How digital twins are driving the change to net-zero cities

Technology experts are predicting that digital twins will be a key driver in the fight to reach Net Zero in our buildings and cities. 

It is becoming common knowledge in the property sector that digital twins such as Twinview can reduce the energy consumption of buildings in operation. This can be achieved by analysing many data sources such as heating, cooling and lighting. Twinview brings together often-siloed data onto a single platform enabling the user to visualise data in real time with easy-to-use dashboards. 

Digital twins ensure that the carbon footprint of new buildings is reduced whilst optimising energy efficiency during the construction process. Globally, 39% of CO2 emissions come from buildings and 28% of that is generated during operation. 

The global economy has agreed on ambitions to reach Net Zero by 2050 with other 196 countries signing the Paris Agreement – a legally binding international treaty on climate change. The aim of the agreement is to ensure global warming remains within 1.5 degrees Celsius of pre-industrial levels ending all greenhouse gas emissions or negating unavoidable emissions with offsets. 

Digital twins are truly the future of property technology enabling building owners to monitor individual or entire portfolio performance. The market for digital twins is expected to increase from £2.2 billion to £34 billion by 2026 and the UK Government is investing in digital twins with programmes such as the National Digital Twin programme and the market for digital twins is expected to increase from £2.2 billion to £34 billion by 2026. 

Professional services company, EY, carried out research that shows that digital twins can reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of an existing building by up to 50% as well as cost savings of up to 35%. The research included a case study on the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore that tested the use of digital twins across its campus of 200 buildings over a five-year period. The programme resulted in a 31% saving in energy use and carbon emissions were reduced by 9.6 kilotons. 

Twinview is a browser-based digital twin platform for the property sector connecting building systems’ data to a 3D model viewed on a single dashboard. Twinview becomes your first step to achieving Net Zero by providing continuous live data and an optimised building performance whilst reducing costs and improving the user experience. Book a demo today.