Siim Täkker, CEO of R8 Technologies
Artificial intelligence is one of the key drivers of sustainable innovation, decarbonization, and energy savings in commercial real estate. AI solutions can reduce electricity costs by up to 20% per month while also significantly lowering CO2 emissions, all while maintaining a comfortable indoor climate.
Smart and energy-efficient building management
Our first AI energy efficiency solution, designed to help schools, shopping centers, and other organizations reduce energy consumption, was created nearly 10 years ago. At that time, I worked alongside the company’s co-founder, Dr. Ahmet Köse, while we were both studying at university. A few years later, I approached him to further develop this idea, as we both had engineering backgrounds. Thus, in early 2017, “R8 Jenny” was born—an artificial intelligence solution that has since helped our clients reduce CO2 emissions by more than 70,000 tons.
R8 Jenny is primarily designed for commercial buildings such as shopping malls, office buildings, hotels, and airports, as well as public buildings like schools. These buildings typically have various mechanical systems, such as heating and ventilation systems. R8 Jenny synchronizes these systems to optimize energy consumption and provide a comfortable indoor climate for visitors.
By increasing system efficiency, it’s possible to reduce energy consumption by an average of 20% per month—significant financial savings for large real estate properties like shopping centers, as well as a reduction in carbon emissions. When applied across multiple buildings, such as schools within a single municipality, the total savings can be substantial.
Thanks to our extensive experience working with clients from diverse countries and cultures, we’ve refined the solution to adapt to various environmental conditions and account for different perceptions of a comfortable indoor climate.
The Paris Agreement on climate change, which entered into force in November 2016, also played a role in shaping this solution. Its goal is to encourage practical actions to limit global warming and to keep it well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
Given the increasing global temperature shifts, we realized we, too, had to take action. By analyzing our company’s impact on the climate, we calculated that we consume approximately 1 megawatt-hour of energy per month. However, we help our customers save more than 5,000 megawatt-hours per month. This highlights the critical role of modern technological innovations in optimizing company operations and advancing sustainability.
Small steps toward significant change
We are currently operating in more than 20 countries, including Latvia. Winning the Baltic Sustainability Innovation Award and receiving recognition from the jury has helped us grow, expand our operations, and raise awareness about our technology and its practical applications in the industry. Events like these, which celebrate entrepreneurship and sustainable achievements, help raise awareness and encourage both the public and policymakers to take action today. Without immediate steps, the net-zero emissions targets we’ve set will not be achieved.
It is a real pleasure for us to develop our business and promote sustainable innovation in the Baltics. Compared to other European and global regions, we have a stronger focus on digitalization and efficiency. We are also fortunate to be a small company, as this allows us to remain agile and flexible. However, sometimes we hear that the Baltics is a small region and our impact is limited—so why worry about it? In fact, introducing sustainable solutions in the Baltics and Europe as a whole can serve as our strength and competitive advantage. By taking small, determined steps, we can create significant long-term change.
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