Energis SA > Case Studies > Engie Solutions: Enhancing Comfort and Indoor Air Quality While Reducing Energy Costs

Engie Solutions: Enhancing Comfort and Indoor Air Quality While Reducing Energy Costs

Technology Category

Networks & Connectivity - Sigfox
Sensors - Environmental Sensors

Applicable Industries

Aerospace
Buildings

Applicable Functions

Maintenance
Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Indoor Air Quality Monitoring
Visual Quality Detection

Services

Testing & Certification

About The Customer

TEM is a subsidiary of Engie Solutions specializing in the technical maintenance of buildings and industry. They are responsible for around 370 buildings and 265 heating plants in Belgium. Their aim is to guarantee the well-being and comfort of the occupants in these buildings while keeping energy costs to a minimum. They work in various types of buildings including offices, schools, public buildings, and manufacturing plants. Their work is even more crucial now due to the recent federal law in Belgium that regulates CO2 levels in enclosed spaces, requiring employers to ensure that the CO2 concentration in the workplace is less than 900 ppm.

The Challenge

Engie Solutions' subsidiary, TEM, is tasked with ensuring the comfort and well-being of occupants in various buildings, including offices, schools, public buildings, and manufacturing plants, while keeping energy costs to a minimum. The quality of air and temperature can directly impact the behavior and productivity of occupants and employees. Poor air quality can lead to health issues such as fatigue, sleepiness, loss of concentration, and increased sick leave, thereby affecting business performance. Moreover, discomfort is often associated with excessive energy consumption. The recent federal law in Belgium has further complicated matters by regulating CO2 levels in enclosed spaces, requiring employers to ensure that the CO2 concentration in the workplace is less than 900 ppm.

The Solution

To address these challenges, TEM has partnered with Energis to carry out Quality Score campaigns to measure indoor air quality and comfort in office buildings and industrial sites. They use Enless Wireless radio sensors and the Energis.Cloud platform to analyze whether thresholds for temperature, humidity, and CO2 are properly met. The temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 values are generally read every 15 minutes via Enless Wireless Sigfox ambient transmitters. The data collected by the Enless probes and transmitted via the Sigfox cloud is then monitored and visualized by the Energis.Cloud software. The software alerts the technical teams when a threshold is about to be exceeded, allowing them to take immediate corrective action such as changing operating hours or replacing faulty equipment.

Operational Impact

The use of Enless Wireless radio sensors and the Energis.Cloud platform has significantly improved the responsiveness of TEM's technical teams. The software alerts the teams when a threshold is about to be exceeded, allowing them to take immediate corrective action. This has resulted in improved indoor air quality and comfort in the buildings they manage, leading to better health and productivity of the occupants and employees. Moreover, the solution has helped TEM comply with the recent federal law in Belgium that regulates CO2 levels in enclosed spaces. The ability to monitor and analyze data in real time has also enabled TEM to make informed decisions regarding investments, leading to cost savings.

Quantitative Benefit

In a tower block with a humidity problem, TEM was able to determine exactly what investments to make without overinvesting, resulting in the installation of 8 dehumidifiers.
In a courthouse, TEM was able to identify excessive energy consumption and discomfort, leading to direct energy savings by regulating the heating system based on calendar and occupancy times.
In a printing house, TEM was able to protect stock paper from excessive humidity by monitoring the data in real time and generating alarms to avoid exceeding quality thresholds.