The smarter approach to building temperature control
Building temperature may seem like an elementary consideration in commercial buildings. However, it has a bearing on many different aspects of operations for every business. For example, it impacts staff comfort, heating, and specific applications within industries like manufacturing and agriculture.
The advent of real-time temperature and location monitoring is simplifying and automating building temperature for business owners. As smart buildings emerge and evolve as a competitive consideration for modern businesses, remote temperature monitoring comes to the fore as a meaningful data set for building management.
In this blog, we explore the effect of building temperature in commercial environments and take a closer look at smart building temperature solutions for business owners from Smarter Technologies Group.
How does temperature affect a building?
Temperature affects many aspects of commercial buildings including occupant comfort and productivity. Temperature also has a bearing on energy efficiency, some machines’ functionality, and (for some industries like food and hospitality) compliance.
In the UK, there is no regulation around the temperature inside building space. The official guidance is only that the temperature in building operations must be ‘reasonable’. However, 16°C – or 19°C for anyone conducting physical work – is suggested.
When it comes to employee comfort, building temperature has been linked to productivity, morale, and meeting shifting tenancy, occupancy, and customer expectations around smarter building performance.
Where building temperature sensor technology is making the greatest difference
Heating, Cooling, and Ventilation
The most obvious role of a building temperature monitoring system is around HVAC. Our relationship with the built environment is changing – and humancentric advances hold many benefits for employers. There is the simultaneous benefit of enhanced energy efficiency where heating and cooling only takes place within occupied spaces, for instance.
Smart, remote temperature monitoring has application throughout facilities maintenance and management. Temperature is also used as a component of holistic smart building management.
Reduced Carbon Footprint and Wastefulness
On heating and cooling alone, a smart building temperature monitoring system mitigates wasted energy and optimises resource usage. It also serves to guide the shift to renewable power sources by regulating usage around actual behaviour.
The COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine have plunged countries around the world into a period of uncertainty. Ministers in Britain have warned that market volatility means companies face a “cost of doing business crisis”. This has highlighted the importance of business strategy around energy supply risks to futureproof operations and ensure continuity.
Preventing Equipment Failure
Remote temperature monitoring provides early-warning insights into performance of key machinery. Smart building temperature solutions have immense value to prevent overheating and overloading of key machinery which, in turn, prevents breakdowns. Temperature metrics can also be used as a preventative maintenance tool for optimised scheduling – and have the potential to prevent accidents, injury, and fire for enhanced workplace and operator safety.
Deloitte has reported that companies lose $5 billion a year as a result of operational downtime. 42% of this downtime is attributable to equipment failure – and a building temperature sensor has the potential to be a cog for continuity.
Farming and Food Production
Burgeoning human populations, climate change considerations, and challenges around space for agriculture contribute to the pressure on farmers and food security. Temperature management has a role to play in sustainable agricultural practices. Remote temperature monitoring has advantages for fruit and vegetable varieties that require precise temperatures for growth, nutrition, and yield.
Cold Chain Monitoring and Management
Many industries rely on cold chain management for success – from the food and beverage industry to pharmaceuticals. Smart technologies like those from Smarter Technologies Group provide real-time data that streamlines supply chains – and temperature often plays a core role in the steps that bridge production and consumer.
Businesses in the food and beverage industry are responsible for ensuring safety for consumers. This requires efficient equipment management, visibility throughout the supply chain, and effective reporting structures. Across every stage of food production – from processing and packaging to transport and storage – real-time temperature and location monitoring has benefits that include:
- Automated temperature logs for reporting purposes
- Reduced wastage and enhanced performance on deliverables
- Improved traceability
- Streamlined cold chain management
- Real-time equipment performance insights and alerts – with the potential for quick responses to issues
Similarly, hospitality and catering businesses can safely store perishable goods and reduce the risk of overheating stoves or malfunctioning fridges and freezers.
The pharmaceutical and healthcare industries rely on efficient cold chain management for vaccination storage and delivery, blood bank storage, and consistent atmospheric conditions in healthcare facilities. Smart building temperature solutions ensure the safety, viability, and delivery of vaccinations to even remote locations, for example. The effectiveness of these technologies affect patient wellbeing and safety, compliance, and free up staff and resources – allowing them to function more effectively.
Server Performance
Prevention of overheating is critical in server rooms. This puts pressure on the cooling of servers, as well as the consistent regulation of intake and exhaust temperatures. A smart building temperature monitoring system prevents overheating by providing real-time alerts when temperatures fall outside of pre-set thresholds. This prevents system downtime, which is costly in terms of productivity, time, and reputation.
Building Temperature Solutions Features
Smarter Technologies Group provides smart building temperature solutions across a range of industries and applications. Our smart sensors and tags are wireless, battery-powered, and long-lasting. They are effective for temperature measurements between -40 and 120°C. They provide real-time and accurate monitoring and data sets can be customised around your business’s unique interests.
Setting pre-configured thresholds, together with the potential for automated adjustments, with alerts for temperatures outside pre-configured thresholds, puts the power to react in your hands – no matter where you are. This gives you the ability to avert issues, prevent costly downtime, and maintain continuity and control remotely and across multiple locations. Data is communicated to a remotely accessible dashboard over Orion, The Real-Time Data Network™.
Get in touch with Smarter Technologies Group today – whether you are looking to safeguard machinery and futureproof your business or simply want to improve the workplace experience for staff and customers through building temperature.