4. Conclusions and self-assessment

IoT allows for the transformation of a building from a “passive structure” into an “active system” responding to human needs. The analysis of IoT technology in the context of Building Management Systems (BMS) leads to the following conclusions:

• Integration as the key to success: The greatest added value in smart buildings is generated not by the mere presence of sensors, but by their mutual integration. Real optimization of costs and comfort is only possible when data is exchanged between lighting, air conditioning, and access control systems.
• The necessity of standardization: The fragmentation of communication standards (BACnet, ZigBee, MQTT) remains the largest technological barrier. The future of the industry depends on the popularization of open protocols that eliminate the problem of vendor lock-in. However, the Matter protocol offers hope for improvement.
• Security as a priority: As the number of endpoints (sensors) in the building network increases, the “attack surface” for cybercriminals grows drastically. IoT system security must be designed at the architectural stage (security by design), rather than added as an optional module.

In my opinion, IoT technology in building management is currently at a turning point. It is ceasing to be a luxury and is becoming an operational standard forced by rising energy prices and environmental regulations (e.g., EU directives on energy efficiency). We are moving into a phase of “building autonomy,” where the human role is limited to supervising AI algorithms that independently learn user habits. A key future trend will be the combination of IoT with Artificial Intelligence (AIoT). Buildings will not just collect data but autonomously make decisions about energy shifts, allowing for the creation of so-called zero-energy buildings. I believe that the use of Digital Twins for every major commercial facility will become standard. This will allow not only for better day-to-day management but also for testing crisis scenarios (e.g., evacuation or power grid failure) in a virtual environment before they occur in reality. I see the greatest potential in pro-ecological solutions. In the face of rising energy prices and restrictive CO2 emission standards (e.g., EU EPBD directives), IoT systems are becoming essential. My assessment is clearly positive: despite high entry costs and challenges related to data privacy, the social and environmental gain resulting from smart building management is indisputable.