What It Is:
Workers are always arguing about the temperature the office thermostat should be on while at work. This wastes time that the employees could be working, and efficiency in the office. Researchers from Concordia University have developed a solution for this. They pose a method that simultaneously optimizes individual office workers' productivity and energy consumption costs by automating the control of indoor environmental conditions including air quality, temperature, and lighting.
How It Works:
Researchers from Concordia simulated their method in an open-air Montreal office building with five zones, with four occupants in each zone. (They tested different occupancy scenarios and outdoor weather conditions and took into consideration the employees' thermal tolerance.)
The researchers modeled the preferences of each office worker by using data analysis techniques. They could simulate worker-preferred indoor temperatures, ventilation rates, natural illumination and artificial lighting based on sensors placed throughout the office.
"The proposed method is able to act as the brain behind the decision-making system of a cloud-based energy management platform."
Results:
This solution to "thermostat wars" in buildings and offices overall reduces energy costs an increases occupants' productivity. The thermostat is capable of improving the productivity of employees by up to $1,000 per year per person (assuming a fixed productivity rate of $20 per hour).
Thoughts:
This solution to thermostat arguments by automating the control of indoor environmental conditions is very interesting. I did not notice how much the environmental factors in an office could affect people's productivity. Workers are always bickering how it's "too hot" or "too cold" in the office, and I am curious to see if this solution will be incorporated into office buildings soon.
Comments
Post a Comment