Canadian AI firm selected by UK government to demonstrate emissions-reduction commercial building technology

commercial buildings

A Canadian firm with a technology that enables “grid-interactive buildings” has been selected by the UK government to participate in the Tech For Our Planet challenge program, an initiative taking place in the run-up to COP26.

BrainBox AI will showcase its predictive and self-adaptive commercial building technology in “Challenge 3 – Thinking Smart”, which is dedicated to solutions that can capture and share data to better predict and manage energy consumption.

The firm is one of ten start-ups chosen to participate in the program, which is run by the UK Government and PUBLIC, a company operating at the intersection of technology and the public sector.

BrainBox AI offers AI geared towards making commercial buildings smarter and more efficient. Its flagship product, currently installed in over 100,000,000 sq. ft. of real estate across 17 countries, combines AI and cloud computing to create a fully autonomous commercial heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) solution. “Through seamless communication with building management systems (BMS),” as the firm puts it, “the technology optimizes HVAC systems in real-time, permitting the existing infrastructure to become predictive and self-adaptive, while significantly reducing energy consumption and emissions.”

BrainBox AI says its deep learning and cloud-based computing algorithms produce a saving in total energy costs of up to 25%, a 20 – 40% reduction in carbon footprint and a 60% increase in occupant comfort. Building operators can also see up to 50% extension in the service life of the HVAC equipment. This month, BrainBox AI activated its global monitoring network, which provides 24/7 support and HVAC system analysis to its customers around the world.

In 2020, BrainBox AI was recognized by TIME as one of the “Top 100 best inventions” and by CB Insights as “one of the Top 100 AI start-ups redefining industries in 2021”. The company is also a member of the MaRS Discovery District, the largest urban innovation hub in North America.