The New Standard

At this year’s IFMA World Workplace event, R-Zero installed its cutting-edge sensor technology to gather key metrics on space utilization and environmental comfort at the IFMA event headquarters, to provide a clear picture of how attendees interacted with various spaces and how air quality and comfort parameters held up in a high-traffic environment. Utilization Insights: […]

In the commercial real estate (CRE) industry, staying ahead means embracing innovation, especially when it comes to managing space, energy, and operational costs.  While traditional methods for managing buildings relied on manual tracking, guesswork, and rough estimates, today’s landscape demands more precise, data-driven approaches. This shift is not only necessary to meet evolving tenant expectations […]

New York City’s Local Law 97 (LL97) represents one of the most ambitious steps toward achieving the city’s sustainability goals. Enacted as part of the Climate Mobilization Act, LL97 imposes strict carbon emission caps on buildings over 25,000 square feet.  This law targets the biggest source of city emissions—buildings, which make up about half of […]

In the modern workplace, creating environments that boost productivity and enhance occupant comfort is crucial. One often overlooked factor in achieving this is the management of indoor carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. CO2 serves as a key indicator of ventilation quality in buildings, which directly impacts occupant performance and overall indoor comfort. Why CO2 Levels Matter […]

Ensuring optimal indoor air quality (IAQ) in buildings is essential for maintaining a comfortable and effective work environment.  Poor IAQ levels can lead to a range of issues for employees, impacting comfort, productivity, and well-being. One effective way to improve indoor air quality and ensure the efficient operation of HVAC systems is through the use […]

Exciting news! R-Zero has announced its acquisition of SecureAire, bringing industry-leading, electrically-enhanced HVAC filtration technology into its decarbonization portfolio. With this acquisition, R-Zero strengthens its commitment to energy efficiency and superior indoor air quality. Why HVAC Filtration Matters for Energy Efficiency Traditional HVAC filtration systems, particularly those with a MERV 13 rating or higher, often […]

The Importance of Healthy Indoor Air Quality Clean air and proper ventilation indoors is crucial for the creation of high-performance work places, classrooms, and healthcare environments. It’s also essential in fostering comfort, productivity, and well-being for your building occupants.  Imagine walking into a building optimized for health and comfort. The air feels fresh and light. […]

Did you hear the news? R-Zero launched a RESET-certified indoor air quality (IAQ) monitor and connected dashboard to visualize and act on indoor air and environmental quality data on demand. Designed for use in office buildings, schools, and healthcare facilities, our comprehensive IAQ and IEQ monitor boosts occupant comfort and operational performance, including HVAC fault […]

As a building owner or operator, ensuring optimal indoor air quality (IAQ) in your spaces is essential for the well-being and productivity of your tenants and occupants. To help you get started, here’s a guide to ensure you are meeting indoor air quality standards across your real estate portfolio.  Understanding Indoor Air Quality Standards To […]

In today’s workplace, ensuring a healthy and productive environment for employees is crucial. One of the most significant factors influencing workplace well-being is indoor air quality (IAQ).  As part of our focus on smart buildings, R-Zero offers advanced indoor air quality testing solutions like the R-Zero IAQ Monitor, designed specifically for enhancing occupant comfort and […]

As workplace standards evolve, office design must adapt to new expectations around hybrid work and sustainability. JLL’s recent U.S. and Canada Design Trends and Cost Guide highlights key shifts shaping the future of office spaces. Workplace experience trend 1: Human-led design Workspaces are being reimagined to support both collaborative and focused work. The emphasis is […]

Did you miss our recent webinar on how smart cleaning can help optimize healthcare facilities for people, energy, and sustainability? During the webinar, our healthcare experts covered insights and case studies exploring how data-driven strategies are enhancing hospital cleaning protocols, resulting in optimized EVS staff productivity, faster patient room turnaround, and more effective cleaning of […]

The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Office Standard is a strategic tool that empowers property managers, owners, and tenants to navigate the complexities of the commercial real estate market. Used to compute the floor area in and around office buildings and updated to reflect the changing needs of the CRE market, the BOMA Office […]

