Sensor Technologies Shaping the Future of Smart Buildings

The future is here, and even though we don’t have flying cars, our lives are very convenient. Particularly if you operate a smart building. Smart building technologies save you the hassle of shuffling your groceries to find your keys and unlock the door. They let you turn on a light before you walk in the front door, so you’re never fumbling in the dark. 

With sensor technology, smart buildings are much more. As a building owner or manager, sensors save you money by monitoring the environment and adjusting systems automatically. Over time, you end up with an encyclopedia of data on one platform that helps you optimize each building. 

Key Sensor Technologies in Smart Buildings

Like many modern inventions, smart building technology has evolved to keep us comfortable and safe, and to save money. You can do all three in your buildings using sensors powered by the Internet of Things to track data and adjust key systems. 

Temperature and Humidity Sensors

Smart building sensor technology collects temperature and humidity data in your buildings and transmits it to a centralized platform. If you’re using a platform that integrates with smart HVAC systems, then your HVAC will adjust automatically when conditions pass a preset level. 

For example, if you operate a museum full of precious art works, too much humidity will damage them. Too little will make them shrivel, and you’ll have to sweep up all the dried paint. A humidity sensor will trigger the humidifier when needed to keep your treasures in mint condition. 

Air Quality Sensors

These sensors collect data on your indoor air quality. A network of sensors will measure indoor air pollutants such as carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds. When pollutants build up past safe levels, your HVAC system automatically adjusts the ventilation to clean the air. 

Light Sensors

Green building standards and healthy building standards encourage designing a building to optimize natural light. But sometimes that’s impossible. In the winter, evening feels like midnight. Your tenants are likely working after sunset. 

Light sensors measure light intensity and turn on interior lights when it gets too dark. If you manage an office building, your tenants don’t have to disrupt their work to turn a light on. You save money on utilities, because the lights aren’t on all day.  In smart buildings, you can connect your light sensors to other systems to turn lights off in rooms with no people. 

Leak and Moisture Sensors

These sensors collect data on water levels within your building to detect leaks before they become a problem. Instead of waiting until a pipe bursts and damages flooring and electronics, you can find and repair a leak in its earliest stages. 

How Sensor Technology Improves Building Efficiency

Efficiency is not only important for maintaining green building certifications, it also saves you time and money. 

Energy Efficiency

Smart sensors improve energy efficiency by lowering how much energy your building uses. Connecting them to a smart building management system changes operations. Lighting and HVAC systems kick on when people enter a room instead of using energy to light and heat for nobody. 

Heating and cooling systems adjust based on data instead of cooling a room to a set temperature. You can also use decentralized systems to heat or cool specific zones rather than a whole building. 

Predictive Maintenance

The systems we rely on to keep us comfy are also expensive to fix when they fail. Putting sensors on HVAC systems, pipes and other plumbing, pumps, and motors lets you detect potential issues earlier. 

These sensors measure vibration, temperature, pressure, and other metrics that could signal a problem. You get an alert when the system detects an anomaly.  

Occupant Comfort and Productivity

Innovative sensor technology in IoT gives everyone in your building their ideal environment. Your tenants live and work in a bright environment with clean indoor air and the right temperature for them. They are more productive and comfortable. 

You’re also saving your tenants trips to the doctor’s office and the associated copay. IAQ monitors that adjust ventilation or trigger air purifiers lower levels of allergens and airborne viruses. These are a few occupancy sensor benefits that make your buildings more attractive to tenants. 

The Role of IoT in Sensor Technology

IoT creates a connected network of monitoring data. Sensors use the internet to send information to a building management system or another network. The sensors are always communicating with smart building systems and transmitting data. 

Different sensor applications make your building cleaner and safer for its occupants. These applications also let you control your systems remotely. If you’re managing multiple buildings, you can watch all of them without traveling to multiple locations every day. 

The Future of Sensor Technology

Technological advances have made sensors smarter and more effective. IoT smart building trends are shaping how we interact with our environment. Artificial intelligence (AI) powers sensors that process data locally without sending it to another device, which eliminates lag time. AI and machine learning also automate the building without you having to program them. For example, if a sensor detects a plumbing leak, it might automatically issue a work order. 

Take advantage of sensors that turn your smart building into a genius. Attune offers modular, scalable IoT sensors that are customizable based on your needs. Monitor air quality, water usage, and energy consumption on a single platform and control your systems remotely. Our engineers will assess your building to create a solution for you. Schedule a demo today to learn more. 

Sensor Technologies FAQs

What are sensor technologies?
Sensors are electronic devices that measure different properties in a specific environment. Sensor technology transmits this data to a centralized platform for analysis and decision-making. They also connect to smart building systems that operate based on sensor data.  

What are the four main types of sensors?

Four main types of sensors in smart building management include temperature and humidity sensors, air quality sensors, motion and occupancy sensors, and light sensors. 

Which sensor is used to detect water?

Multiple sensors are sensitive to water. A humidity sensor measures the level of water vapor in the air to prevent condensation and mold. A leak and moisture sensor detects water and moisture on the floor, in the wall, and in other physical locations.