How smart technologies are saving the planet

A Probable Global Ecological Disaster Is Now a Tangible Reality

A probable global ecological disaster is no longer a distant threat—it has become a stark reality we’ve grown disturbingly accustomed to. In the 1990s and early 2000s, forecasts of climate change and resource depletion were met with indifference by the general public.

Now it feels much closer. Recently, the UK-based Institute for Public Policy Research released a report stating that human impact on the environment has reached a critical threshold—one that could destabilize the global economy and society.

Up to 70% Savings

One way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ease the strain on the environment is through intelligent management of municipal infrastructure—namely, smart city technologies.

Smart devices within a smart city ecosystem can communicate with each other and share data in real time.

Let me cite some figures from a sector I’m most familiar with. Replacing traditional sodium street lamps with LED lighting alone can reduce energy consumption by around 40%.

If we add a smart lighting system, we can achieve an additional 30% in savings. The exact figures depend on the specific lighting configuration and system settings (fixed lighting, adjustable brightness levels, or dynamic lighting).

How It Works

Take an average Ukrainian city with 15,000 streetlights. Its total annual energy consumption for street lighting is about 10 million kilowatt-hours. By switching to LED lights and implementing smart lighting technology, the city can save around 7 million kilowatt-hours annually. This results in a reduction of approximately 2,100 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

Smart lighting achieves these savings primarily through dynamic lighting scenarios—so-called on-demand lighting that adjusts brightness based on conditions.

For example, a minimal brightness level is maintained when no movement is detected. As a pedestrian or vehicle approaches, an infrared motion sensor is triggered, and the light brightens. When no one is present, the light dims again to a minimum level.

In the early evening, lights may operate at full capacity, while at night—when there are fewer people outside—they drop to the minimum permissible brightness, often 30% or less of full power.

A Village Leads by Example

A smart lighting system has already been implemented in the village of Vovchkiv, in northern Kyiv Oblast. Electricity usage was reduced severalfold without compromising comfort or safety for local residents.

The funding model for this project is notable internationally, yet fairly typical in Ukraine. Capital investment in the street lighting network came from the regional budget. Operational costs—maintenance and electricity—were supposed to be covered locally. However, the village lacked the funds.

Local authorities sought ways to reduce expenses and opted for smart lighting. Thanks to this decision, they managed to cut energy use and bring the operating costs within their budget.

Metering for the Planet

Smart lighting infrastructure can also be used for remote metering of gas, water, heat, and electricity consumption—without requiring major investments or additional equipment.

Remote data collection allows for near real-time monitoring of resource usage, which helps quickly identify losses.

For instance, when a remote metering system tracks the volume of water entering a building, apartment-level usage, and flow through individual internal points, comparing this data enables the swift detection and localization of leaks.

Our data from Kyiv indicates that up to 40% of utility resource losses occur due to the lack of granular monitoring—losses that could have been prevented with point-by-point oversight.

Moreover, many households are unable to track their actual resource consumption. Consumers lack real-time information, while suppliers rely on averaged estimates: total building usage is divided among residents. In such cases, users have no motivation to save, because they don’t know how much they’re actually consuming.

Helping Ourselves and the Earth

The ability to track consumption effectively creates a powerful impact. It mirrors the behavioral effect that made fitness trackers and health apps so successful.

When people see the results of their actions in real time and realize they can influence them, they naturally seek to become more efficient and adjust their behavior. Smart metering enables the same experience—allowing users to access their consumption data directly on a smartphone.

Modern technologies even allow analog meters to be read and connected using special communication protocols. Radio modules can read the meter and transmit the data to base stations without replacing the device.

This is a crucial advancement. It eliminates the need to replace millions of analog meters with digital ones—an extremely costly endeavor at city or national scale. Moreover, Ukraine’s utility sector, like many others worldwide, features a wide array of device types and standards. Universal modules solve this issue by working with almost any meter.

We must aim to maximize the use of existing resources and replace only what can’t be made efficient. This principle is at the core of both conscious consumption and effective resource management.