We have all watched in awe as sci-fi movies in the early days showed a futuristic technology where a motion-sensor detected villains and sounded alarms. Well, fast-forward to today and motion sensors have almost become common place. Today, the technology has evolved to include what is now known as Occupancy Mapping, which goes far beyond just motion sensing. From commercial buildings to even apartments, occupancy mapping is being used to manage space, automate lighting and HVAC, understand occupant behavior and make buildings more efficient and comfortable for occupants.

Why is the Central Control Unit So Important?

Every 75F building implementation must have at least one Central Control Unit (CCU). The CCU is critical to the value of data aggregation and cloud computing that 75F provides. The CCU is the front-end of the system on-site, serving as a wireless gateway to the cloud. The CCU is a removable tablet with wireless communications. It replaces a standard thermostat and easily installs, connecting to low-voltage relay contacts that activate the equipment’s heating, cooling and fan signals. The CCU provides a primary user interface for building management including mobile pairing, configuration and settings, zone status, schedules, sensor input graphs and much more.  

Every office knows the afternoon slump. Employee eyes glaze over as they find themselves stuck reading the same line of an email. A yawn spreads contagiously around the room. A small crowd gathers around the snack table. If your office had a nap room, you know it would be full.

Maybe it's just fatigue – but it's likely to be something more, especially in an older building. Commercial buildings are notorious for trapping CO2 and VOCs, which can cause lethargy, headaches, nausea, flu-like symptoms and reduced cognitive abilities. In a room full of people, these compounds build up throughout the day, causing the dreaded afternoon slump. Learn how you can use your commercial building to combat them!

Back in July 2002, Thomas Hartman of AutomatedBuildings.com talked about how people have been demanding better building comfort for years, and it hasn’t changed much since in the building landscape. Hartman says, “I predict a very strong movement to "occupant integrated" HVAC controls within the next decade. My prediction is that by the second decade of this century, most class "A" office spaces will be required to offer individual control of thermal and lighting levels. This integration will most likely be Internet-based.”

More than a decade later, less 15% of the commercial buildings are smart and adoption of individual comfort is a concept still being debated upon. In India, many class “A” buildings are yet to adopt measures to ensure comfort.