Safety on campus is of the utmost priority for students, staff and building owners. However, during a global pandemic, safety assessments have had to include the risk of infection spread and minimising the effects of a virus which have been felt around the world, and continue to impact daily life for society and businesses over a year after the first infection was discovered.
The pandemic doesn’t supersede the need for energy managers to provide safe and comfortable accommodation for their residents – instead, additional work is required as early as the risk assessment stage to ensure the same quality of living during the pandemic without increasing the risk of infection to both staff and students. With conventional energy management systems, this becomes very difficult – many require comfort changes to a system to be made in each individual room, and errors or issues that become evident require diagnosis by checking each individual system physically. During a global pandemic, this adds a whole new layer of assesmment to ensure that social distancing and safety are at the forefront of any adjustments or repairs, requiring students to vacate their rooms for safety purposes and risking the chance of asymptomatic spread from worker to student and then around campus, or vice versa.
A centrally-controlled system with a portal packed with reporting and diagnostic tools is the perfect solution. Irus does exactly that. Accessed by an internet portal, Irus enables Energy Managers to set temperatures/times for the 3-stage student profile. Setback mode is the default setting (typically 18°C), but if the student requires more heat, they simply tap the ‘up’ button triggering Boost mode (commonly 23°C). Boost runs for a pre-set time (45 minutes) before reverting to Setback. If the student leaves the room during Boost, the PIR detects their absence and reverts to Setback, likewise if windows are opened heat input is reduced by 50%. If rooms are vacant for longer periods (typically 12 hours), Frost mode is activated, maintaining at least 5°C. Irus also monitors humidity, light and decibel levels. The range of sensors throughout the system allows Energy Managers to identify and diagnose issues from the safety of the control room.
If your building’s current energy system still requires individual adjustments to each room to meet student or resident requirements, it’s time to upgrade. Our teams have experience in safe and socially-distanced installation, with a range of training services to get energy managers up-to-date on their new system and software quickly. Buildings can begin safely saving money in as little as 6 weeks.
Irus saves money, reduces energy consumption and provides live data about usage throughout the blocks, along with a host of other features. It’s not about whether or not your building can afford it – it’s if it can afford not to have it.