Milesight Sensors Drive Sustainability and Comfort in 62 Energy-Efficient Canadian Buildings

Project Background:

In the realm of commercial buildings, factors like temperature, humidity, and air quality hold immense significance for both the well-being and productivity of occupants. Elevated levels of CO2 within such spaces can lead to various health concerns, often referred to as Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). Globally, nations are embracing increasingly sophisticated smart building technologies to enhance efficiency, curtail costs, and foster environments that promote health and sustainability. Against the backdrop of the looming climate crisis, the surge in energy prices over the past year has underscored the pressing need for optimizing building energy consumption.

Challenges:

The foundation of any AI-driven smart building system is the acquisition of accurate and real-time environmental data, enabling analysts to issue alerts and recommendations to building operators. The existing sensor system encountered severe challenges:

1. Poor Signal Coverage: The original solution relied on technology with limited signal coverage, resulting in up to 60% of sensors on-site frequently experiencing downtime.
2. Excessive Maintenance: High power consumption mandated frequent battery replacements, imposing a substantial increase in maintenance costs for building operators.
3. Added Expenses: Each temperature and CO2 sensor required a SIM card, generating an additional monthly cost of $500 for each floor.

Sustainable Buildings Solution:

Milesight sensors were strategically deployed on every floor to monitor various aspects of building data, encompassing indoor ambient temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, occupancy, and more.

Milesight UG67 LoRaWAN® gateways were placed approximately every 3 stories, featuring PoE power input to ensure broad signal coverage. These gateways, equipped with embedded network servers and 4G modules, efficiently forwarded sensor data via MQTT to the Application Platform through cellular networks.

Results:

Data-Driven Insights:

• The AI-powered platform, fueled by high-quality data, now forecasts peak energy consumption hours and offers data-driven recommendations to curtail lighting or HVAC usage.
• The platform issues alerts when indoor temperatures deviate from the optimal range of 21°C-26°C, when humidity levels dip below 40% (a condition that heightens vulnerability to viral respiratory infections), or when CO2 levels exceed 800 ppm, a factor linked to exacerbating SBS.

Accurate IAQ Insights:

• Sensors like AM319, AM107, EM300-TH, and EM500-CO2 capture vital indoor air quality parameters, such as temperature, humidity, and CO2 concentrations, which are transmitted to gateways in real-time.
• Building operators gain actionable insights into indoor air quality, enabling them to make informed decisions.

Remote and Automated Management:

• Building operators can remotely control devices via WS523 Smart Portable Sockets based on the platform’s recommendations, optimizing energy consumption.
• When IAQ alerts are received, operators can remotely regulate HVAC systems to improve ventilation, promoting superior indoor air quality.

Energy Efficiency and Sustainability:

• The solution, featuring accurate insights on energy usage and IAQ, data-driven analyses, and remote management capabilities, has significantly improved building energy efficiency, resulting in annual savings of hundreds of thousands of Canadian dollars.

Eco-Friendly Buildings:

• Remote control over devices through WS523 Smart Portable Sockets facilitates optimized energy usage, contributing to sustainability efforts.

In summary, Milesight’s smart building solutions have not only driven sustainability but have also elevated comfort and productivity levels in 62 energy-efficient Canadian buildings.