| |MAY 20189The birth of IoT and cloud computing allow us to build predictive, proactive systems that make commercial buildings intelligent enough to keep employees more comfortable and productive.Smart Systems That Impact Work Output Enter Smart Workplaces. A smart workplace can optimize all the various dimensions of the workplace keeping the em-ployee at the heart of the strategy. Smart workplaces take the benefits of IoT to a whole new level, providing and consum-ing information efficiently. Take for instance how 75F's Building Intelligence Sys-tem uses IoT and smart algorithms in the cloud to not only monitor energy consumption, but uses the input from these sensors to proactively adjust HVAC and lighting settings for maximum employee efficiency and increased energy sav-ings. Sensors detect which part of the building gets the most amount of sunlight in real time and directs the HVAC sys-tem to improve the cooling in those areas. Similar sensors can tell if a room is filled or if it is unoccupied. Based on these inputs, the system can decide which areas need more or less cooling.Using existing HVAC machines and conduits, 75F's sys-tem can be layered on top to optimize maximum efficien-cy. Sensors placed in and around the building can plug into weather forecasts and real-time scenarios to send feedback to the system about which areas require more or less cooling due to external conditions. Our system learns a building within a week, and proac-tively knows when lights should come on or when to cool the building, or merely a part of it. The Boost in Employee ProductivityIt's a well-accepted fact that a healthy, happy workforce is a crucial component of a productive, successful business. With 90% of abusiness' operating expenses typically assigned to employee costs(including salaries and benefits), it follows that a modest differencein employee health and productivity can have significant financial implications for the business.Thermal Comfort & ProductivityDid you know nearly 80 percent of the employees complain about temperatures at their workplace and approximately 29 percent have confessed to taking longer breaks just to es-cape uncomfortable temperatures? As per a recent study, if your office is too cold, your employee output comes down by nearly 50 percent and if your office is too warm, the atten-dance drops by 18% and project turnaround times increase by 13 percent. Optimal Lighting for Happy EmployeesStudies have shown that lighting has a huge impact on cir-cadian rhythms, which is why your employees might not be as efficient as you'd like. A slight tweak in your workplace's lighting and getting it to coordinate with the day part could reduce drowsiness, improve an employee's ability to focus, improve the mood of the workplace and most importantly improve employee concentration by nearly 37%.The cost of improved air qualityAir is a basic human need, but it's really the quality of air that is vital. It's common knowledge that poorly ventilated offices could be causing your employees to be sluggish, un-productive and sick? In other words, poor air quality could be diminishing your business' bottom line!In conclusionThe birth of IoT and cloud computing allow us to build pre-dictive, proactive systems that make commercial buildings intelligent enough to keep employees more comfortable and productive. Whether, it's one facility or hundreds, it's im-portant to understand how a building behaves. One cannot manage what is not monitored. A smart system enables the facility manager to see into the building from anywhere on the planet, thanks to cloud computing and IoT. After all, a well monitored, managed, and controlled workplace trans-lates in to a productive, happy workforce.
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