We all spend most of our time in buildings, either at home or at work – although much more at home these days due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For this, we want our home to be a comfortable and safe shelter, our work environment to be attractive and stimulating, and most of all, we want our buildings to be energy efficient and environmentally safe. Buildings are what shapes our towns and cities. Having a smart and energy efficient living and working environment within energy efficient communities is important to all of us. Sustainable Cities and Communities has been prioritised by UN as one of the 17 global sustainable development goals for 2030. One of the key pillars of sustainable cities are smart and energy efficient buildings and communities as nearly 30% of global CO2 emissions come from heating and powering our buildings.
Smart and Energy Efficient Buildings and Communities will give an overview of ongoing research in which Enable investigators and industry partners have been engaged, presenting research including latest developments in building energy efficiency and automation systems technology, energy efficient community technology, and smart buildings.
ENABLE is a research programme which aims to connect communities with smart urban environments through the Internet of Things (IoT). In collaboration with industry and local authority partners and via citizen engagement, it will address the challenges that currently limit the potential benefits of IoT for communities.
Dirk Pesch, University College Cork (moderator)
Susan Rea & Alan McGibney, Cork Institute of Technology
Ken Brown, University College Cork
Diarmuid McSwiney, Analog Devices
Brian Cassidy, Cork City Council
Ciaran Gilsenan, Dogpatch Labs Dublin
ENABLE is funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and is co-funded under the European Regional Development Fund. It is a partnership of three SFI research centres: CONNECT, Insight and Lero.
