Issues related to workers' comfort and quality of life
Perceived temperature levels and indoor air quality can have a direct impact on the behavior of building occupants and employees. Poor air quality can trigger health issues (fatigue, drowsiness, etc.) and can be detrimental to both employee health and performance (decreased productivity, sick leave, reduced motivation, etc.). This, in turn, disrupts business operations and profitability.
To mitigate these health and economic risks, European and Belgian regulations set temperature and CO2 thresholds that must be met. In outdoor air, the level of carbon dioxide (CO2) is around 400 ppm (parts per million). It is generally considered that, on average, health risks arise when indoor levels exceed 1,000 ppm (1,800 mg/m³).
For more information on the regulations in effect in Belgium, visit the website of the Belgian Federal Public Service for Employment, Labor, and Social Dialogue.
Energy maintenance and environmental audits to ensure user comfort
For nearly three years, the BMS provider TEM (now ENGIE SOLUTIONS) and Enless have been collaborating on projects aimed at maintaining high-quality living and working conditions for occupants of residential and office buildings.
ENGIE SOLUTIONS (TEM), a leader in building management services
As a Belgian maintenance specialist, TEM (now ENGIE SOLUTIONS) is primarily dedicated toensuring high-quality living conditions through the maintenance of technical equipment.
TEM operates throughout Belgium, although most of its activities are concentrated in the Brussels region. Its client base is diverse and includes property managers of office buildings, hospitals, industrial facilities, government buildings, shopping centers, and various local authorities.
TEM manages 370 buildings and 265 boiler rooms, for which it provides maintenance and optimized energy management (monitoring energy consumption, continuous technical improvements, etc.).
Implementing audits using Enless sensors
At these sites, TEM also conducts ad hoc audit campaigns using Enless Wireless sensors to verify that comfort conditions (temperature, humidity, CO2) are being met. Belgian regulations indeed impose a maximum carbon dioxide threshold of 900 ppm for new buildings ( 1,200 ppm for buildings classified as having significant technical barriers to rapid adaptation).
These audits determine whether existing systems (heating, air conditioning, ventilation systems, etc.) are functioning properly and are configured optimally. If any alarming readings are detected, teams can immediately take corrective action (such as adjusting operating schedules or replacing faulty equipment).
Valentin Maerevoet, Energy Manager at TEM, says: “Integrating Enless monitoring solutions allows us to offer a more comprehensive service to our customers. During the audit phases, the reliable and accurate data transmitted by the Enless Sigfox transmitters enables us to make adjustments to the settings of our heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.”
In practice, temperature, humidity, and CO2 levels are typically recorded every 15 minutes using Enless Wireless’s Sigfox ambient sensors.
This transmission interval is configured during the installation of the transmitters via the Sigfox Backend and can be easily changed remotely at any time thereafter.
The data collected by the Enless sensors and transmitted via the Sigfox cloud is then displayed on the ENERGIS.CLOUD platform, which includes an alert system that triggers when thresholds are exceeded (current legal thresholds for CO2).
Protection of sensitive industrial operations
At certain client sites, TEM implements long-term monitoring using Enless Wireless sensors, which are permanently installed to track data over time, particularly when monitoring a site that is sensitive due to its industry or core business activities.
As a result, a printing plant was equipped with wireless sensors to monitor ambient temperature and humidity in order to protect its raw material, paper.
Automated monitoring of water usage to detect leaks
TEM and Enless Wireless have also collaborated on the installation of water meters for several clients. Currently, five water consumption monitoring campaigns are underway, aimed at identifying leaks and the systems responsible for them. These campaigns, lasting from one week to one month, involve about ten Enless Wireless Pulse remote-reading transmitters connected to the sites’ water meters.
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