Dive Brief:
- Global flooring manufacturer Mohawk Group is partnering with smart flooring system maker Scanalytics to pair its sensors with Mohawk flooring for collecting building occupancy and usage data facilities managers can use to reduce building emissions.
- Scanalytics’ sensor material can be integrated into, on top of, or underneath Mohawk flooring to deliver high-resolution data, down to each individual footstep, without disrupting occupant comfort or privacy, Mohawk said in a Dec. 19 press release.
- Buildings using that data to adjust heating and cooling operations have been able to reduce energy waste up to 35% annually while maintaining 90% occupant comfort satisfaction, the release said.
Dive Insight:
Buildings consume 40% of U.S. energy and 75% of its electricity, and the energy wasted from heating and cooling units costs the country about $100 billion every year and more air-polluting emissions, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm noted in 2021. That year the DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy awarded Scanalytics a contract for $1.3 million to scale its sensor and software technology for improving buildings’ utility use and occupant comfort.
Much of the energy wasted in buildings comes from heating and cooling partially occupied or unoccupied spaces, Mohawk said in its news release. Combining flooring with sensor technology will bridge that gap, the company said. The integration will help customers reduce scope 1 carbon emissions and more than a third of their energy costs, Carlos Carrillo, vice president of research and development for Mohawk Group, said in the release.
Data on the movements and footstep patterns of building occupants can generate insights into how occupants use the space, and facilities managers can use the information to control energy-hungry operations like HVAC systems more intelligently, the release said. Powered by real-time visibility and an AI platform, these data points can also be used to provide enhanced security, customer insights and detailed facilities management across various software applications, Mohawk said.
Scanalytics says its floor sensors, which draw on proprietary algorithms and Atmos’ IoT smart building operating system, capture up to 100% of foot traffic in buildings and spaces and require no upkeep or monitoring.
Mohawk said it plans to roll out hundreds of millions of square feet of sensor-integrated flooring over the next several years.
