Nordic Propeye’s LoRa-based solution is launched in the US to track carbon dioxide and other building conditions, with wireless connectivity and AI in the cloud.
January 10, 2023Swedish Internet of Things (IoT) technology provider Nordic Propeye is bringing its LoRaWAN-based heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) optimization solution to the United States after several years of deployment in Europe. Nordic Propeye is a rebranded version of Home Solutions, a 20-year-old building connectivity company. Under its new name, the company focuses on its LoRaWAN IoT solutions, with a cloud-based digital platform and a portfolio of sensors and smart meters.
The company’s LoRaWAN OY1211 CO2 measurement system, launched for a North American audience, leverages Semtech’s LoRaWAN chips that provide connectivity to sensors that track carbon dioxide, temperature, humidity and radon levels. . The goal is to automate the adjustment of building HVAC settings based on sensor detections, including the use of fans, to address carbon dioxide levels, as well as temperature detection and adjustment and humidity. The company provides an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that leverages sensor data, along with weather forecasts and building behavior, then overrides default HVAC settings with optimal temperatures and airflows, between other features.
The technology is designed to address a need in the building industry to reduce energy consumption and inefficiencies, according to Stefan Lindgren, CTO of Nordic Propeye. According to the US Department of Energy’s Building Energy Data Book, buildings in the United States account for 39% of energy consumption. This means that they also contribute a significant percentage of greenhouse gas emissions. Nordic Propeye reports that its IoT solution has delivered energy savings of 15-30% for buildings in which earlier versions of the technology have been deployed since 2019.
Create smarter buildings with LoRa connectivity
Nordic Propeye first developed its IoT-based building management technology in 2015, Lindgren says, using LoRaWAN connectivity. The company has worked closely with IoT standards organization Lora Alliance, and its wirelessly connected temperature sensor was the first endpoint device certified by that organization to use LoRa connectivity. The company has always taken advantage of Semtech’s integrated circuits.
“The construction industry has always been quite conservative when it comes to new technologies,” says Lindgren. “But we see that LoRaWAN technology really enables a lot of new innovation and a lot of new functionality.” So far, the solution has been mainly deployed in Scandinavian countries, but its use has also spread to other parts of the world.
The solution currently offered in the US provides carbon dioxide, temperature and humidity sensing, as well as a variety of other sensors, leveraging existing LoRa gateways or LoRaWAN networks in the city of a building. Buildings that require more LoRa connectivity typically require a gateway to be installed every third or fourth floor.
Tracing individuals via carbon dioxide sensors
Carbon dioxide sensors can detect if a space “smells human,” Lindgren says. This is important for occupancy data, as it allows the system to identify if any adjustments to the building need to be made for the comfort of people on site. By detecting carbon dioxide levels, the solution provides two functions: identifying where people are in real time and measuring air conditions to detect when fans are needed to improve ventilation. In the latter scenario, the solution can automatically adjust fan speed and airflow.
Stefan Lindgren
As a rule, sensors are installed in rooms where people work in offices. They capture sensor data at rates intended to provide real-time data, but also reduce power consumption from battery-powered sensors. For example, carbon dioxide sensors may take a reading every minute but only transmit data every 20 minutes. When a change in the readings occurs, indicating that someone has entered the room or the air quality is reducing, the sensors immediately send additional data packets via LoRaWAN to allow the system to adjust the settings accordingly.
“So we measure locally every minute,” says Lindgren, “and then we decide if that measurement has changed beyond a certain threshold,” which users can predetermine based on their needs. How the data is used also varies. For example, to reduce energy consumption, the solution can detect, based on carbon dioxide levels, that people have entered a conference room. The temperature could thus be set to rise to welcome them, then drop back down to an energy-saving level once they are gone. Additionally, the system can use the collected data to improve the health of the air people breathe.
Since employees have been encouraged to return to work following the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses have been scrambling to ensure healthy air quality. High levels of carbon dioxide and humidity can often be accompanied by airborne viruses. “Optimizing air quality has been particularly important in getting people back into offices and back to work,” says Lindgren. Businesses can purchase the sensors and gateways if needed, then access the data through a subscription. The biggest cost to users is hardware, says Nordic Propeye. In common installations, a single sensor is deployed to cover every 150 square meters (1,615 square feet).
Artificial intelligence predicts building conditions
The solution’s software includes an artificial intelligence engine that tracks building conditions, while monitoring building behavior, and it can predict future events. The technology not only collects sensor data, but also weather forecasts, to create a pattern around the building. The software can then use information about how well a building meets the air quality index or air quality requirements, and thus make adjustments in advance that will ensure proper use of energy and air quality.
AI data is managed in the cloud, but the system also communicates with onsite building systems to adjust ventilation, heating and cooling. The goal, Lindgren says, is to balance healthy, well-ventilated conditions with reduced energy. “We need to optimize both.” he declares. “The exact trade-off is a business decision of the owner.”
The system can use data from radon sensors. Scandinavia is particularly prone to radon levels in mountainous areas, and this information can determine if people are present, and thus allow the radon level to rise overnight when no one is around. If the system detects people in the building based on their carbon dioxide emissions, the ventilation will automatically turn on.
Building owners using Nordic Propeye’s solution can continue to leverage their existing heating and cooling systems, while adding plug-ins to those systems so they can communicate with the software. The company sells its own sensors, which come with built-in Semtech transceivers. “We have the advantage of working with many quality suppliers when it comes to individual components,” says Lindgren. Nordic Propeye provides installation, usually through partners, including installation of LoRaWAN gateways to improve connectivity if needed.
The LoRaWAN OY1211 CO2 meter solution is suitable for the US market using 902 to 928 MHz frequencies, in accordance with US regulatory requirements. There are several pilot installations currently in place in US office buildings, Lindgren says. “We were mainly focused on large office buildings or retail,” he explains, “where you have more advanced building management systems.” The technology covers approximately 15 million square feet of building space worldwide. At these sites, reports Nordic Propeye, it has reduced costs and energy consumption by at least 15%.
Key points to remember:
- Nordic Propeye, a renowned Swedish technology company, is bringing its IoT and AI-based building management system to the United States.
- The technology uses LoRa connectivity and sensor data to manage conditions in a building for optimal energy use, as well as occupant health and comfort.