With the increasing number of wildfires happening across ‌North America every year, providing optimal indoor air quality in senior living facilities has never been more essential. Last year, wildfire smoke affected 120 million people in Canada and the United States, triggering air quality alerts across these regions.  Seniors are particularly vulnerable to poor air quality […]

Using live occupancy sensor data to monitor, measure, and exact control over building HVAC systems in real-time, while also optimizing energy performance and occupant comfort is on the rise as a method to improve energy efficiency in commercial buildings.  By implementing occupant-count demand control ventilation (ODCV), organizations can identify opportunities to optimize ventilation across crowded […]

Understanding and improving indoor air quality is important because it ensures your indoor spaces are providing adequate ventilation and keeping building tenants comfortable, productive, and healthy.  Indoor air quality monitoring is also a strategic tool that can help you reduce unnecessary energy costs tied to overrunning your HVAC systems to increase ventilation in your spaces.  […]

R-Zero recently hosted a virtual fireside chat with One Workplace executives Dave Bryant and Chris Park to discuss the role of data and design in creating more intentional and effective spaces. Through our partnership with One Workplace, R-Zero helps organizations adopt technology solutions that improve the utilization, well-being, and sustainability of their buildings, workplaces, and […]

Since 2020, the idea of the “office” or “workplace” has evolved dramatically. The rise of hybrid work has redefined where and what is required to drive employee productivity and efficiency, and as a result, challenges the organizations that own, plan, and manage office buildings, to innovate and adapt to these changing dynamics; or fall behind. […]

Apply for the DOE’s Renew America Schools grant by June 13th! Round two of the Department of Energy’s Renew America’s Schools grant program is open and applications are due June 13 – just 6 weeks away! The $500 million funding program is designed to help public school districts make energy efficiency upgrades and improve indoor […]

You should monitor and measure four pillars of building intelligence to truly understand if an indoor space effectively meets the needs of those who use, manage, and invest in it.  These pillars are occupancy, indoor air quality, energy usage, and indoor health.  Read more below about how each of these pillars help determine if your […]

Over the last few years, access to clean indoor air has become essential for people that work inside of buildings like offices, hospitals, and schools. This has prompted organizations like ASHRAE and the CDC to introduce clean air targets to improve indoor health and comfort in buildings and encourage increased air ventilation, filtration, and use […]

Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new initiatives focused on reducing carbon emissions and preparing for climate-related challenges in the healthcare sector. A recent analysis by the National Commission on Climate and Workforce Health reveals that less than 1 in 5 business leaders feel fully prepared to address long-term, […]

Research firm Verdantix recently published a study surveying 353 global decision-makers, across 38 countries, on the key trends shaping their corporate climate change strategies in 2024. Currently, net zero targets cover a majority (92%) of global GDP. According to the study, prioritizing compliance, seeking competitive advantage, and aligning with stakeholder requirements are the top three […]

We are proud to celebrate Earth Day, today and everyday, in our mission of preparing today’s buildings to meet tomorrow’s challenges.  Historically, achieving a balance between building user comfort and experience resulted in increased energy consumption and cost, presenting a significant trade-off for building owners and operators aiming for efficiency and sustainability. R-Zero solutions remove […]

Q&A with R-Zero’s Matt Arneson In honor of Earth Month, we sat down with our in-house expert in energy efficiency, Matt Arneson, to learn more about how customers can drive sustainable outcomes across their buildings. Climate disclosure regulations, both domestic and international, seem to be in the news every week. Are building developers, owners, and […]

R-Zero recently connected with Laurie Gilmer, President and COO at Facility Engineering Associates (FEA) and former chair of the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), to discuss actionable ways that facility managers can improve their building performance and increase their energy savings. Through her work at the FEA, Laurie mentors facility managers on strategies to best […]

The way we do business changes quickly, but the spaces in which we conduct that business do not. Hybrid work models, changing workforce preferences, operational priorities, and rising energy costs, have all fundamentally changed the way we use and think about our buildings and our workspaces. Thankfully, sensing technologies offer an easy and accessible solution […]

