Shiny new smart buildings are wonderful. They have energy efficiency built in to provide cost-saving and reduce environmental impact, they apply lighting and environmental controls to ensure all occupants are comfortable and productive, and they offer a wide variety of health, safety, and security benefits. These buildings offer a glimpse of our high-tech future with sensor-rich, data-driven, and intelligently-controlled indoor spaces designed for the occupant experience and the protection of the environment. New smart buildings only make up a tiny percentage of total building stock, however, less than 1% by some calculations, leaving the vast majority of buildings old, dumb, and highly energy inefficient. Buildings account for approximately 40% of total energy consumption, produce around 40% of total carbon emissions, and generate about 40% of our landfill waste. Smart buildings were supposed to be the solution for that staggering impact that buildings have on the environment, but even if every new building was smart it […]