Energy-Efficiency Demand Is Driving European BAS Market

Initiatives supporting energy efficiency, reinforced by legislation, are driving the growth of the building-automation-systems (BAS) market in the European Union (EU), according to an analysis from Frost & Sullivan.

Frost & Sullivan’s study, European Building Automation Systems Market, finds that the market earned revenues of $1.8 billion in 2012 and estimates that it to reach $2,14 billion in 2017. The research covers non-residential building segments including offices, educational, hospitals, wholesale and retail trade, industrial and others (hotels and restaurants, sports facilities, and public buildings).

The building sector is one of the primary consumers of energy in Europe, accounting for 40 percent of energy demand and 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. This has underlined the need for improved energy efficiency in both existing and new buildings

“The need for enhanced energy efficiency in both existing and new buildings is promoting demand for BAS,” Frost & Sullivan’s Energy & Environmental Research Analyst Balaji Anand Sagar said. “EU directives related to the energy performance of buildings, particularly Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) of May 2010, further motivate the uptake of BAS since automation control and constant monitoring is among the best approaches to attain nearly-zero-energy buildings.”

The drive toward greater energy efficiency has meant greater cost savings for building owners and end-users. This, too, has encouraged the move toward automation.

“In the past 20 years, electricity consumption of non-residential buildings has increased by 74 percent,” Sagar said. “Complete automation of buildings can conserve up to 50 percent of this energy and, hence, reduce carbon-dioxide emissions.”

Another trend is the increasing integration of HVAC, lighting and blinding in the BAS to optimize energy consumption by buildings. As a result, companies that offer complete systems and solutions with integration capabilities, rather than individual products, are gaining the competitive edge.

However, amid ongoing economic volatility, there has been a drop in public and private building activity. This, together with low end-user awareness about the energy saving benefits of BAS, has slowed the rate of market growth.

“Market participants need to generate awareness about the potential for reduced energy consumption and increased cost savings through the use of BAS,” Sagar said. “They should develop complete solutions for bigger projects and niche solutions that are flexible enough to address smaller, more specific needs.”

If you are interested in more information on this research, please send an e-mail to Chiara Carella, Corporate Communications, at [email protected] with your name, company name, job title, telephone number, company e-mail address, company website, city, state and country.

More information is also available at www.buildingtechnologies.frost.com