Did you miss our most recent webinar on the five ways sensing technologies can make buildings healthier and more productive?  In this session, R-Zero’s Vice President of Product Marketing, Uri Kogan, explores how implementing a broad sensor program that captures presence detection, occupant count, air quality, and environmental quality monitoring can be an effective tool […]

Commercial companies know the importance of data; data insights allow them to optimize and adjust resources in order to achieve their long-term goals. That’s why savvy commercial companies seek out data about their employees’ workspace usage, in order to optimize their spaces for employee satisfaction and performance. R-Zero’s WorkPoint Sensors and WorkSpace Counters are developed […]

If you missed R-Zero’s recent webinar on strategies to cut down on energy and operating costs, here’s a quick recap that covers our three main strategies for measuring, optimizing, and restructuring your building for maximum savings. Energy Usage in Buildings Commercial buildings spend a significant amount of money on energy, but the usage depends on […]

Building owners and operators have been faced with a threefold challenge of increasing costs to meet ventilation and indoor air quality standards in recent years. The three key drivers that contribute to the rising cost are: the increase in required indoor air quality standards, the cost increases in HVAC systems and labor, and the cost […]

Healthcare buildings are energy-intensive structures, but none are more energy-intensive than hospitals. On average, hospitals use about 2.75 times the energy per square foot of all commercial buildings. Here’s a breakdown of what makes up a hospital’s large demand for energy, and how that energy demand can vary depending on the region. Hospital Energy Statistics […]

Overview of Sick Building Syndrome Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is the term used describe a condition where occupants of a building experience a range of symptoms, with no clear identifiable cause.  These symptoms typically occur when spending time within an affected building, and typically improve upon leaving. Sick Building Syndrome shouldn’t be confused with Building […]

Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) is a type of UV light used in hospitals and labs since the 1800s to effectively disinfect occupied spaces. It is a type of UV light similar to far-UV light, which we discussed in our last post, but with a few different properties and uses. As UVGI becomes more accessible for […]

With ASHRAE’s new standards for maintaining clean indoor air, UV-C light is quickly becoming a leading method in deactivating microorganisms effectively and affordably. Constantly running an HVAC system to cycle in clean air has significant energy and financial costs, but cleaning the air in place with the power of UV-C light has the same effect […]

It’s natural to be concerned about the impact of ozone on human health and ask if a particular technology creates risk. But to make the right choice, it’s important to distinguish facts from fears. Below, we explain ozone production in various products, the link between Far-UV light and ozone, and how California’s stringent standards protect […]

If you’ve been looking into safe and sustainable disinfection methods for your building, you’ve probably heard about germicidal ultraviolet-C light. But what is germicidal ultraviolet-C light, and what can it do to reduce microbial loads? To answer that question, we’re going to have to start by looking at the electromagnetic spectrum. A Quick Look at […]

Greenbuild 2023 is all about building transformation, and you don’t want to miss the chance to talk with R-Zero about how we’re transforming the field of safer indoor air. Here’s where you can find us at the conference: Hear Our CEO Speak Our CEO, Jennifer Nuckles, will be hosting the “Revolutionizing Sanitation: Harnessing the Power […]

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) recently approved groundbreaking new guidelines, ASHRAE Standard 241, to reduce the risk of disease transmission in indoor spaces. This standard is a breakthrough in public health and has the potential to drastically reduce the spread of contagious illnesses in places like schools, office buildings, and […]

Carbon reduction and energy efficiency are subjects we care deeply about at R-Zero. We want to help break down the silos that occupancy data traditionally resides in and apply it toward initiatives that are meaningful for the entire business. As such, we have built some basic calculations that can help organizations understand their emissions and […]

Hello Friends, Who ended 2022 where you thought you would? Well, many of our customers did not and some ended the year finding themselves in the middle of surprising new trends. We’d like to share with you some of our 2022 sensor-based Utilization Benchmark Data. If you are curious about any of these key findings, […]

