HVAC company Daikin Applied has invested in air quality specialist Poppy in a push to accelerate smart building systems that can help improve energy efficiency and occupant health, the companies announced Tuesday.
Poppy will integrate its technology into Daikin’s portfolio of equipment and services to help users pinpoint inefficiencies, such as over- and under-ventilation, and provide information facility managers and HVAC professionals need to balance energy savings with optimal indoor air quality, the companies said.
Poppy’s clean airflow and energy management technologies use real-time air-tracing and ventilation optimization that are compliant with ASHRAE Standard 241, Daikin said in a release.
“Every building needs to start off with a baseline,” Sam Molyneux, co-CEO and co-founder of Poppy, told Facilities Dive in 2023, when it released its air tracer system “You need to understand where you are today. And you need to do that in many zones, or at least representative zones, in a building. As soon as you know that, you immediately will know which of your zones may already meet the airflow requirements from [ASHRAE Standard] 241 and which of your zones are actually higher than that.”
Prior to the investment, Daikin and Poppy conducted field trials to validate the real-time tracer technology across a range of building types, including 70 sites in 10 locations in sectors including commercial offices, healthcare, education and hospitality. The trials found that 65% of the sites were over-ventilated, presenting opportunities for energy savings, while 25% were under-ventilated, highlighting the need for improvements to ventilation, Daikin said in the release.
The technology integration will streamline on-site testing, allowing customers to assess ventilation rates and air quality within minutes, per the release.
"This shared focus on innovation is why we're so excited that Daikin is bringing Poppy's technology to its broad customer base,” Molyneux said in a statement. “Together, we'll scale the reach and impact of our combined capabilities, and help organizations attain optimal air quality, and reduce utility bills and carbon emissions.”
