The promise of 5G to ease pressure on the overburdened public sector
It has been clear in recent years that the UK public sector has faced significant financial challenges – struggling with issues ranging from deteriorating infrastructure to the immense operational and financial pressure on the NHS. Chancellor Rachel Reeves this year revealed a £22 billion “black hole” in the public finances, and it doesn’t necessarily come as a big surprise.
Such is the challenge that the Local Government Association has found that almost one in five local councils are likely to go bankrupt by March 2025 – with the County Councils Network predicting a £54 billion funding gap facing England’s local councils over the next five years will have to contend with. year.
The day-to-day management of these buildings is economically demanding, especially in a climate of declining funding and energy cost inflation, which alone will add over £95 million to the council’s total expenditure in 2023/2024.
However, technology can offer hope. New modeling from Vodafone UK and WPI Strategy shows how 5G-powered digital technologies can reduce energy bills and improve energy efficiency when applied to public buildings such as hospitals, schools and leisure centres.
The research found that technologies such as digital twins – virtual models of buildings – enable engineers to remotely monitor and optimize building performance, quickly identifying maintenance needs and opportunities for cost and energy efficiency. The Internet of Things (IoT) enables communication between devices, while smart sensors installed in public buildings can improve data collection and analysis.
Collectively, these technologies have the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by 1.43 million tons of CO2e annually when installed on public lands. To put this into context, that’s the equivalent annual electricity use of almost 300,000 households – more than every home in a city the size of Leeds.
Implementing these technologies could massively reduce UK energy bills, saving £580 million of public money every year.
These technologies already exist, but they will have much greater potential on a 5G Standalone (SA) network. Unlike the current 5G network, which only uses upgraded technology in its masts and is also partially dependent on 4G technology, 5G SA is a fully upgraded network in all its components – from radio to access, transport and core – that uses exclusively uses 5G technology.
Director of Strategy and Wholesale at Vodafone UK.
Improving efficiency in NHS hospitals
On average, 47,000 people visit hospitals every day. Given their size, the extent of the technology used and the high demand for their services, they are expensive to operate. However, by deploying digital twin technology enabled by 5G, they can save a total of £219.7 million per year.
Digital Twin technology would allow engineers and hospital management to study the operations and energy consumption of hospital buildings remotely and in detail to determine where they can drive energy and cost efficiency.
These digital twins can also help hospital management better understand patient capacity, with sensors on beds powered by IoT, allowing staff to determine which beds are available and where, even as they move around the hospital.
Protecting our leisure centres
The cost of keeping pools heated in leisure centers has meant that more than 1,000 pools have closed since 2010 and a further 1,500 are due to close soon, which is a worrying trend. Not only do these locations provide health and wellbeing for many, they also act as hubs that are so important to local communities. Worryingly, people believe these centers are the second public building most at risk of closure due to tight finances, according to recent Vodafone polling.
However, seamlessly connected devices via a 5G SA network and IoT could save leisure centers as much as £72.1 million per year – allowing managers to monitor temperature, lighting and water quality in real time, via interconnected sensors and smart meters. This allows optimal swimming conditions to be maintained without wasting energy on heating and lighting.
By helping leisure centers not only reduce their carbon footprint, but also save much-needed funds, other resources and facilities can be upgraded.
School is out, lights out
The size of schools, combined with the fact that not all classrooms are in use at all times (with long periods of inactivity at weekends and during holidays), means that energy and water efficiency in schools can be a challenge.
With 5G-enabled sensors, they can save up to £94 million per year. These can provide 24/7 monitoring of heating, ventilation, lighting and plumbing systems, allowing facility managers to identify minor problems before they become major ones; and allows them to control heating and cooling systems according to class and holiday schedules.
The 5G SA network allows these sensors to process this data much faster, increasing the efficiency of maintenance operations and saving time, energy and money.
When will we see this in action?
It is clear that the government is acutely aware of the need to deliver cost savings in the public domain wherever possible – but not everyone realizes how helpful technology can be in making this possible. In fact, 66% of people in our survey said they are unaware of the impact technology can have on buildings looking to reduce energy consumption, which inevitably leads to financial savings.
Our research shows that 5G-powered technologies in public buildings could deliver annual savings of £580 million and 17% carbon savings on public buildings – making a major contribution to our new government’s targets.
This is why significant investment in digital infrastructure is essential to ensure the successful rollout of 5G SA in the UK. Only then will we be able to provide the 5G SA connectivity that critical areas such as schools and hospitals need to achieve these efficiency improvements.
That’s why we must continue to think innovatively and work together – only then will we be able to fill the ‘black hole’ in our public finances, reinvest in a new public sector and generate economic benefits for the UK as a whole.
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