Breathing easy: clean air, happy occupiers

Temperature, humidity and other sensors are important to prevent energy waste. But they're just as important to create a healthy indoor environment.

Once upon a time, researchers at the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria decided to see what a two-hour exposure to diesel exhaust does to the brain. The result? Temporary decreased functional connectivity in the brain, after exposure to diesel exhaust. On the other end of the spectrum, Finnish technology company Naava wanted to see the effect of plants and green walls in the office space. No less than 43% of the participants made fewer mistakes in the room with green walls, compared to the control room.

The moral of these studies? Don’t let your occupiers breathe diesel exhaust.

But all jokes aside, an unhealthy indoor environment leads to lower productivity, coughs, colds, mental fatigue, headaches, nausea, and so on—issues that companies strive to prevent and avoid. Obviously, the significance of having comfortable, healthy buildings cannot be underestimated. 

Adapting office spaces for the modern occupier

Just like all humans, occupiers in your office spaces or facilities need high-quality oxygen to breathe, and consistent temperature and humidity levels for comfort and overall performance. You wouldn’t be the first left with empty buildings after the pandemic; ready to get occupiers filling those floors again. And the same goes for many employers who are keen to get their employees back to the office. 

But times have changed - and so have the demands from occupiers.

Offering a healthy work environment asks for more than opening a window to get the air circulating. It's all about how the building functions as a whole. That's where monitoring comes into play.

Squirrel on roller skates: navigating indoor environmental performance

Temperature and air quality play a big role in setting an indoor environment up for success. But they’re also wholly dynamic and as unpredictable as a squirrel on roller skates, thanks to their relationship to outdoor conditions and indoor occupancy levels. This means that continuous monitoring with devices in the space is vital to staying on top of our buildings' indoor environmental performance. 

It doesn’t come as a surprise that The International WELL Building Institute recognises the importance of a healthy indoor environment, and established eight concepts for WELL building certification, one of which is Air Quality. 

But simply meeting ventilation standards is not enough. We must also focus on reducing indoor air pollution and ensuring clean air within our buildings. This is where monitoring plays a crucial role. 

From comfort to sustainability

By keeping a constant eye on the humidity levels, variations from desired temperatures, and any potential malfunctions in our HVAC systems, we can ensure that the equipment in our buildings operates at its very best; and optimally performing equipment means optimal air quality. Even better, this enables us to not only evaluate whether our buildings are delivering a healthy indoor environment, but also to determine if the equipment is running efficiently or wasting energy.

So, not only can we provide a healthy indoor environment, but we can also uncover opportunities to save costs and decrease energy consumption, bringing us one step closer to achieving that net-zero goal.

With the right information, you can make easier, faster and more effective decisions about how energy is being used. Make your first improvements within six months. How? Contact me, and I’d be happy to send you more information.

How sustainable practices pay off in more ways than one

Reducing waste leads to a lower base of energy usage - and that only brings benefits. If you’re in the market for a new house, would you go for a townhouse with a D-BER certification, or would you rather invest in a sustainable A-rated property? Many would most likely choose the A-rated property. There’s less maintenance, little investment and lower risk. 

The same applies to those about to invest in your portfolio. Sustainability is not just a buzzword but a strategic imperative for companies. As we all work towards our net-zero carbon goals, showcasing best-in-class ESG policies is not just a requirement but a competitive advantage. Sustainability isn’t a box to check off; it's a pathway to a portfolio filled with lower-risk investments, a testament to your company's resilience and forward-thinking approach.

And who doesn’t love a low-risk investment?

Sustainable practices to manage reputation and drive innovation

Sustainable business models have become the cornerstone of forward-thinking organisations. Integrating environmental, social, and economic considerations into our everyday operations ensures our success while minimising our impact on the planet. Embracing these sustainable practices helps us manage our reputation, strengthen stakeholder relationships, mitigate risks associated with climate change, and drive innovation. What’s not to like?!

Strong ESG credentials for a broader range of investors

As you’ve probably noticed over the last few years, investors increasingly prioritise sustainability when making investment decisions. It just makes sense in the long run. So, making sure you’re backed with strong ESG credentials will demonstrate your commitment to responsible governance practices that align with investor expectations for long-term value creation. 

Strong sustainability practices lead to increased operational efficiency, decreased regulatory risks and improved brand value, all of which contribute to financial stability. Brilliant stuff, but the cherry on the pie is the fact that a sustainable, low-risk portfolio as such can attract a broader range of investors, including those focused specifically on ESG investments - who actively support companies that prioritise sustainability.

Ready to get your first insights today? Calculate energy performance, compare to benchmarks and unlock potential savings.