A new way of working is here to stay. What started as a pandemic-era necessity has rapidly become the norm in many industries, including many fortune 500 companies and global corporations. Studies have shown that 73% percent of employees say they need a better reason to go into the office than just company expectations. It’s […]

One thing we know for sure is that the future is uncertain. Instead of being stuck in a daze of wonder, real estate professionals are grounding their planning processes in data. So long as they have data to guide them, they can plan for hybrid work environments that are bound to change over time. Fortune […]

If you’re a facility manager or otherwise deal with the business of organizing your office’s space, there are two terms you need to be familiar with: allocation and utilization. These terms are often used interchangeably, but they actually refer to very specific yet equally important aspects of creating a cost-effective and space-efficient workplace environment. Learning […]

Furthering hands-on developmental learning – with indoor safety. Safer indoor, in-person learning with TEA Funds As the world began to return to in-person activities, and organizations started leading their teams back to in-office environments, schools worldwide knew that returning in-person was necessary for hands-on collaboration and more engaging educational experiences. But how were educational facility […]

How to Improve Indoor Air Quality Plus the Innovations Needed to Remediate Concerns. Indoor Air Quality Standards are now Higher than Ever Collectively, we all measure the health of the water we drink on a daily basis and the outdoor air pollutants that affect our breathing everyday, but why has indoor air quality been an […]

When it comes to selling a product, ROI is easy to visualize by simply comparing expenditure to profit—but what about estimating returns on your actual workspace? Office space is a company’s second largest cost behind people, and managers tasked with improving workplace utilization often have little reference for what drives productivity and thus makes workspace […]

As humans, we spend 90% of our lives indoors. Yet for decades, the built environment has been optimized for energy efficiency, instead of people. And while society has made strides in ensuring the water we drink and the food we eat is safe — the indoor air we breathe 18-20,000 times per day has long […]

With most American companies still in the throes of what RTO means to them, now is an opportunity for owners, operators, and tenants to reinvent the kind of space their workforce will be working in for the coming years. The pandemic has presented the business world with the opportunity to take part in the Great […]

Since the announcement by the Biden administration focusing on clean air in buildings as part of their National Covid Strategy, interest in the Healthy Buildings movement has picked up momentum. The growing understanding of the need for buildings to provide more than shelter for businesses and families is becoming a topic of frequent conversation. From […]

The Covid-19 pandemic forced the introduction of plenty of creative solutions to coworking in the lockdown era. Almost overnight, and with literal lives on the line, companies around the world had to fundamentally change the way they did business to accommodate social distancing protocols and quarantines. Two years on, many businesses have grown accustomed to […]

When the Covid-19 pandemic spread to the mainland United States in March of 2020, unbeknownst to the public, a huge scale experiment in altering the layout of the American business culture was about to begin. With nationwide quarantine orders in effect, businesses spent billions investing in Work From Home infrastructure—including things like altered scheduling, teleconference, […]

It’s the basic question that every manager or business owner needs to answer: “What can I do to help my employees be more productive?” However, recent studies have shown that question may already be answered by the time your employees first set foot in their workspace. Factors like temperature, lighting, and noise can have a […]

R-Zero is proud to announce that built environment expert Jeff Wagner, former Chief of Facilities for Clark County School District in Nevada, has joined the team as General Manager of Education. As a trained architect and former college professor, Jeff brings a wealth of experience regarding the impact of the built environment on people-performance. Before […]

The right to privacy in the workplace has become a hot-button legal and ethical issue. As technology evolves to better automate, codify, and streamline our work, so do the increasingly intrusive methods by which our lives are monitored—both online in the real world. Detailed information about the workplace is invaluable for it’s cost-saving applications, but […]

No matter how much employers or building managers wish there was a magic formula for improving employee efficiency, it remains a complex problem that depends on a lot of factors. issues with scheduling, space management, and even office comfort levels all directly influence the quality of work your employees are capable of. When confronting an […]

