Trial / Demo
Are the days of traditional BMS and energy management systems over?
Energy managers, facilities managers and sustainability leaders have a new opportunity to take: move beyond traditional energy management and towards a proactive, two-pronged data-driven and energy simulation approach that truly optimises building performance.
Traditional building management systems (BMS) and conventional energy management solutions have long played a role in monitoring and controlling building systems, but they often fall short in providing advanced insights, particularly when it comes to evaluating building energy conservation measures (ECMs), scenario analysis and predictive analytics. All these things are necessary for achieving operational optimisation, deep building services gains, successful renovation strategies and actually reaching net-zero.
When developing IES Live, we set out to do more than create just another energy management system. Our goal was to build a powerful tool that combines real-time operational intelligence with advanced simulation to bridge the gap between design intent and operational performance. Here’s five ways in which IES Live goes one step further than conventional BMS and energy management systems:
Most BMS and conventional energy management systems rely on a limited set of data points and struggle to provide actionable insights across a complex building or portfolio. IES Live has an open connection method that integrates data from multiple sources—including IoT sensors, weather forecasts, occupancy levels, and renewable energy inputs—creating a comprehensive, contextualised view of a building’s performance. This holistic approach enables more accurate decision-making and deeper energy savings. IES Live also provides unlimited stakeholder access per building - involving everyone, maximising energy transparency, and including all relevant personnel in the sustainability journey.
One of the fundamental challenges in building operations is ensuring that a building performs as designed. The ‘performance gap’—the difference between predicted energy use at design stage and actual consumption during operation —is a major roadblock to sustainability goals. Unlike traditional BMS, which provide static data, IES Live leverages digital twins (created from design models built in our IESVE software) to compare real-world operational data with simulated performance benchmarks. This allows facility managers to pinpoint inefficiencies, refine control strategies, and ensure that buildings operate at their highest as-designed potential, protecting the investment value of the building.
For energy conservation measures, the best way to ensure they work (and are not a wasted investment) is to monitor and verify the situation before and after. M&V tracking is integral to how IES Live works. As the building changes, it monitors and verifies energy, cost and carbon savings, allowing operators to keep tabs on improvement projects to ensure ROI. Unlike traditional BMS platforms, which often rely on fixed setpoints, setting up static reports and manual adjustments, IES Live incorporates actionable intelligence to continuously refine building performance. These advanced analytics ensure that buildings remain optimised even as occupancy patterns, weather conditions, and other external factors fluctuate.
A net-zero or decarbonisation roadmap allows you to understand the current performance of your building(s) and simulate the impact of various changes and investments over time, helping you identify affordable interventions that will futureproof your buildings and meet sustainability targets. Bringing your assets towards net zero carbon operations will not only decrease annual energy bills, but will also enable your organisation to take a first step towards their ESG, CRREM and sustainability goals. With increasing regulatory pressures and corporate net-zero commitments, organisations need a solution that goes beyond compliance and actively drives decarbonisation. IES Live doesn’t just report on energy consumption; it provides actionable long-term pathways to reduce carbon emissions, optimise renewable energy integration, and improve overall sustainability metrics.
Traditional BMS platforms excel at collecting data and flagging immediate operational issues, but they often lack the analytical depth to prevent problems before they occur. IES Live integrates real-time data with dynamic simulation models, enabling operators to forecast potential inefficiencies and take corrective actions before they impact performance. By continuously optimising energy use based on simulation, IES Live empowers teams to shift from a reactive or data collection focused approach to a truly proactive strategy.
As organisations strive to make their buildings more intelligent, efficient, and sustainable, it’s clear that conventional BMS and energy management systems can be improved. IES Live represents the next generation of building intelligence, combining real-time monitoring, predictive simulation, and AI-driven optimisation to deliver tangible energy savings and sustainability outcomes.
For those looking to move beyond passive monitoring and embrace truly optimised building performance, IES Live is not just an upgrade—it’s a transformation. Now is the time to harness the power of advanced digital twins, real-time intelligence, and predictive analytics to unlock the full potential of your buildings and achieve long-term net-zero goals.
Ready to take your building performance to the next level? Learn more about IES Live today by checking out the Walking Tour or schedule a one-to-one meeting with me to discuss.
