What is a Smart HVAC?
A smart HVAC system is a type of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system that is able to adapt and respond to its environment in order to provide optimal comfort and efficiency.
At its most basic, a smart HVAC system uses sensors to gather information about its surroundings. This includes things like space utilisation, temperature, humidity, and air quality inside a building, as well as outdoor weather conditions. With this information, the HVAC system can adjust its settings and operate in the most energy-efficient and comfortable manner possible.
For example, if the weather outside is cold and windy, a smart HVAC system will automatically turn on the heating to keep the interior of the building warm. If it is hot and sunny outside, the system will activate the air conditioning to cool the building down. This means that the HVAC system is able to respond to changing conditions in real-time, providing the most comfortable and efficient heating and cooling at all times.
But a smart HVAC system doesn’t just respond to its environment – it can also learn and adapt over time. For example, if a building is typically occupied during certain hours of the day, a smart HVAC system will remember this and automatically adjust its settings to provide the most comfortable and efficient heating and cooling during those times. This means that the system will get better and more efficient at providing the right amount of heating and cooling over time, without any need for manual adjustment.
In addition to all of this, a smart HVAC system can be controlled and monitored remotely. With the use of a smartphone or other device, users can adjust the settings of their HVAC system from anywhere, at any time. This allows for even greater control and convenience, as well as the ability to track the system’s energy usage and performance.
The future of smart HVAC
At Incube Space, our mission is to make it fast and affordable to upgrade a building’s HVAC to a smart HVAC that maximises energy efficiency whilst ensuring optimal occupier comfort and well-being. We go a step further to maximise returns. We do this through our predictive HVAC optimisation platform, CubeOS.
CubeOS enables your HVAC to dynamically adapt proactively. It counters changes in the environment and space utilisation that negatively affect energy use or occupier comfort or well-being. So as more people enter a room CubeOS knows CO2 levels and temperature will rise at X rate per person, specific for that room in that building. CubeOS then instructs your HVAC to counter those changes before they happen to maintain optimal IAQ levels and thermal comfort using lower fan speeds or heating/cooling requirements. This makes a significant impact on energy consumption, with savings of up to 50%.
Impact
Overall, a smart HVAC system is a powerful tool for providing optimal comfort and efficiency in buildings. With its ability to adapt to its environment, learn and improve over time, and be controlled remotely, a smart HVAC offers commercial real estate landlords many benefits over a traditional HVAC system. A recent study showed that 73% of the 150 commercial landlords surveyed see HVAC as an important investment when it comes to building management with the potential to boost profit margins by as much as 20%.
Get in touch with us below if you’re interested in learning more about the benefits and ease of upgrading to a smart HVAC without any CapEx costs: