- Buildings can now automate their Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) settings in real-time without manual intervention
- Works in compliance with ISHRAE’s guidelines for maintaining efficient temperature and humidity levels
Most commercial buildings and offices in India operate HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems manually, which can pose significant health challenges to the occupants and raise the risk of airborne diseases, especially during these times when office goers are gradually returning back to work.
To provide a safe working environment, Zenatix, a portfolio company of Hero Electronix has launched ZenShield, a building HVAC monitoring and control solution. It is fully automated and allows building managers to adjust to the changing indoor environment. Another benefit is that the solution operates in compliance with the guidelines set by ISHRAE (The Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers), thus enabling commercial buildings and offices to protect their occupants from virus transmission.
Nikhil Rajpal, CEO, Hero Electronix, said, “In the new normal, most businesses are gearing up for ensuring business continuity along with implementing health and safety compliances. Our effort at Hero Electronix is to enable people to get back to work safely and ensure peace of mind by leveraging technology. Zenatix is creating leading indigenous technologies. With ZenShield, we are expecting to empower businesses in India to safely rebuild themselves and safeguard the health of their employees’ in the coming months.”
Infected asymptomatic occupants
As per the latest findings by Harvard Medical School, small particles (less than five microns) released during coughing stay airborne for hours and can be transported over long distances. As businesses and offices gradually reopen, the risk arises from infected asymptomatic occupants releasing such small particles that can be circulated by HVAC throughout the entire building. To prevent this, ISHRAE advises that temperature should be maintained between 24-30 degrees Celsius with relative humidity being between 40 per cent to 70 per cent. It also specifies that there should be a constant supply of fresh air and exhausts should run 24×7.
Because HVAC systems in commercial buildings and offices in India are not well equipped enough to efficiently follow these guidelines, any case of outbreak can bring the entire building to complete shut down, disrupting the normal flow of business.
Centralised dashboard
Using its IoT sensors, ZenShield monitors temperature and humidity levels in real-time. It also controls the chilled water valves, variable frequency drives and exhausts – all automated – as per ISHRAE’s guidelines. With ZenShield, multiple buildings can be automatically monitored to ensure the continued health and safety of the occupants via a centralised dashboard.
Rahul Bhalla, CEO, and co-founder, Zenatix added, “We believe that IoT technology can address a lot of challenges posed by COVID-19 and ZenShield is a step in that direction. As businesses get back to work, ensuring the well being of employees will be paramount and timely intervention is required to address the risk posed by operations of HVAC. Our years of proven experience and expertise in IoT solutions for enterprises has translated into ZenShield solution, which will ensure compliance with ISHRAE’s guidelines.”
