Materials and products used in building, such as steel and aluminum, are created by a production process of raw material extraction, raw material process, melting, manufacture to final products, and transportation to building sites. Each of the steps consumes energy, which is also expressed in terms of carbon emissions. Total carbon emissions of all building materials and products and the construction involved to put them together is known as building’s embodied carbon. Embodied carbon accounts for about 20% of the carbon emissions from the building sector (Lane, 2010).

Managing the energy and other needs in buildings efficiently and intelligently can have considerable benefits. A building energy management system (BEMS) is a sophisticated method to monitor and control the building's energy needs. Next to energy management, the system can control and monitor a large variety of other aspects of the building regardless of whether it is residential or commercial. Examples of these functions are heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), lighting or security measures.

Once various energy efficiency measures have been deployed in a building, energy management and performance improvements can be put in place as a set of tools to: (1) Ensure energy systems’ performance meet the design intention, through proper commissioning during building handover procedure. (2) Monitor, evaluate and manage the energy performance to optimise occupants’ comfort and a building’s functions, while maintaining energy efficiency, through Building Energy Management System (BEMS).