There Is No Building Without Improvement Potential

The group leader for Commercial Building Operations at the company, Andreas Hovden, sees enormous potential.

– I don’t think there is a building without improvement potential. Even in newer buildings, I am convinced that smart sensors will find something that can be improved, says group leader for Commercial Building Operations at BOB, Andreas Hovden.    

A significant player in commercial property management BOB, with its more than 73,000 members, is Bergen’s largest housing cooperative. What many people may not know is that they are also a significant player in commercial building management. As many as 800,000 square metres of office buildings and other commercial properties are managed by BOB, making them one of Bergen’s largest players in the field.  

– We have long been focused on new property technology, so it is entirely natural for us to test new solutions that can help us manage our customers’ buildings in a better way, says Hovden.  He mentions drones and 3D scanning as a natural part of the company’s technological arsenal.  

– We are curious and keen to use new technology where it makes sense, says Hovden.

Aiming to reduce costs

They are therefore now in the process of testing sensors in two larger commercial buildings they manage in Bergen. One is a combined retail and office building, while the other is a centrally located, modern office building.  

– While one building is “dumb” with no SD system or controls, the other is a modern, up-to-date building. The ambition is to test slightly different buildings so that we can compare and see what potential exists in the different building types. Our goal is of course to optimise the buildings’ energy use, so that our customers and their tenants get reduced energy costs, says Hovden. The same sensor technology will be used in buildings for several of our customers going forward, where we see that it is appropriate.    

Found faults quickly

He explains that they have invested in indoor climate sensors from Airthings which they have placed in the two buildings. Energy meters have also been installed so that they have full control over energy use in the buildings at all times.  

– We can therefore follow the building’s energy use live. After collecting data and analysis, we were able to establish what constitutes necessary or unnecessary energy use and make the necessary adjustments, says Hovden.

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