Dynamic space planning for offices
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Office space is one of the main cost drivers for companies, comprising from 400 to 800 euros per square meter per year in France, for example, which is roughly 10,000 euros per user per year. For a long time, the objective has been to maximize space occupancy. It was formerly done via periodic reorganizations aligned with the building life cycle. With the massive and forced adoption of telecommuting during the coronavirus pandemic, things have accelerated. Dynamic space planning is becoming a key competitive factor for companies. It is therefore becoming more important than ever to predict and monitor occupancy in detail in order to build efficient space planning skills. And the game is worth the effort! As an example, being able to leverage 1% additional telecommuting can generate value of up to 90 euros per user per year. There is a trend toward increasing telecommuting by 5 to 15%.
People counting – a view of the past
Measuring presence and counting people have always been difficult, especially in existing buildings. Very often, a retrofitting project involves complex wiring, system integrators, costly sensors and camera systems. The only solutions available, such as stereoscopic cameras, come from the security industry. However, the balance between accuracy and cost is not well suited to smart buildings and office occupancy monitoring. What if we could build a solution with a cost of ownership 10 times cheaper and with a counting accuracy of over 80 percent?
About 85 percent peoplecounting accuracy with a wireless, battery-free solution
Combined strengths lead to a new approach
By combining the benefits of EnOcean and the expertise of Tevolys, a leader in space management and IT for smart buildings, a dream has come true. EPACA sensors are ceiling-mounted sensors that detect people’s motion activity in the sensing range below the sensor. The device is wireless and solar-powered, meaning that no batteries or maintenance are needed under typical lighting conditions. Because it is wireless, it is also easy to install in retrofit projects. The remaining challenge was to bridge the gap between motion activity sensing and people counting. This is exactly what Tevolys achieved by combining a tuned lens cover and a predictive algorithm. The EPACA sensor can now achieve an unprecedented people-counting accuracy of up to 85+ percent.
Cost savings due to optimized space management
Space is becoming a scarce resource that has to be managed cost-effectively. Tevolys and EnOcean have enabled a dynamic space management solution for retrofit projects as well as new buildings that provides about 85% people-counting accuracy, is easy to deploy (wireless), requires no maintenance (no battery) and is accessible for any size company. The Tevolys technology is available for integrators in an OEM version or as a turnkey solution.
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