A Comparative Assessment of Emerging Smart Building Technologies for Energy-Efficient Operations: Lessons from the United Kingdom for Nigeria

Abstract

The building sector is a major consumer of energy and a significant source of carbon emissions, and smart building technologies are increasingly promoted as a means of improving operational energy performance. Adoption is advancing quickly in developed economies but remains limited in developing ones. This study assesses the emerging smart building technologies used for energy-efficient operation in the Nigerian building sector, compares them with practice in the United Kingdom, and identifies the lessons Nigeria can draw from UK experience. A qualitative research design was adopted, with data gathered through semi-structured interviews with 62 practitioners, 31 in the United Kingdom and 31 in Nigeria, selected by purposive sampling and drawn from engineering, policy, development, architecture, technology supply and research. The interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis supported by NVivo. Three groups of technology were identified in both countries: sensor-based and automated control systems, IoT-enabled energy management systems, and renewable energy integration with smart grids. Adoption in the United Kingdom is driven by regulation that applies at the point of building control, by financial support, and by mature electrical and digital infrastructure. The same technologies are recognised in Nigeria, but adoption is constrained by four barriers: the gap between policy and enforcement, cost and access to finance, limited government support, and weaknesses in power and telecommunications infrastructure. The study finds that Nigeria does not lack energy efficiency policy so much as the means to enforce what has already been issued, since the Building Energy Efficiency Code and related instruments remain voluntary and are not embedded in state building control. Recommendations are directed at the federal and state bodies able to act on them and cover fiscal measures, adoption of existing codes, infrastructure investment and training.