Digital technologies powered by 5G could bring huge cost and energy savings when applied to public buildings like hospitals, schools, and leisure centres, according to new economic modelling from Vodafone UK in their Connected Spaces report.

The combined benefits of Internet of Things (IoT), smart sensors and virtual versions of buildings (known as ‘digital twins’) could save £580 million of public money annually if rolled out to every UK town.

A national 5G rollout would allow for better control of energy consumption in public buildings by using smart sensors, and could also be utilised for diagnostics and predictive maintenance, helping to minimise breakdowns and repair costs.

For example, the combination of IoT with motion sensors can measure patterns of work and how a building consumes energy to an extremely accurate degree, allowing adjustments to be made at a minute level.

Combined with the Government’s recent pledge to invest £557 million for public buildings to install low carbon heating and energy saving measures, implementing 5G technology could save an estimated £650 million per year across public sector building stocks.

These technologies could also save energy equating to 1.43 million tonnes of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases per year, the same annual electricity use as 300,000 homes.

This new modelling, conducted by WPI Strategy for Vodafone, shows that the NHS could be the biggest beneficiary, with potential savings of over £153,000 for local health boards. Across the UK that could mean saving £219 million a year.

A 5G rollout into local council buildings could see a cost saving of £85,000, while schools and police stations might see combined savings of almost £27,000.

Andrea Dona, chief network officer of Vodafone UK said: “We believe that a best-in-class 5G network would provide a much-needed economic boost to the public purse, saving £580 million of taxpayer money, while also helping to decarbonise the public estate.

“Public buildings are critical to communities, and we want to propel them into the future – which is why, as part of our proposed combination with Three UK, we have committed to rolling out 5G Standalone to every school and hospital across the nation by 2030.”

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As part of their proposed merger, Vodafone UK and Three UK have committed to rolling out their 5G Standalone program, investing £11 billion over ten years and delivering 5G to 99% of the UK population by 2034.

Earlier this year the trade body Mobile UK warned about the potential shortfall in achieving widespread adoption of 5G technology without significant changes from the government to support 5G upgrades, which could impact the potential economic boost 5G networks promise.