Dr. Gil Lederman talks about how big data helps reduce big energy crisis in many ways. Click on this presentation to learn more.

1. Big Data Solves Big Energy Crisis
From the moment it became a viable option for business and industry, Big Data has been solving a
plethora of previously unsolvable Big Problems. From helping the healthcare industry run more
efficiently to helping government sort through impassible mountains of paperwork and information, Big
Data has always been a solution-oriented technology. Now Big Data is going to work on what is perhaps
the biggest problem of all – the energy crisis.

2. A recent article in Business Insider (h/t) highlighted the way in which technology, in this case, Big Data,
can manage huge “unmanageable” issues with relative ease. Here are a few examples highlighted in the
article:
General Services Administration was able to use Big Data to save $13 million per year in energy costs
across its 180 buildings. How would your company like to save millions on its electric bill? Big Data made
it happen with a proprietary algorithm developed and monitored several states away in Massachusetts.
After Kohl’s department store installed energy-efficient software in 1,200 stores across the United
States, they can now tell how much energy each store is consuming, allowing them to make necessary
adjustments to benefit their bottom line. The company responsible for the software – Environmental
Systems, Inc. – claims its clients save an average of 8 to 18% each year in energy costs. The software, as
you might have guessed, is Big Data driven.
What can these two examples teach us about the impact Big Data can make on energy waste? Well,
according to the article, buildings are the largest single consumer of energy in the United States – and
about half of that consumption is entirely wasted. Business Insider put the cost of that waste in the
ballpark of $200 BILLION per year. Yes, with a “b”.
That waste has an environmental cost too. Commercial and residential buildings are responsible for
more than one-third of all the greenhouse gas emissions. But, thanks to Big Data, it doesn’t have to be
that way.
Big Data allows businesses, like GSA and Kohl’s, to track the waste and determine where it is generated.
Once a company knows where it is going wrong, it can take steps to eliminate this waste. And the
process is often fairly simple. Using Big Data applications and a handful of necessary variable metrics,

3. data companies can measure the metrics, determine the issues and devise protocols to address
problems.
In many cases, companies utilizing these advanced Big Data-driven technologies can assess a company’s
energy issues without even visiting all the sites in question. Just by looking at the various metrics and
plugging them into the data software, real answers can be found in a way that saves massive amounts of
money and man hours.
The key is often operational efficiency. Sure, anyone can see when they may have more opportunities to
turn off the lights or let the air conditioning units run a couple degrees warmer. But there may be many
other much more obscure issues that only properly administrated data analysis can uncover.
Fortunately, thanks to Big Data, companies now have that option. Good news for their profit margins
and even better news for the world around us.
Dr. Gil Lederman loves to keep up with the latest technology trends. Lederman is passionate in
incorporating technology with medical treatments, which is why he believes in radiosurgery.