Gaurav Burman is a seasoned professional with over 28 years of experience in product management, alliances, channel sales, and enterprise sales. Prior to joining 75F, he has held top leadership positions across significant companies such as Schneider Electric, APC-MGE, APC India, L&T, IBM, and more.Currently, he serves as the Managing Director of APAC Operations at 75F, overseeing commercial operations across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and India, and exploring opportunities in Japan, Australia, and China. Gaurav holds an engineering degree from the Thapar Institute and an MBA from XLRI. He has been recognized as one of India’s 50 Most Talented CMOs and ranked among the top 100 CMOs globally by the CMO Council, with a strong focus on energy efficiency and sustainability in NetZero projects.

In a recent interaction with M R Yuvatha, Senior Correspondent, siliconindia, Gaurav Burman, shared his insights on ’How Technology Is Helping Mitigate Critical Challenges around Energy Management and Optimization’.

When exploring businesses entering the Indian market can leverage strategic collaboration with local partners to expand the reach of sustainable solutions across various industries, the focus shifts to how technologies assist companies in energy efficiency. It begins with the ability to measure a building's performance. The initial requirement is to install meters, sensors, and other devices, as what cannot be measured cannot be analyzed, and what cannot be analyzed cannot be improved. Establishing a baseline through these measurements helps determine where the building currently stands. Based on the existing infrastructure, it becomes necessary to implement the appropriate controllers, software, and solutions. Experts craft tailored solutions by gathering inputs from customers, conducting site visits, and analyzing past history.

The process then involves developing the correct sequence with which a building needs to be run. This sequence consists of a series of ‘if this, then that’ statements built into the platform to maintain essential factors like comfort, air quality, and overall well-being. Maintaining people comfortable is essential to keep them productive and healthy inside the building. At the same time, providing that comfort with the lowest feasible amount of resources becomes a balancing act, using as much chilled water and electricity as necessary.

Strategic collaborations have become essential, since one company cannot address all the issues that exist across industries. That is why partnerships are worth so much.

Advancements in technology have enhanced efficiency through machine learning, while cloud computing provides faster processing and unlimited storage. AI handles vast amounts of data, making automatic adjustments with minimal human input. As a result, buildings use 10-30% less energy, demonstrating how strategic tech collaborations drive sustainability across industries.

AI-Powered Solutions for Net-Zero Energy Efficiency in Smart Buildings

AI-based technologies can maximize energy efficiency and design solutions to enable buildings to attain net zero by controlling various systems in a harmonized manner. The systems are the air side, water side, lighting systems, occupancy systems, fire suppression systems, and water leak detection systems, all managed through a centralized AI-based layer. The AI platform learns and improves based on patterns over time.

For example, if a particular room overheats between 2 and 4 p.m. on every Wednesday, the AI system recognizes this trend after a couple of instances and starts preconditioning the room 15 minutes prior to the meeting to avoid discomfort. Likewise, if a particular wing of the building always vacates at 4:30 p.m., the AI system cuts off airflow to that section, saving energy.

In addition to pattern learning, the AI system incorporates external inputs like weather forecasts, customer and facility manager-set individual preferences, and real-time and historical data. It applies this complete data set to develop a dynamic thermal model of the building, optimizing occupant comfort and energy savings.

The other crucial capability of the AI system is its response to changing levels of occupancy. As the system detects increased occupancy in a given area of the building, not only does it modulate the HVAC system for cooling but also modifies lighting and elevator operations to match the growing activity. As this occurs, the AI system continually monitors energy consumption to optimize maximum efficiency, reconciling building operations with sustainability goals and net-zero aspirations.

Flexible Financing Models to Accelerate Green Tech Adoption

It is well proven that green technologies and some of the more advanced technologies, such as AI, ML, cloud, and wireless systems, pay for themselves fairly quickly. While it may require paying 2 percent or 5 percent more than traditional systems, customers are sometimes unwilling to make that initial investment. There is ample evidence showing that with these technologies in place, the investment can be easily recouped within two to three years.

However, as Fif customers are unwilling to make that initial commitment, various innovative solutions have been developed. For instance, a subscription model can be offered instead of a typical capex project, where payments are made at different stages—such as delivery, installation, commissioning, and post-installation. With a subscription model, payments can be spaced out over three or five years, with a fixed amount paid each month.

There are also other models where a certain amount is paid up front, followed by variable payments. Another option is the shared savings or opex model, where partners provide the customer with a solution. After covering the initial startup costs, the provider delivers outcomes such as energy savings, enhanced comfort, or increased automation and monitoring. The resulting savings are then shared between the provider and the client, typically over five to seven years. Energy savings tend to be a particularly popular outcome.

These models help lower initial barriers for customers, build credibility in the solution’s effectiveness, and offer flexibility. If customers want to opt out of the contract and buy the solution directly, they are free to do so for a quoted price. By putting forward such flexible formats and including financing as an option, companies focused on sustainability hope to render sustainable products more affordable to more people.

Powering Sustainability Through Strategic Partnerships

Strategic collaborations have become essential, since one company cannot address all the issues that exist across industries. That is why partnerships are worth so much. For example, companies will enter into partnerships with some of the biggest utilities in the area, which provide customers with a full spectrum of energy efficiency solutions. Solutions can be anything from solar power to building energy management systems such as 75F and EV charging stations.

In other cases, collaborations often involve large OEMs providing equipment, while partners add control layers, creating bundled market solutions. These partnerships can cover engineering, product bundling, sales strategies, or financial structuring sometimes all, sometimes selectively. The goal is to simplify access to energy-efficient solutions and enhance service through a unified approach, accelerating the adoption of sustainable technologies across industries.

Looking Ahead

As buildings get smarter and customers become more sophisticated, they are likely to have their buildings running completely automated, wanting them to be smart, proactive, and extremely energy efficient. They may utilize voice and hand gesture-based controls to get the structures to do as they want. These are the emerging trends and technologies, and the team believes they are well-placed to be a part of this movement, which is being driven by the necessity of sustainability, government regulations, and changing client needs.