What is the role of MEP in smart cities?

Posted by Fred Shir on June 19th, 2019

A constantly changing environment

Nothing stays the same for long anymore in our modern society and in fact, it is incredible how things can change within the space of a single decade. Increasing numbers of people are also now living within large metropolitan cities and this is having an impact on service delivery and also infrastructure. There is increasing demand for more available energy and all of this also has an impact on other transformation processes which goes even deeper than the issue of providing energy to a city. Never before in the history of the planet has there been so many new technologies emerging and those technologies have a tremendous impact on the way we live our lives. It has also changed the perspective of people regarding what is possible and what is not. This is resulting in better-educated citizens with something to say about everything. There is now a new trend among many local authorities who are taking a closer look at how they can improve management especially of things such as the use of land, energy supply and also how to provide a better quality of service.

Facing new challenges

There are many new developments among local governments such as new commitments to decarbonize economies, decentralization of decision-making processes and there is also the economy with things such as the digitalization of data and services is also something which has to be considered. Over the last decade, there have been fluctuations as far as energy transition is concerned and this is further complicated by the conditions which are experienced locally in a specific area or region there are often things such as climate, culture, and resources to consider. When looking at metropolitan areas another critical consideration is the scale of that area. Cities are increasingly becoming hotspots where all of the current challenges come together with such as climate, demographics, global issues, and natural resources. More than 50% of people are already staying within a large metropolitan area and within the next three decades, this will increase to more than 70%. It is important to remember that managing the needs of that city will require 75% of the current global energy consumption and such a city and its inhabitants will be responsible for 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Addressing the current issues

There is a general consensus that cities require MEP systems which is incredibly sophisticated and which is going to be overlooked and managed by highly qualified and skilled building operator’s people who are experts in this specific field. It requires a lot of initiative and skill to effectively manage a large city. A lot of information is obtained from small sensor levels and those are analyzed at large data centers at a city level using AI technology. According to research, the average consumer is still the largest segment as far as city management is concerned followed by businesses which mostly have access to advanced technologies which allow them to make better use of energy sources. Medium-size and large businesses will be able to benefit from IoT-based smart automation systems, smart LEDs, smart HVAC systems and other similar technologies.

The focus on MEP infrastructure

When one looks at the mechanical, electrical and plumbing industry many other things come to mind such as the need to incorporate other smart technologies to make this system more efficient. It is not always easy to gain a comprehensive understanding of smart MEP but this can be made easier by looking at a couple of key areas such as the need to have things properly maintained, sustainable, monitored and managed and accountable. According to research, the real estate industry has made some progress as far as sustainable design and also development is concerned. Incorporating such things into cities and large buildings in order to ensure that they use modern technologies requires additional effort and an objective look at all of the important issues in order to ensure an adequate measure of success.

More effective data collection

We have systems and devices which are getting smarter every day. This is certainly good but in order to fully utilize these systems, a tremendous amount of new data need to be available in order to ensure that those systems are effectively utilized. It is only then that well-informed decisions can be made which will further improve conditions in that city. The challenge will be to start with individual buildings and improve them so that they have smarter systems and as local authority succeeds in this endeavor entire cities will turn into smart cities which can better utilize and manage their available resources providing a higher quality of life for everyone.