While the EPC system remains a cornerstone for assessing building energy efficiency, its shortcomings are evident in its failure to integrate AI tools. Energy efficiency experts from Exergio state that AI solutions can accurately define energy performance in commercial buildings and cut energy waste by 20%.
The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating system, widely used to assess building energy efficiency, faces scrutiny for its outdated methodology. Studies suggest millions of EPCs could be inaccurate, as they focus on estimated energy costs rather than actual usage. Additionally, EPCs don’t consider occupant behavior’s impact on energy efficiency. Energy experts state that the system has to be modernized and include AI as well as real-time monitoring to make it work.
“As EPCs are typically conducted at a single point in time, they do not reflect changes in energy performance over time. Thus, the system fails to achieve one of its primary goals: to provide a trusted, accurate, and reliable measure of a building’s energy performance. In order to overcome this issue, we need to focus on solving this and other flaws of the current system, and AI tools are capable of that,” said Donatas Karčiauskas, the CEO of Exergio, a company that focuses on improving energy efficiency with their AI-based energy management tool.
The International Energy Agency has projected that digitalization will help us cut total energy use in commercial buildings between 2017 and 2040 by as much as 10%. Digitalization tools include machine learning analytics, enabling embedded algorithms to manage 24/7 tests of overall system operation.
“The EPC system’s requirement for updates only every 10 years in many countries means we rely on outdated data, hindering progress towards net-zero goals. It is flawed and unsustainable. If we keep making our predictions based on inaccurate data, we will reach inaccurate results. AI tools are necessary to correct the flaws of the EPC system,” continued Karčiauskas.
AI and digital solutions are playing a significant role in improving energy efficiency in commercial buildings as has been recently outlined in a number of case studies. Exergio’s AI-powered solutions have demonstrated substantial savings in energy consumption and emissions reduction as well. In Poland, their AI-driven platform helped the owners of commercial buildings in Poznan save €80K in 9 months and cut electricity expenses by 20%.
“As the shortcomings of the traditional EPC system become increasingly evident, the need for AI-powered solutions to improve energy efficiency assessments grows stronger. We cannot imagine the future of sustainable building management without AI tools,” concluded Karčiauskas.