What does the Smart Building market represent in France?

The Smart Building represents atrue revolutionin building management and energy optimization. Thanks to real-time information provided by multiple sensors, IoT and connected products, companies and institutions can reduce their costs. The new technologies implemented also allow for better energy management, improved security, and better working conditions. To understand where this rapidly developing sector stands in France, it is interesting to take a comprehensive look at the French Smart Building market.

Smart Building: a young sector in full expansion

Already well established in France, smart buildings could become essential in the coming years. These sites, equipped with sensors and connected products, allow for the collection of various data—information that is used to manage buildings or shopping centers toincrease comfort and efficiencyon a daily basis. With a smartphone or tablet, it becomes possible to view in real time the different parameters of a building or industrial site. Employees can also access certain data to know which rooms are occupied or which parking spaces are available.

Although the Smart Building market is still in its early stages in France, it nevertheless presentsvery promising prospects. A recent report by the specialized research institute Xerfi showed that the sector has grown by 5% since 2019, reaching 360 million euros. This enthusiasm is expected to increase in the coming months, with a threshold of 390 million mentioned by 2023. Sector experts could see their turnover increase by 15% per year for 2022 and 2023. Among the reasons for this success, the report mentions the importance of limiting environmental impact. New regulations regarding energy cost control are currently being considered!

Smart Building, a necessity for new buildings

The obligations imposed by the thermal regulation RT 2012 and RE2020 are pushing builders to design and construct more energy-efficient buildings. The website of the French Ministry of Ecological and Inclusive Transition (MTES) specifies that new buildings must be designed to reduce their energy consumption by at least 50% compared to the reference building. This means that new buildings must be “nearly zero-energy” (NZEB). Thus, thermal regulations require the use of new construction techniques and more efficient equipment.

Innovative and high-performance solutions for smart buildings

The sector’s growth can also be explained by the increasing need for security and reliability inherent to many buildings. Hospitals, airports, hotels, and offices require a high level of security for their access, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The installation of sensors, smart products and connected objects ensures reliable real-time information in a dashboard, a relevant solution to facilitate building management and benefit from increased control. For owners, Smart Building is an effective way to improve the operation of their assets, increase their value, and manage energy consumption.

To support this dynamic—growing need for smart and connected products, real-time data management via dashboards—dormakaba has developed a new ecosystem called EntriWorX and implemented connected products & solutions such as EntriWorX insights, which enables smart management of space optimization.

Smart Building, accelerator of the energy transition!

Launched in 2020 by the government, the France Relance plan aims to modernize old buildings and optimize their energy expenses. In this context, Smart Building is a valuable ally, its principles going hand in hand with increased energy performance for buildings and commercial as well as industrial sites. The data collected and their analysis make it possible to manage the supply of spaces, monitor expenses, and control with great precision the heating, lighting, and shading of each room. In fact, Smart Building technology provides suitable solutions forbetter energy management.

According to several studies, an average reduction of 30% in the kW needed to operate buildings is possible thanks to smart buildings. Easy to use, these digital technologies are currently the most effective way to reduce the environmental impact of sites. For owners, it is also a way to make their buildings more attractive and therefore easier to rent.

It is also worth noting the great diversity of services and applications offered by Smart Building. The new technologies installed on site can indicate occupancy, temperature, and humidity, but also provide a complete range of information regarding access to different rooms. A centralized platform can thus be used to manage automatic doors, electronic access control systems, hotel locks, or emergency exits.

The ambition of Smart Building is to enable better use of buildings—from optimal space management to energy savings—and to serve users. In France, we are only at the beginning! Thanks to innovations, the smart building will become the standard for new constructions. And it is a source of inspiration for the renovation of old buildings. The performance gains can be significant, both for user comfort and for sustainability. The trend: the smart building is consolidating its place in the smart city!

It is also possible to manage your buildings remotely for flow management. You can also have a real-time overview of the status and performance of your access installations thanks to the innovative analysis tool EntriWorX Insights.