2019 News

Get Connected: Increase Efficiency, Conserve Energy & Optimize Employee Productivity

Get Connected: Increase Efficiency, Conserve Energy & Optimize Employee Productivity
06.03.2019

The Internet of Things (IoT) offers many new connectivity opportunities. How do you prioritize your investment?

According to Daryld Karloff, Executive Vice President – Building Services at Baker Group, “Smart building applications provide an analytical, data-driven approach to maximizing operational efficiency, reducing energy waste and, very important, increasing employee productivity.”

Using smart technologies to create an environment where employees perform to their peak is critical because, on average, payroll represents 90 percent of a company’s ongoing expenses. Karloff adds, “By far, improving employee performance delivers the most significant financial payback.”

Examples of Smart-Building Applications
Karloff says a myriad of smart-building strategies are available to support overall building health and utilization, and employee performance. For example, there are applications designed to:

  • Maintain CO2 levels to optimize employees’ cognitive decision-making skills. Although ASHRAE suggests a CO2 level of less than 900 ppm, new research shows that decision-making skills decline when CO2 levels reach 600 ‒ 700 ppm. Karloff says, “We can add ventilation and modify control sequences to keep CO2 well below 700 ppm. This comes at an energy cost, but the productivity gains more than make up for it.” 
  • Help employees stay hydrated. Proper hydration is critical to body function and cognitive performance. Companies that install water-fill stations near employees’ pathways increase the likelihood that employees will fill/refill their water containers and perform at their best. 
  • Improve overall space utilization. Which conference rooms are utilized most? Which are utilized least? Business real estate is expensive, so using smart technologies to help track and analyze what draws employees to highly used spaces helps businesses replicate those desired features in less-used areas.     
  • Reduce employee sick days. Winter is the worst time of the year for spreading germs that lead to illness. Adding ultraviolet lighting inside fan systems kills germs in the air and reduces the chances that employees will inhale the germs, get sick and miss work. 

There are many more ways that smart-building technologies can improve a building’s health and culminate in productivity gains. To learn more, please read our earlier series of articles on smart-building topics: 

Why Smart Buildings Should Be About More Than Technology

Ventilation & Lighting

Air Quality & Thermal Health

Moisture & Water Quality

Nose, Safety & Security

Space Utilization

Connectivity is Key
In its truest sense, IoT uses a single Internet Protocol (IP) to connect multiple devices – from smartphones and tablets to HVAC, lighting and security sensors – to provide a holistic view of building performance.

Diverse mechanical, electrical, security and other systems and platforms communicate with each other, monitor themselves and act as appropriate. For example, when areas of a facility aren’t in use, the systems can automatically reduce the heating or cooling levels in those areas.

Does Integrating IoT Applications Make Sense for Every Building?
Karloff, who consults with Baker Group clients about smart-building applications, says, “Just because one technology sounds good doesn’t necessarily mean it will provide bottom-line benefits. The key is to have a strategy for implementing the technologies that make the most sense for your specific operations and building,” Karloff says.

 IoT helps here, too, by collecting and analyzing data that help owners and facility managers make informed decisions. 

“Collected data helps identify energy- and cost-savings opportunities as well as ways to increase employee comfort, engagement and overall satisfaction – all of which contribute to improved performance,” Karloff says.

How to Get Started
As building technologies continue to evolve at a head-spinning pace, Baker Group is one of few Iowa contractors that maintains an up-to-the-minute understanding of the best ways to leverage them. 

If you are interested in making your building smarter and your employees more productive, Baker Group can help guide you through the critical aspects of planning and implementation:

  1. Evaluate your overall building and holistically test/integrate/connect the right smart technologies.
  2. Collect, analyze and leverage data to build a well-thought-out smart building strategy that will advance operational and productivity improvements.
  3. Incorporate cybersecurity and data privacy measures to keep your company’s data secure.

To start a conversation about how smart-building technologies might be right for your organization, please call Daryld Karloff at 515.262.4000.

About Baker Group

Founded in 1963 and with 650 employees across Iowa, Baker Group is the Midwest’s premier full-service specialty contractor providing mechanical, sheet metal, electrical, compressed air, building automation, process automation, security systems, fire alarm systems, parking/revenue controls and 24/7/365 service. For more information, call 855.262.4000 or visit https://www.thebakergroup.com/.

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