'India needs to invest more in smart building technologies'

The government, building owners and service providers need to invest more in smart building technologies to better serve India's rapidly urbanizing population and help create sustainable cities and infrastructure, according to the findings of a recent survey.

While the country's airports and hotels are leading the way with smart building technologies, the survey found that in general the smartness of buildings in India is low.

The survey was conducted on 2,000 buildings across India by US-based Fortune 100 company Honeywell and research-specialist IMRB International. Its findings were released here on Tuesday.

The surveyed buildings are located in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Pune.

"Implementing smart building solutions can make facilities more connected and adaptive, reduce energy and operating costs, and improve the safety and quality of life for occupants and users," Alex Ismail, president and chief executive officer of Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions said.

The survey marks the debut of the new Honeywell Smart Building Score, a tool that evaluates buildings based on each facility's use of technologies to make the building green, safe, and productive -- three key aspects of smart buildings.

The survey findings were accompanied by a white paper from Honeywell and Ernst and Young, "Smart Buildings Make Smart Cities," which details how targeted investment in smart buildings can be used to drive economic and environmental benefits, protect human life and building assets, and support India's goal to develop 100 smart cities.

"The Indian government's 100 smart cities plan is a forward-looking initiative that aims to improve quality of life and make the country a smarter place to live. We are pleased that Honeywell is taking an active role in this smart cities project through its Smart Building Score," US Ambassador to India Richard Verma said.