Using artificial intelligence to manage building systems can reduce their overall energy consumption by 22% compared to traditional control systems, according to the results of a new study by Schneider Electric.
The company presented the study, “AI for Climate: Quantifying the Energy and Carbon Impact of Building Optimization,” on September 21 as part of Climate Week NYC 2026. Its findings show that artificial intelligence can use existing data on building operations to automatically manage energy consumption and reduce operating costs.
In particular, using artificial intelligence to optimize heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems through an intelligent building management system delivers additional energy savings ranging from 7.2% to 12.7%.
In some simulated scenarios, total energy savings exceeded 200 MWh per year per building, and emissions reductions reached nearly 60 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent. According to Schneider Electric’s calculations, the volume of emissions avoided was more than 100 times greater than the carbon footprint of the AI system itself.
Based on current commercial rates in the markets used in the study, the potential cost savings ranged from $13,600 to $49,300 per year per building. The specific financial impact depends on the country, energy costs, building type, climatic conditions, and the existing management system.
The study was conducted using building energy modeling, with the results validated through real-world pilot projects. The analysis covered various operational scenarios for facilities in the United States, Australia, and India.
Artificial intelligence analyzes several types of information simultaneously—actual occupancy levels, weather forecasts, equipment status and performance, and other operational metrics. Based on this data, algorithms can adjust the operation of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems in real time.
“The future of building management will be determined by how effectively organizations can integrate and utilize data that was previously stored in siloed systems. The level of artificial intelligence integrated into existing business systems is capable of transforming complexity into intelligence, and intelligence into action, while simultaneously reducing emissions, cutting costs, and increasing efficiency,” said Pankaj Sharma, Executive Vice President of Software and Services at Schneider Electric.
A key finding of the study was the potential effectiveness of AI not only for large commercial complexes. Schneider Electric notes that buildings with an area of less than 100,000 square feet—or about 9,300 square meters—can also benefit significantly.
Previously, the implementation of complex energy management systems in relatively small facilities was often limited by cost and the need to maintain specialized staff. The use of AI allows for the automation of certain processes and makes intelligent energy management accessible to a wider range of facilities.
For Ukraine, improving the energy efficiency of buildings is particularly important due to damage to the energy infrastructure and the need to simultaneously rebuild the residential, commercial, and public building stock.
“For Ukraine, the issue of energy efficiency today is no longer just a matter of electricity costs or decarbonization. It is a matter of sustainable development. Every kilowatt-hour that a building can avoid consuming without compromising conditions for its occupants reduces the load on the energy system. Artificial intelligence makes it possible to move from simply tracking consumption to actively managing it—taking into account building occupancy, weather, and equipment operating modes to automatically select the most efficient scenario,” said Mykhailo Bubnov, CEO of Schneider Electric Ukraine.
According to him, this approach may be particularly promising for facilities with high and relatively complex energy consumption.
“In Ukraine, we see great potential in hospitals, universities, administrative and office buildings, shopping centers, hotels, and industrial facilities. But even more important is the ability to immediately implement modern management systems during renovations and new construction. If we incorporate digital infrastructure and energy efficiency right from the design stage, we can create buildings that consume less energy from the outset and are better able to adapt to changes in load and operating conditions,” emphasized Bubnov.
According to Schneider Electric Ukraine, the widespread adoption of smart building management systems has the potential to benefit more than just individual property owners. Reducing and more flexibly managing energy consumption across a large number of facilities can alleviate the strain on the power grid during periods of peak demand.
However, the results of international studies cannot be automatically applied to every Ukrainian facility. The actual savings potential depends on the condition of the building, its engineering systems, operating mode, climatic conditions, and the degree of automation.
The company notes that when restoring damaged facilities, it is advisable to implement digital management systems as early as the design phase. In this case, energy efficiency becomes an integral part of the building’s engineering infrastructure from the moment it is commissioned, rather than a separate, subsequent modernization.
Schneider Electric operates in the fields of energy technologies, electrification, automation, and digitalization of buildings, industry, data centers, infrastructure, and power grids. The company operates in over 100 countries worldwide.
artificial intelligence, BUILDING, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, Schneider Electric, UKRAINE, Бубнов
