This report was authored by Tony Hunt of Schneider Electric – Energy Management Research Center and published in February 2022. Most public, commercial, and industrial buildings are not energy efficient, representing an enormous untapped potential for decarbonization and sustainability efforts, as well as utility bill savings. Power digitalization plays a foundational role in active energy management and efficient facility operations. For existing buildings, this can be done by retrofitting electrical systems with smart devices and using energy and power management software that improves energy efficiency and reduces risk. This power digitalization investment helps facility management and maintenance personnel make better decisions, resolve issues more quickly, minimize downtime, and use less energy. In this paper, we define power digitalization for buildings and describe a 3-step process to achieve it. Power digitalization transforms organizations from being uninformed and reactive to those that are insightful and proactive. An investment in power digitalization ensures that building owners and investors get real-time carbon tracking and transparency about their building’s energy usage and it is essential in avoiding obsolescence.

Keywords: Building Retrofits, Energy Efficiency/Management, Internet of Things (IoT), Large Building Controls/Automation, Power over Ethernet (PoE), Powerline Communications, Carbon Tracking, Power Digitalization