“Without reliable data, saving energy is a matter of luck”

When Miriam Klein is on stage, she makes the energy transition come alive. She smiles while guiding the audience through this complex topic, explaining that it is a process that has to be put in motion. “Get into this topic now! It doesn’t matter how mature the technology in your buildings currently is. More than anything else, it’s about getting the ball rolling and doing it soon.” Miriam Klein knows that there is a lot of catching up to do to make commercial buildings climate-neutral. She therefore takes the initiative and directly contacts the responsible individuals at companies and holds presentations at trade shows and other events attended by experts. Her focus is on creating greater awareness.

“Some building operators want to get a detailed overview of their consumption first, while others have already made considerable strides in automating and optimizing their processes. We’ve therefore developed a maturity level model for clients to use while digitalizing their energy management system. It enables each client to take the steps that are right for them,“ says Miriam Klein. “And I’m inspired every time it’s accepted – and when those in charge overcome their inhibitions because they no longer feel out of their depth with the topic of energy efficiency. More than anything else, I love engaging with clients. It creates trust and paves the way toward a sustainable future.”

Lowering energy costs, reducing carbon emissions, achieving climate neutrality goals … accomplishing all of these things depends on systematically managing energy in buildings on the basis of reliable, up-to-date data that is captured daily. “Even the best IoT system is worthless without valid information. Building operators know they need data, but often they just can’t find the time to seriously address this issue. We can help them do it,” says Miriam Klein. Getting transparent consumption data is already a giant step in the right direction. It provides the basis for identifying, displaying and comparing energy metrics for individual sites, buildings or stories. Then it is possible to identify and eliminate energy consumption peaks, leaks and other anomalies, which leads to measurable ad-hoc savings. But consumption data and energy savings are not the whole story. These technical solutions can also offset the growing shortage of building management specialists by reducing the amount of manual work involved, which frees up time for other activities.

Miriam Klein’s team thoroughly checks the client’s situation to see which consumption values should be measured and channeled into a digital service like the NEXOSPACE Energy Manager. There consumption data is processed and clearly displayed, enabling clients to derive and implement measures to boost energy efficiency. The team leverages user-centered design thinking-based approaches to accomplish this. “The first thing we always do is talk with the client and their facility managers or building technicians. This basic research is important for getting a feeling for what is out of whack and where we can tackle the situation.”

Her six-member team comprises developers, project heads, portfolio managers and application engineers. In addition to implementing the NEXOSPACE Energy Manager for clients, they closely monitor technological trends and market developments. “We constantly check whether or not a solution could be technologically developed further and if so how, also to add value for meeting new requirements,” says Miriam Klein. “For example, one colleague proposed using AI for our client support process.” The idea was that, going forward, users of the NEXOSPACE Energy Manager could use a support chatbot to ask questions on use and immediately get answers to them. “These are topics that we address independently of clients’ specific needs, to see how we could design our services to be even better and more effective,” adds Miriam Klein.

“Our clients notice that, in addition to selling them a solution, we actually understand their situation. We listen, provide advice and if required also support them for developing a climate strategy.” Miriam Klein can also count on her large network of Bosch colleagues to come up with solutions for every need, from developing a strategy with Bosch Climate Solutions all the way to implementing complex technologies. “With Bosch, clients have a partner at their side supporting them through all of a project’s phases. They know what we can do, which we’ve demonstrated across hundreds of projects,” says the team leader, who regards herself as a pioneer for sustainable building technologies.

Once a client has settled on a solution, the project leaders, portfolio managers or developers go to work on the details. Miriam Klein stays in the background, checking with her sales colleagues to see if they need any additional support or if there are any unresolved issues. In her opinion, success crucially depends on quickly overcoming obstacles and fixing mistakes. “Getting feedback from clients is extremely important to me. It tells us what is working well in implementation and operation and what, if anything, needs to be improved. This lets us learn and make any required adjustments,” she says. She and her team go all out to achieve the goal of getting today’s buildings fit for the future while making a contribution to conserving the environment.