Can ZediSense’s Small Sensor Save Europe?

When Covid-19 hit and we were all stuck at home, the media delighted in reminding us every day about ‘these unprecedented times’.

But then 2022 arrived and made 2020 look decidedly cute.

With the brutal war in Ukraine dragging on, Europe and other countries have been left wrestling with difficult questions about how to transition their energy sources away from Russia.

Then, the European Summer 2022 arrived and reminded everyone why the world’s addiction to fossil fuels has to end urgently. Record-breaking heat waves led to the worst drought in living memory and certainly the most severe in centuries. Major rivers are drying up and agriculture across Europe is at risk of wholesale collapse.

Tempering temperature control

In an effort to reign in its usage of Russian natural gas to supply its energy needs, Spain has introduced wide-ranging new regulations governing the use of air conditioning and energy in general: during summer, air conditioning may not be set below 27C and during winter, it may not be set above 19C.

While private homes fall outside the scope of the laws, they do apply to public and private offices, shops, bars, restaurants and public transport systems.

As one of the hottest countries in Europe - with temperatures soaring to over 40C this Summer - the new Spanish rules have understandably been met with massive controversy. The government says that the measures will save energy and reduce energy bills, and Spain’s tourism chief is concerned that it’ll substantially negatively impact guest experiences in the country.

But while governments scramble to come up with answers to all of these issues, VTT SenseWay in Finland has quietly developed a compelling product that effectively delivers the energy and sustainability answers that Europe increasingly seeks.

A sense of control 

That product is VTT SenseWay’s ZediSense sensor.

ZediSense is a puck-shaped sensor designed to be discretely installed in almost any space used by people. Through the use of almost unbelievably accurate millimetre wave radar, ZediSense is able to reliably and precisely detect the presence of one or more people in the room.

Its radar is so sensitive that ZediSense is even able to detect the rise and fall of the chest of a sleeping occupant.

Each ZediSense sensor connects to a back end with software that automates the monitoring of the ZediSense network, and this leads to the true magic of the system.

As Peter Franklin so aptly pointed out in a recent article here, “one of the biggest wastes of energy and a cause of unnecessary emissions is heating, cooling, ventilating or lighting spaces that are unoccupied by humans.” A ZediSense network makes it possible for property owners, cruise ship operators and superyacht owners to automatically decrease lighting, heating, cooling or ventilation systems as soon as people vacate a given space.

Unsurprisingly, automation of these systems offers proven and substantial savings in energy costs while also improving the overall sustainability of the space.

But for superyacht owners, that’s not the only benefit of using ZediSense. Thanks to ZediSense’s real-time high precision room occupancy data, captains know exactly where their guests and staff are at all times. In an emergency, they can go straight to those occupied areas to ensure evacuations or other emergency measures are correctly and rapidly implemented.

Trending temperatures

According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), the decade from 2012 to 2021 was the warmest decade on record, with European land temperatures in particular increasing from 1.94C to 1.99C. It notes that, in general, temperatures are trending upwards for the long term and are likely to remain that way unless drastic emissions reductions can be agreed upon internationally.

Clearly, then, we are living through a time in which abnormally high temperatures - and our human need to moderate them with air conditioning and other interventions - are here to stay.

In that context, ZediSense’s value proposition becomes even stronger. Thanks to its ability to monitor people in a space in real time, at all times, a collection of data about the usage patterns of that space will gradually develop.

This data can be used to inform either future modifications of that space, or future new builds to best serve the actual usage of that space. This kind of data and usage trends generated by ZediSense will necessarily become a critical tool in the future development of spaces across Europe so that they accurately reflect the way people actually use buildings, cruise ships and yachts.

Save energy, stylishly 

ZediSense was designed from the ground up to be visually unremarkable and able to blend into the existing interior design of any space, guaranteeing that it is able to make a practical difference without a visual impact.

And speaking of a visual impact, ZediSense is not a camera. It cannot actually identify anyone. It only knows whether or not a person is in a room, and thus privacy is safely ensured.

The ZediSense team is drawn from across various industries, with wide-ranging expertise. They’re available to assist customers with identifying the best location in any given space for ZediSense sensors, and then they’ll work with the customer to calibrate each sensor to guarantee the most accurate results at all times.

With an active ZediSense network in place, the energy usage of any room(s) can be constantly optimised. When a guest leaves a space, blinds or curtains can be drawn, air conditioning can be stopped and lights can be switched off.

This is an easy, self-contained way to realise substantial energy savings and make progress towards sustainability and emissions-reduction targets with very little effort.

Conclusion

The world’s climate is changing, and we all have a responsibility to cut our energy usage and free ourselves from fossil fuels. 

And while governments make rules about temperature control, there’s a far simpler solution: VTT SenseWay’s ZediSense sensor.

The accurate room occupancy data from ZediSense allows for the energy usage of a space to be automatically reduced when people leave the space. It’s the solution we’ve all been waiting for.

To place your order or simply to chat to the ZediSense team about your project, contact them online.