Investing in the new generation of smart office technology can sometimes feel like a leap of faith, especially when you don’t know what systems will work best for your unique business environment. Occupancy sensors for offices can provide crucial data about how your office or workplace is actually used by employees—data which can translate to […]

As the role of digital technology in the workplace has grown exponentially over the past two decades, so has the need for oversight of what information is collected by digital services used by employers. A Pew Research survey on consumer privacy found that “93% of adults say that being in control of who can get […]

Cleaning and disinfecting with chemicals such as bleach have been go-to methods since the start of the last century. Chemical products are often inexpensive and convenient cleaners used in organizations, public facilities, and people’s homes. Recently, bleach and other chemical disinfection methods have been an integral part of disinfecting surfaces during the pandemic, helping curb […]

By Grant Morgan, Co-Founder In the introduction to their influential 2020 book Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Drive Performance and Productivity, Joseph G. Allen and John D. Macomber describe the multidisciplinary pursuit of healthier indoor spaces as “the greatest untapped business and health opportunity of our time.” Today, R-Zero is significantly advancing the future of […]

Going to the office isn’t like what it used to be. Instead of giant labyrinths of cubicles and meeting spaces, modern workspaces need to be flexible, and designed to meet employee demands. In the digital age, workplace management is really about data management, and that’s where R-Zero occupancy sensors can mean the difference between wasted […]

Since R-Zero’s first deployment study in 2014, we have collected over 6M days of data. This is an enormous amount of utilization information that represents a wide range of sectors like tech, pharma, financial, and more. This data represents a time in workplace occupancy that we may not be able to replicate for years to […]

Facilities Management is a crucial, and sometimes underappreciated, aspect of any business where an office or workspace is a necessity. Proper FM balances both employee experience with cost-balancing measures and is crucial to a comfortable, well-functioning workplace. In 2021, as businesses are returning to work but stay mindful of lessons learned during the pandemic, FM […]

Before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, San Francisco was arguably the coworking capital of the U.S. In 2018, the city had more coworking spaces per capita than any other major city in the country. In San Francisco’s ecosystem of tech startups, entrepreneurs and creatives, coworking spaces have in recent years served as a preferred […]

It’s not uncommon for an organization’s assumed workplace utilization to be vastly different from reality. We’ve found this to be due to several things— a lack of understanding in what utilization represents and the low fidelity of the tools used when measuring. Historic methods for determining utilization are not actually processes of measuring at all […]

Passive infrared sensing devices have become ubiquitous in commercial real estate. The technology has become a standard in many applications due to its simple and completely anonymous method of detecting presence. Historically, building systems have utilized the integration of granular motion sensors and their basic occupancy event data for driving improvements in energy usage. Sensors […]

Not everyone analyzing workplace data has experience in workplace metrics and, even for professionals, there can be confusion when comparing occupancy to utilization. While the two are often used interchangeably, they are in fact very different. Think back to the days when companies would pay a person to walk through a building with a clipboard […]

We’ve always considered workplace productivity the golden metric because it relates to growth, worker satisfaction, and retention. We have recently seen how digital tools can lead to time efficiency, continuity, and effectiveness while working from home. The area of productivity that real estate and facilities teams can have the most impact on is in the […]

There is a lot of confusion about real-time workplace data. When R-Zero talks real-time, we mean it. Our sensors update to the cloud instantaneously when a seat or space becomes occupied or vacated. Why is this important? Because real-time data will run the future office. Making data available to staff can alleviate fears and build […]

While North American companies are depending on summertime heat to quell the virus and usher in the commencement of business, experts believe that this virus may be here to stay, returning each fall and winter, as an endemic seasonal concern. We all know that lockdown can’t go on forever, yet to ensure the safety and […]

In the shadow of COVID-19, business strategists are finding themselves suddenly stranded in dark and uncharted territory. Struggling to reclaim and retain market stability under a nail-biting stock-market decline, businesses are seeing an en-mass clearing of desks as entire workforces are ordered into self-quarantine, to care for loved ones whilst trying to manage their work […]