How performance monitoring KPIs influence the net-zero targets and financial viability of our buildings

Even before investing in renewables or upgrades, you want to make sure your building uses its energy efficiently and without waste. Something as simple as the data from heating and cooling systems allows us to identify energy-saving opportunities, leading to energy efficiency. An effective way to accomplish energy efficiency is through data collection, which allows you to set KPIs and gain valuable insights into energy consumption patterns. 

Setting the right KPIs is like setting the stage for a musical - you’re going to want to have all props on the right spot before someone breaks a leg. Benchmarks and goals give us the context we need to see how our buildings are performing. We take all the information we've gathered from the buildings and compare it to similar ones or best practices, turning random numbers into insightful nuggets of wisdom. This allows us to set realistic targets for reducing energy consumption over time, which is a big win-win.

What KPIs and pocket allowance have in common

Think of KPIs as pocket allowance for a young teenager. You don’t want to get any complaints about it being too little, so you compare it against similar, like-minded parents, the standards within your region, and external factors such as the price of clothes and snacks. If your teenager is saving for something special - reaching a specific goal, the pocket allowance would require assessment, evaluation and adjustments. 

In a way, pocket money is like the KPIs of growing up, it serves as a performance measure, teaching young adults how to manage their resources effectively. It’s about setting goals and tracking progress towards those goals. Like we monitor energy consumption and occupant satisfaction, teenagers manage their pocket money to achieve personal financial objectives.

Using KPIs to set realistic net-zero targets suitable for our buildings

When we make sure the data we gather from our buildings actually makes sense to those responsible for reaching targets, we become like energy efficiency detectives. We can spot trends, anomalies, and hidden energy-saving opportunities that would have otherwise slipped through the cracks. Now that we know what’s needed, we can make the right decisions when implementing energy-saving measures such as upgrading equipment, optimising building systems, or adjusting occupant behaviour.

With a shared understanding of energy consumption patterns and performance goals, occupiers, building managers, and sustainability teams can work together towards achieving targets. It’s about more than just ticking boxes or complying with regulations; it is about steering our buildings towards a sustainable future while ensuring their long-term financial viability. 

We believe in what we do, and we think that you should, too. But surely, we wouldn’t ask you to take our word for it. That’s why we’ve created a first set of analytics to give insight into your building or facility’s energy performance. With as little as your utility bills and some basic building information, we can show you how your building performs, where you benchmark, and what you might want to aim for.

What does comfort and air quality actually cost you?

Things as simple as simultaneously heating and cooling adjacent spaces leads to waste - and reduced comfort. Only one in five buildings has a control system regulating heating, cooling, ventilation and hot water generation. And still most of these buildings operate at a Class C energy efficiency level. The ones without control systems are worse again, operating at efficiency grades of E, F or G.  

Balancing comfort with energy efficiency is quite a task. But it’s also the way to create healthy and comfortable work environments (and bring occupants back to our buildings). Understanding the energy burn needed to achieve the desired comfort levels is important. So, what does it really take—energy-wise—to maintain a comfortable and healthy space?

Understanding energy consumption for comfort

Comfort in an office space goes beyond setting a thermostat. It involves temperature, humidity, and even air distribution within a space. Achieving and maintaining these conditions comes at an energy cost—and the possibility of energy waste. 

The lion’s share of energy use in office buildings can be attributed to humidity control, ventilation- and HVAC systems. Especially during the colder and warmer months. Are you heating and cooling two adjacent spaces? Does the ventilation system need to work twice as hard after being turned off over the weekend? Then energy is being wasted. And wasted energy equals less comfort, higher cost and more effort to reach your net-zero targets.

The moral of the story? If we want to reach our sustainability, wellness and financial targets, all these systems need to be running like a well-oiled machine - with no room for error. This means not just having a good control system in place, but knowing where energy is being wasted and what action can be taken to make these systems more efficient.

Reducing the operational cost while maintaining high-end spaces

Energy demand is and will always be present. The challenge is not simply about supplying renewable energy, but making the best use of whatever energy is used and avoiding waste. Adjusting to occupancy, usage patterns and outdoor weather conditions is a precision job. It is this lack of insight and understanding that causes many buildings to operate on a Class C level and lower.

Knowing how our buildings and their systems function gives us the insight we need to prevent this wastage while maintaining high-end, comfortable, and healthy spaces. It allows our occupiers to return to comfortable spaces and provides sustainable and financial benefits for our buildings. Achieving net-zero carbon goals while maintaining high comfort and air quality standards is within reach—for those bold enough to take up the challenge.

Ready to get your first insights today? Calculate energy performance, compare to benchmarks and unlock potential savings.