IBM fleshes out 'smarter buildings' plans

IBM says it wants to develop more 'intelligent' buildings

IBM has revealed new partnerships at its Pulse 2010 automation and industrialisation event in Las Vegas this week designed to help the firm expand its smarter building programme.

The Smarter Planet initiative is part of IBM's wider agenda to create a world that is more efficient in its energy use and lower in its greenhouse gas emissions.

IBM said that it will partner with Johnson Controls to offer customers pre-packaged solutions that will lower the energy consumption in their buildings.

Johnson Controls' Metasys Sustainability Manager combined with IBM's business analytics software, for example, can offer a better view of where organisations can cut down on energy consumption, the firm said.

Customers can also use Johnson Controls' Energy and Emissions Management System with IBM's analytics software to estimate the level of a building's greenhouse gas emissions.

IBM will also partner with Ricoh on an advanced printing management system, allowing businesses to monitor print-related costs in real time to save money and reduce carbon emissions.

Florence Hudson, IBM's energy and environment secretary, said in the company's Smarter Planet blog yesterday that today's offices, factories and homes are " symbols of waste and pollution".

Buildings will be the single largest energy consumer and emitter of greenhouse gases on the plant by 2025, according to IBM.

"The heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, the lights, the water, the elevators, the power and cooling for technology, the heating and cooling for people all contribute to making buildings a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, and a leading energy user," wrote Hudson.

"We can think about buildings differently, seeing homes not just as living spaces but as living systems. Seeing offices not just as static environments, but as dynamic ecosystems of people and intelligence."