Latin America. According to the Harman company, issues of resource depletion and energy waste have led governments, businesses and leaders to take sustainability seriously.
Although the issue of smart energy use has gained traction in recent years, the role of buildings has been largely ignored. Studies indicate that buildings account for about 40% of CO2 emissions in the United States, to give just one example. This is higher than the emissions generated by the transport or industry sectors.
CO2 emissions from buildings are also expected to grow faster over the next 25 years with the emergence of commercial constructions increasing faster at a rate of 1.8% each year until 2030. By addressing the sustainability-related challenges posed by buildings and commercial environments, people who think about going green can go beyond achieving that A+ green rating, and achieve true energy and cost savings.
Green building initiatives have become a catalyst for discussions about green and sustainable options for commercial environments. These green building initiatives are measured with a specific framework guided by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Companies seeking LEED certification need to meet their criteria through energy efficiency, water efficiency, and indoor environmental quality.
Positive results from the point of view of energy efficiency help companies to enjoy significant cost savings, and this is where audio and video equipment has an important role to play. Although LEED does not define any guidelines or give specific points for using Audio and Video technology in green buildings, it can play an instrumental role in helping to obtain LEED certification, providing support in areas such as regulating lighting conditions and reducing overall energy use.
The impact of AV
Regardless of whether a company plans to become LEED certified, AV systems can have a significant impact on energy savings. In many commercial environments, energy consumed by unused electronics, such as lights in an empty room or hibernating monitors, is often the biggest culprit of energy waste and requires multiple devices and switches to function. Next-generation solutions, such as room automation technologies, aim to increase energy savings through a single user interface that can control power output across multiple devices.
Harman's AMX building automation systems use occupancy sensors to ensure lights and other AV equipment are turned off in empty rooms. Other inventive applications of room automation solutions include end-of-session and end-of-day scheduling that serve energy efficiency needs by turning off the power supply after meetings, weekdays, or in the event of inactivity.
Videoconferencing to the rescue
Video conferencing is another increasingly popular method of realizing cost and energy savings. By allowing employees to work from home or anywhere in the world, video conferencing reduces travel-related costs and improves a company's environmental footprint. That said, for video conferencing to be truly transformative, meeting spaces must be equipped to allow remote meetings between groups.
While the cameras and microphones built into laptops may be suitable for one-on-one conversations, group meetings require technologies designed for conference rooms. The AMX Acendo Vibe video conferencing soundbar offers tools designed specifically for video conferencing in meeting spaces, including JBL speakers and microphones, as well as a wide-angle camera. With the right tools, groups from all regions can work together without traveling, encouraging greener and more sustainable business practices.
Wonders of Remote Monitoring
In recent years, the continued alignment between IT solutions and AV equipment and systems has also helped companies achieve significant efficiencies. Considering that once AV installations were managed in a disparate manner and there was no central monitoring, scheduling and management system, modern software platforms have changed, allowing technicians to manage AV assets in real time.
With platforms like AMX RMS Enterprise, needed personnel can use remote monitoring to shut down AV resources that have been running for long periods of time or are in need of going into standby mode. Such advanced software platforms can also unlock capabilities to track and display energy management information for all system assets being monitored. AV or IT managers now have a transparent view of energy utilization that allows them to achieve remarkable energy savings over the life of the equipment.
Whether through consolidation, automation or remote monitoring, businesses today have a wealth of opportunities to use today's AV solutions to achieve tangible results through energy and cost savings.
