 Dec 2023

Bibliographical note

This review comes from a themed issue on Open Issue 2023: Sustainability Science, Digitization and AI

Keywords

IoT devices
occupant-centric
buildings
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
sensors
indoor climate
human building interaction
Energy Efficiency

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1016/j.cosust.2023.101383

AUB Link

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Cite this

@article{14ee42ec98ab48c8a69ee7864aaf229f,

title = "Challenges and opportunities of Internet-of-Things in occupant-centric building operations: towards a life cycle assessment framework",

abstract = "The urgency to address the environmental impacts of the building sector, particularly emissions allocated to building operation, necessitates immediate, informed action. Occupant behaviour is a known driver of building operational emissions. Use of Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices holds great potential in mitigating and distributing occupancy-driven energy demand, ultimately aiming for net-zero emissions. However, a full accounting of the environmental impacts and advantages is still lacking. As the adoption of IoT scales up, what will be the environmental impact of the tools used, from sensor life cycle to data storage? This study reviews the interdisciplinary literature on life cycle assessment (LCA) of IoT in buildings, encompassing emissions from pre-deployment to end-of-life, as well as savings from reduced building operational emissions. This opens a vital discourse on the opportunities and challenges of building-related IoT.",

keywords = "IoT devices, occupant-centric, buildings, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), sensors, indoor climate, human building interaction, Energy Efficiency",

author = "Donna Vakalis and Hellwig, {Runa T.} and Marcel Schweiker and Stephanie Gauthier",

note = "This review comes from a themed issue on Open Issue 2023: Sustainability Science, Digitization and AI",

year = "2023",

month = dec,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1016/j.cosust.2023.101383",

language = "English",

volume = "65",

journal = "Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability",

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T2 - towards a life cycle assessment framework

AU - Vakalis, Donna

AU - Hellwig, Runa T.

AU - Schweiker, Marcel

AU - Gauthier, Stephanie

N1 - This review comes from a themed issue on Open Issue 2023: Sustainability Science, Digitization and AI

PY - 2023/12/1

Y1 - 2023/12/1

N2 - The urgency to address the environmental impacts of the building sector, particularly emissions allocated to building operation, necessitates immediate, informed action. Occupant behaviour is a known driver of building operational emissions. Use of Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices holds great potential in mitigating and distributing occupancy-driven energy demand, ultimately aiming for net-zero emissions. However, a full accounting of the environmental impacts and advantages is still lacking. As the adoption of IoT scales up, what will be the environmental impact of the tools used, from sensor life cycle to data storage? This study reviews the interdisciplinary literature on life cycle assessment (LCA) of IoT in buildings, encompassing emissions from pre-deployment to end-of-life, as well as savings from reduced building operational emissions. This opens a vital discourse on the opportunities and challenges of building-related IoT.

AB - The urgency to address the environmental impacts of the building sector, particularly emissions allocated to building operation, necessitates immediate, informed action. Occupant behaviour is a known driver of building operational emissions. Use of Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices holds great potential in mitigating and distributing occupancy-driven energy demand, ultimately aiming for net-zero emissions. However, a full accounting of the environmental impacts and advantages is still lacking. As the adoption of IoT scales up, what will be the environmental impact of the tools used, from sensor life cycle to data storage? This study reviews the interdisciplinary literature on life cycle assessment (LCA) of IoT in buildings, encompassing emissions from pre-deployment to end-of-life, as well as savings from reduced building operational emissions. This opens a vital discourse on the opportunities and challenges of building-related IoT.

KW - IoT devices

KW - occupant-centric

KW - buildings

KW - Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

KW - sensors

KW - indoor climate

KW - human building interaction

KW - Energy Efficiency

UR - https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1iB416gsyPprFQ

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DO - 10.1016/j.cosust.2023.101383

M3 - Review article

SN - 1877-3435

VL - 65

JO - Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability

JF - Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability

M1 - 101383

ER -

Challenges and opportunities of Internet-of-Things in occupant-centric building operations: towards a life cycle assessment framework

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

AUB Link

Other files and links

Fingerprint

International Energy Agency EBC - Annex 79 project - Occupant-Centric Building Design and Operation [2018-2023]

Research colloquium on sufficiency in the building sector (Forschungskolloquium Suffizieny im Gebäudebereich)

Invited Keynote: Appropriate indoor environmental control - Where are we and where do we want to be on the scale from automatic to personal control?

Roomvent 2024

Sweco Transform Award to master thesis project ”Sundparken. Sourcing, re-use and transformation” by Azul Isidoro, Bastian Mosegård and Nicolai Hou Thomsen

1. præmie KAB Fondens Prisopgave til forslag af Bastian Mosegård, Azul F. Isidoro, Nicolai Hou Thomsen fra Aalborg Universitet.( 1st prize KAB Fondens Prisopgave to proposal of Bastian Mosegård, Azul F. Isidoro, Nicolai Hou Thomsen fra Aalborg Universitz)

Design of adaptive opportunities for people in buildings

The ambivalence of personal control over indoor climate - how much personal control is adequate?

The potential of the adaptive thermal comfort concept in longterm actively conditioned buildings for improved energy performance and user wellbeing

Cite this

Challenges and opportunities of Internet-of-Things in occupant-centric building operations: towards a life cycle assessment framework

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

AUB Link

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

Activities

Press/Media

Research output

Cite this