ASHRAE Journal - August 2020 - 7

INDUSTRY NEWS

SOURCE: CONVERGENCE - IOT IN COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS. NO. 61564

SHORT-RANGE WIRELESS-CONNECTED DEVICES IN COMMERCIAL
BUILDINGS WORLDWIDE 2019

very limited in commercial buildings. They are used
mainly for smart metering, tracking the supply chain,

monitoring of soil and livestock, smart parking, etc.
Connectivity is about connecting devices, collecting data and undertaking analytics and diagnostics
that will enable end-users and building operators
to manage and operate their buildings efficiently.
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the focus on
safety and trust, which potentially includes monitoring of use and social distancing, access to buildings and increasing use of remote monitoring.
BSRIA expects that the COVID-19 pandemic will
negatively impact 2020 sales network infrastructure
(structured cabling) and connectable devices due
to shut-downs, supply chain interruptions and a
reduction in new construction, but in the medium
term, the penetration of connected devices could be
boosted due to the need for remote monitoring and
safety issues.

Industry Roundup
Artificial Intelligence Tool Helps Identify
Energy-Wasting Buildings

Small Devices Could Turn Waste Heat
Into Clean Energy Source

PITTSBURGH, PA.-A multi-institution team of researchers

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.-New matchbook-sized devices could

have developed a system that uses artificial intelligence to pinpoint which buildings in a city or region are the least energy-efficient. The new system,
called WattScale, provides a more accurate snapshot
of which buildings waste the most energy and predicts possible causes, such as poor construction.
Researchers applied WattScale to energy data from
Austin, Texas; Boulder, Colorado; and a small city in
New England to analyze inefficiencies in the regions'
buildings. Source: Venture Beat

convert wasted heat in buildings into electricity, according to a team of scientists at Pennsylvania State
University. Thermoelectric devices reliably convert
heat into electricity, but the technology has been inefficient in real-world conditions. The new modules
achieved high efficiencies previously obtained only
in laboratory settings. The technology could also
offer an alternative to air-conditioning units containing hydrofluorocarbons. Source: Pennsylvania State
University

Tool Could Help Reduce Exposure
To Virus-Carrying Aerosols

Study: Water-Filled Glass Windows
Could Save Energy

GAITHERSBURG, M.D.-NIST researchers have created an

LOUGHBOROUGH, U.K..-A researcher from the U.K.'s Lough-

online simulation tool that could help reduce the
number of aerosols containing the SARS-CoV-2 virus
in indoor spaces such as hospital rooms, retail stores
and offices. The user enters details about the room's
geometry, rate of ventilation, air filter efficiencies
and presence of air cleaners. The tool then estimates
the concentration of aerosols in the room, helping
building managers explore options for minimizing
occupant exposure. Source: National Institute of Standards and Technology

borough University has created "water-filled glass"
(WFG) systems that use water to heat and cool structures without an additional energy supply. Tests of
two prototype "water houses" show that buildings
using a window system made of WFG can save energy
in different climates. During warm temperatures,
the water absorbs heat from the inside and outside of
the building. A system with a pump then circulates
the warm water to a storage tank to keep the building
cool. Source: Loughborough University
AU G UST 2020

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ASHRAE Journal - August 2020

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