Schneider Electric has announced two products to adjust heating and ventilation depending on room occupancy.

The SpaceLogic RP-V and Insight Sensor provide demand-driven ventilation based on the actual occupancy of the space. This people-centric option provides businesses the ability to increase energy efficiency and reduce costs by controlling a room’s environment by counting people in the space and adjusting airflow and energy usage accordingly.

Occupant comfort in any space is best optimised when the temperature, lighting, occupancy and humidity are accounted for in the room. Knowing the number of occupants in a room enables proactive conditioning for the space.

It is no longer a requirement to wait for temperature or CO₂ thresholds to be exceeded to then adjust the conditions. Schneider’s connected room range now incorporates SpaceLogic RP-V and Insight Sensor to increase space efficiency through real-time space usage, saving organisations between ten and twenty per cent on HVAC energy costs and producing comfortable environments for occupants.

“The future of buildings focuses on more than how sustainable they can be, it also prioritises the infrastructure necessary to provide tenants with a healthy, unique and quality experience,” said James Mylett, senior vice president at Schneider Electric. “The connected room option uses SpaceLogic RP-V and Insight Sensor to transform the occupant experience by analysing different environmental factors of a space and automatically adjusting things like temperature and light to deliver an optimised and comfortable setting for occupants. Maximising square footage and room usage is a priority for many businesses, and this can introduce these features to educational centres, hospitals, commercial office spaces and much more.”

It uses a specialised sensor, designed to work with room level devices such as light and blind control. The smart SP90 actuator for intelligent hydronic control and the Insight Sensor work in tandem to level set the temperature, air quality and atmosphere of a room. Insight Sensor itself is a six-in-one sensor that monitors people counting, motion, temperature, humidity, sound levels and light levels.

With about 90% of people worldwide anticipated to spend most of their time within indoor environments, it’s more imperative than ever that building owners ensure the health, comfort and safety of their occupants. Companies can use this as a means of monitoring for acute room level changes, automating room HVAC operations and more, which helps maintain a healthy room environment and cut energy costs.

“The right considerations when it comes to building automation and control system technologies always revolve around the residents and occupants of the space,” said Brian Schepers, vice president at C&C Group. “What this brings to the market is an integrated offer that combines energy efficiency with powerful room monitoring technology that sacrifices neither comfort nor quality of the space in question. A people-centric, robust product using smart sensors to go beyond data collection and sustainably regulate an environmental atmosphere makes maintaining occupant comfort easier than ever before.”