For the last decade and a half, we’ve been hearing about how the internet of things (IOT) will completely reshape how our buildings operate — and how people operate within them.

But while the layer of digital tech in buildings is advancing all the time, the IOT revolution is taking longer to play out than some expected.

“In short, a lot of the promise has not been fulfilled,” says Paul Kuehn, a senior sales director at Centrica Business Solutions.

“I don't think it's necessarily a measure of the technology at this point. We've gotten past the hype of having the devices. It's the use of the devices and the competency of the operators to be able to figure out how to solve problems with those devices,” explains Kuehn.

By next year, there will be 10 billion IOT devices connected to the cloud globally. In another three years, the number could double to more than 20 billion, according to Gartner Research.

Billions of those devices — sensors, intelligent lighting and HVAC systems, control systems — are being deployed in commercial buildings and industrial facilities. They’re making buildings smarter. But are they making the people who run the buildings any smarter?

We brought Centrica's Paul Kuehn together with Darren Cooper, the president of Renteknik Group, to answer that question and discuss the state of play for IOT in commercial buildings.

This podcast was produced on behalf of Centrica Business Solutions. Centrica is using analytics, market know-how and distributed technologies to help C&I customers take control of their energy use and improve their environmental performance.