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Understanding how spaces are utilised is essential for efficient, safe, and cost effective building management. However, many organisations still rely on manual observation, swipe-card logs, or assumptions about workplace activity. These imprecise approaches lead to significant energy waste. Without accurate occupancy data, buildings often heat, cool, ventilate, and light areas that are empty, resulting in higher operational costs. Underused spaces become energy drains and overcrowded areas become safety risks.
The shift toward hybrid work has made occupancy even harder to predict, as traditional models no longer reflect current patterns of attendance. This misalignment between expectations and reality affects everything from HVAC performance to emergency preparedness, and long-term space planning. Without reliable headcounts, organizations cannot accurately manage evacuation procedures or identify abnormal or unauthorized occupancy in specific areas. These gaps create inefficiencies, higher costs, and increased safety risks.
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Blue IoT’s occupancy services provide real-time, privacy-preserving insight into how spaces are being used across sites and buildings. Our approach integrates three complementary sensor types to capture accurate occupancy data.
We begin with under-desk infrared sensors that detect individual workstation usage without compromising privacy. These sensors simply identify presence, allowing organizations to understand how desks, study areas, and shared workstations are utilised throughout the day.
Next, door mounted IR sensors track entry and exit activity for rooms. They provide a simple, non-intrusive way to understand basic flow between areas and utilisation where cameras and other advanced hardware are unnecessary.
Finally, people-counting cameras are deployed at key entry and exit points to provide high-accuracy, bidirectional counting for corridors, rooms, floors, or even entire buildings. These devices track movement patterns, allowing users to understand activity within an area, and total building occupancy with precision. All the data from each of these three sensor types is then fed into our Encompass Blue platform.
With accurate, real-time occupancy data, organisations can align building operations with actual usage rather than historical assumptions. HVAC systems can be optimised to heat and cool only the areas that are occupied, reducing energy waste while improving comfort for the people within those spaces. Occupancy data can also trigger specific levels of heating, cooling, ventilation, and other adjustments based on the number of people in a given area. This not only saves energy when spaces are unoccupied but also ensures systems respond appropriately when occupancy unexpectedly increases.
When it comes to ventilation, occupancy data has a direct impact on indoor environmental quality. As more people enter a space, CO₂ levels and other indoor pollutants rise. Using occupancy as a threshold for increased ventilation helps maintain healthier conditions and protects occupants from the adverse effects associated with poor air quality.
Safety and security measures are also strengthened through real-time occupancy reporting. Accurate occupancy information improves evacuation procedures by ensuring building operators can account for everyone and guide safe egress during emergencies. It also enhances security monitoring by detecting unusual or unauthorised presence in restricted areas. With rules, triggers, and automated alerts, operators can respond immediately when unexpected activity occurs. In this way, occupancy sensors directly support occupant comfort, health, and safety.
By consolidating all occupancy data into our Encompass Blue platform, users gain a clearer understanding of how their buildings function. This insight helps reduce operational costs, improve safety, and inform long-term strategies that make buildings more sustainable, efficient, and intelligent.
