How Smart Technology Is Impacting Sustainability

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IoT Secure collects interesting facts and statistics from industry experts and news reports about the impact of modern technology on sustainability efforts.

How Smart Technology Affects Sustainability Smart Technology and Sustainability

According to Ericsson, there will be around 29 billion smart devices worldwide by the end of 2022. While estimates of the exact number of connected devices vary around the world, industry experts agree that more and more people are adopting them every day. According to a report from Berg Insight, by 2021 there will be nearly 51 million households using smart devices in the US alone.

Most of these devices are sold to make the house comfortable and save money on utilities and other costs, while some support the reduction of energy consumption and pollution. IoT Secure collects interesting facts and statistics from industry experts and news reports about the impact of modern technology on sustainability efforts.

In the year According to a November 2021 report from McKinsey, the potential economic value of IoT devices is at least $740 billion in 2021 and is predicted to grow significantly by 2030. Manufacturing is one of the world's largest industries, known for its modernity. Technology since the advent of industrialization. One of the ways smart devices and technologies can support manufacturing and other industries is by eliminating waste from human activities. In addition, improved computer sensors can shut down engines more efficiently and quickly in an emergency.

RossHelen // Shutterstock Save energy and money with smart lighting

LED lights use 75% less energy than conventional bulbs. You can save even more energy by adding smart bulbs that can turn on your lights before you get home from work. This means your lights burn 50% less during the day - a big difference. Smart lights can turn on and off based on sunrise and sunset, making your day more peaceful without the hassle of switches. Unlike incandescent and fluorescent lights or tube lights, which are expensive to turn on and off, LED lights do not lose their life this way.

RossHelen // Shutterstock Helps reduce water waste

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that approximately 1 billion gallons of water are wasted each year due to leaks in homes. What may seem like a small problem (a non-stop toilet or a slow drip under the kitchen sink) can turn into a big loss. Using technology that automatically alerts users to leaks can help reduce these losses by quickly resolving issues. You can start by checking for leaks in your home, working properly and fixing the pipes. After that, a smart leak detector can make sure everything stays intact.

Denys Kurbatov // Shutterstock Reducing energy consumption for home heating and cooling

According to the US Department of Energy, air conditioning accounts for about 12% of a home's energy use, while forced air heating can account for up to 29%. Programmable thermostats allow consumers to set a timer to turn on the air conditioner before they get home from work, for example.

Smart thermostats like Nest go a step further by using algorithms that know how heat and cold move in your home and adjust accordingly. Nest in 2010 As reported in 2015, "learning thermostats" save consumers 15% on cooling and 10-12% on heating. This represents a total energy saving of around 2% in cooling and 3.5% in heating.

Navistar // Shutterstock Limiting Chemical Runoff and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Agriculture

Agriculture has long been concerned with efficiency, especially for small farmers trying to turn razor-thin profit margins into decent incomes. While exact numbers are hard to come by, organizations like PNAS say smart sensors can monitor agriculture for more targeted water and pesticide use. And this makes intuitive sense, because computers know better than experts when to turn the fertilizer stream on and off.

Modern farm equipment can be programmed with comprehensive maps showing where and what to apply to maintain proper movement and apply the product when needed. Human operators who lack confidence and are willing to play it safe are more likely to deploy the product in large quantities with various safeguards.

Nolenberg11 // Shutterstock Catch Methane gas flows quickly

Methane is the second most common greenhouse gas and can cause more damage per pound, while carbon dioxide gets more attention globally. There are natural sources of methane, such as livestock, that can be reduced over time, for example through dietary changes.

But others are artificial, because methane is the most common ingredient in "natural gas" in stoves and heaters. The natural gas pipelines that weave around the world are vulnerable to destruction. A system already deployed in Italy uses smart methane detection using vehicle-based sensors to identify leaks that need to be repaired.

This story originally appeared on IoT Secure and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stalker Studio.

juliet_dreamhunter // Shutterstock

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