Research

The implementation impacts of IT systems on energy management in real estate organisations

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Abstract

Purpose: Real estate organisations change over time, but they must always have a proper overview of their building portfolio and performance to ensure efficient facilities management. IT systems and access to valid data can provide the overview and bring other benefits to real estate organisations. The paper studies which impacts the implementation of IT systems Integrated Workplace Management System (IWMS) and Energy Management System (EMS) has on energy management in real estate organisations and for their customers/tenants. Method: The theoretical framing includes aspects of change management and organisational theory. The research is based on a case study of IWMS and EMS implementation. The case is The Danish Building and Property Agency (BYGST) that manages a large property portfolio (over 4.000.000 m2) and currently implements IWMS and EMS as part of an organisational change process. The empirical data is collected through field observations and document studies. Document studies include project initiation documents, system design documents on energy management and observation notes. The study is a snapshot of the implementation and covers period March-December 2017. Key findings: The study indicates that the implementation of IWMS and EMS can provide more consistent data on the building portfolio and ensure better overview of actual building performance. The successful deployment of IWMS and EMS is though conditioned by several prerequisites such as availability of internal resources and their competences, and clear definitions of which business processes the new IT systems should support. The results indicate that energy management can be improved when valid core building data and consumption data is provided, combined, and properly presented to different stakeholders such as energy specialists, facilities managers and tenants. Furthermore, the systems can be used for reporting and benchmarking of energy consumption across the building portfolio. Impacts of the study: The paper shows how real estate organisations, including FM departments, can use IT systems IWMS and EMS for energy management. The study shows that new, exhaustive insights on energy consumption and usage patterns increase focus on actual energy performance across the building portfolio and highlight possibilities for further energy optimisation and energy savings in practice.