Greystar Success Story
Background
Client
Greystar
Project
Improve HVAC at
Ascent South Lake Union
Greystar, a leader in multi-family development and property management with over 2,000 properties, actively prioritizes energy reduction and environmental sustainability across their global portfolio. Greystar is constantly innovating to bring new solutions into their properties to improve the tenant experience, provide maximum value to their clients, and increase asset profitability.
In March 2021, Greystar deployed Nomad Go’s AI smart building controls to improve HVAC efficiency in common areas at Ascent South Lake Union, a luxury residential high-rise in downtown Seattle.
The three goals of the deployment were to:
Reduce the properties’ variable energy operating expenses,
Increase net asset value
Decrease energy-related greenhouse gas emissions
The Challenge
Before Nomad Go
Fixed HVAC Schedules Led to Wasted Energy, Emissions & Costs
Located on the 21st floor of the Ascent building, the SkyLounge is a 24-hour, multi-purpose space that tenants use for meetings, entertainment, and more. As with all the common areas at the Ascent building, Greystar relies on a fixed schedule to operate their HVAC in order to maintain the room for use any time during the day or night.
As a result, the SkyLounge’s HVAC schedule was set to operate 22 out of 24 hours of the day, consuming energy regardless of if the room was occupied or not. Based on current energy billing statements, it was estimated that HVAC energy costs for the building amenity areas were in excess of $52,000 per year.
Schedule Mode:
Fixed
HVAC Operating Hours:
22 hours per day
Estimated Energy Cost:
$52,000 per year
HVAC control using standard scheduled occupied mode
HVAC operations with Nomad Go
The Solution
After Nomad Go
HVAC Controlled by Live Occupancy
Reduced Run-time & Energy Consumption
While Greystar leadership had previously prioritized utility costs as a means of reducing variable operating expenses, they found that existing solutions (motion detectors, CO2 sensors, people counters) lacked the precision, ease-of-use, and scalability to make a significant impact across the portfolio.
Nomad Go implemented their AI smart building solution at Ascent by installing smart sensors that use computer vision to monitor real-time occupancy of the space. Working with their partner, ATS Automation, Nomad Go converted the occupancy number into data that integrates directly with the existing building automation system in place, Johnson Controls Metasys.
With real-time occupancy data now coming from the SkyLounge, the sequence of operations for the Johnson Controls system was configured to use live occupancy as a primary trigger for HVAC operations, allowing the unit to shut down when no occupancy was detected, reducing run-time and energy consumption throughout the day.
Schedule Mode:
Real Time AI based
HVAC Operating Hours:
As per Occupancy
Estimated Energy Cost:
Reduced by 58%
Results
-
58% Reduction in HVAC Run-time, Lowering Energy Costs and Improving Sustainability
Previously the schedules were running HVAC 92% of the day (12 am – 10 pm)
Using live occupancy, Nomad Go found that actual occupancy averaged approximately 23% of the day.
92% vs. 23% Room Occupancy
Avg. Room Occupancy
To ensure that the HVAC was not powering on and off, once the system detected occupancy it stayed on for 15-30 mins regardless of if people stayed in the room. As a result, on average there was 34% HVAC usage vs 92% with the set schedules leading to 58% savings in HVAC usage
34% (8 hrs. per day) vs. 92% (22 hrs.)
Avg. HVAC Run Time with Nomad Go
-
Improving Air Quality and Comfort
Another benefit of controlling HVAC based on live occupancy was an improvement in air quality ventilation. Instead of reactive technology, such as CO2 sensors that can take up to 30 mins to approximate occupancy, with Nomad Go the air dampers are instantly adjusted based on the number of people in the room, creating a healthier and more comfortable environment for tenants.
Note how ventilation is immediately turned on the moment people enter the space:
Conclusion
With Nomad Go’s AI system deployed at Ascent, Greystar reduced HVAC usage by 58% while Improving net asset value by over $300,000. This energy savings translates to reducing yearly energy-related CO2 emissions by over 280 tons
1
Reducing Yearly Energy-related
CO2 Emissions By Over
280 tons
Reduced
HVAC Usage By
58%
Improving
Net Asset Value By Over
$300,000
“
We are excited about the opportunity Nomad Go’s technology offers our properties, our clients, and our tenants. With over 200 owned assets and over 2,000 properties under management globally, we are looking forward to expanding the use of Nomad Go and seeing improved business and environmental impact across our portfolio.
Adrian De Smul
Senior Director of Customer Experience
& Innovation at Greystar
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