Energy Efficiency in Educational Buildings

Abstract The construction sector, whether households, commercial, educational, or industrial, is expected to promote energy sustainability. However, buildings are the primary consumers of energy, especially electricity. Energy overconsumption results in greenhouse gas emissions, depletion of natural resources, and high financial costs. Hence, monitoring, controlling, and managing energy are the key goals of building management that opt to achieve energy efficiency and cost-effective operation and maintenance, which are the main objectives of sustainable development goals. Educational buildings are significant in their function and require more energy to operate and maintain, especially for lighting, achieving suitable thermal comfort, and using reliable IT systems and other equipment. The reliability and flexibility offered by wireless technologies have been the driving force toward the vision of the Internet of Things (IoT). They have contributed to attracting growing interest in the market. This work presents an energy-efficient IoT solution to monitor the energy consumption model by deploying a Building Management System (BMS). Integrating multiple battery-operated sensors into the building allows critical data to be dynamically provided in real time to improve overall building efficiency. Introducing the IoT in managing energy in educational facilities can be more cost-effective and convenient than traditional building BMSs.