Commercial buildings and infrastructure are responsible for a staggering 40% of global carbon emissions, a figure that puts facilities managers on the front lines of the climate challenge. While the buzz around artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI, has captured headlines, the real transformative power for commercial facilities lies in another category of AI: predictive and optimization technologies. These tools are already helping buildings become more sustainable, resilient, and cost-effective. As a result, there are technologies and solutions already available to help facilities managers keep the lights on while reducing emissions.
Why the Right AI Matters
Generative AI, with its ability to create text, images, and other content, has captured the public’s imagination. But when it comes to driving energy efficiency, not all AI is created equal.
The most impactful form of AI for facilities management aren’t about generating outputs, they’re about intelligently forecasting, optimizing, and automating decisions. This includes analyzing sensor data, weather forecasts, building occupancy trends, and equipment performance to make real-time decisions that balance energy use and comfort. These applications reduce emissions and enhance the overall operation of a facility.
In short, facilities managers don’t need a chatbot. They need an intelligent system that can predict, adapt, and optimize energy systems without adding complexity to their already demanding roles.
Practical AI: Real Applications in HVAC, Lighting, and Energy Management
One of the most valuable applications of AI in commercial facilities is predictive modeling. AI can anticipate building energy loads based on external conditions like temperature, humidity, and storm systems, as well as internal variables like occupancy patterns and usage trends. This enables dynamic adjustments to HVAC systems, lighting, and other infrastructure, which prevents energy waste before it happens.
For example, instead of a fixed heating and cooling schedule, AI can learn how a building responds to weather and adjust setpoints throughout the day to maintain occupant comfort with minimal energy use. It can also identify anomalies in equipment behavior, catching inefficiencies early and reducing downtime through predictive maintenance. The result is a smarter building that doesn’t just respond to issues, but anticipates and prevents them.
AI’s power is best understood through its real-world applications across building systems:
- HVAC Optimization: Heating and cooling are among the largest energy consumers in commercial buildings. AI-powered systems can fine-tune HVAC operation by analyzing a wide range of variables in real time, reducing energy usage without compromising occupant comfort.
- Lighting Control: AI can dynamically adjust lighting based on occupancy and daylight availability, reducing energy waste and creating a better user experience.
- Energy Load Balancing: By monitoring energy consumption patterns, AI helps shift loads to off-peak hours, reducing demand charges and improving the facility’s carbon footprint.
These crucial tools are vital to reducing carbon footprints and are designed to work behind the scenes, giving facilities managers actionable insights and automated adjustments without overwhelming their workflows.
Smarter Electrification: Building a Cleaner Energy Future
Decarbonization is both about using less energy and using cleaner energy. Electrifying building systems is a key step, but it comes with challenges, particularly in managing variable energy costs and intermittent renewable sources. This is where AI can step in again.
AI can orchestrate how and when a building uses energy from the grid, on-site renewables like solar, or battery storage. It can charge batteries during periods of low-cost or low-carbon electricity and discharge them during peak times, reducing both costs and emissions. In essence, AI acts as the brain of a smart building, continuously deciding the best way to use, store, or even sell energy back to the grid, all while keeping operations running smoothly.
A New Era of Facilities Management
For facilities managers wondering where to begin, the answer is to start small and start focused. Identify specific pain points, such as rising utility costs, inefficient HVAC performance, or energy compliance requirements, and explore AI-powered solutions tailored to those challenges.
Many of today’s AI tools are plug-and-play, designed to integrate with existing building management systems. Whether it’s anomaly detection in HVAC systems or intelligent scheduling for lighting, these solutions offer fast ROI and measurable sustainability gains.
Education also plays a critical role. As awareness of AI grows, so too does the need to demystify it. Facilities managers don’t need to become data scientists, they just need to understand where AI fits, what it can do, and how to evaluate its cost savings.
The future of commercial facility management is intelligent, automated, and sustainable. The challenge is real, but so is the opportunity—this isn’t a distant vision, it is something that all facilities managers can start working on today. Now is the time to embrace the technologies that will transform our built environment into a powerful force for climate action.
Sreedhar Sistu is the vice president of AI Offers at Schneider Electric, a provider of digital automation and energy management solutions.