Occupancy sensor

[edit] What are occupancy sensors?

Occupancy sensors differ from motion sensors in that they don’t require significant motion in order to work. Their purpose is not to detect motion, but to detect whether people are present, even if they’re not moving around.

Many occupancy sensors will use a combination of sensors and various technologies. As well as a PIR sensor, occupancy sensors may include ultrasonic (US) sensors that emit a high-frequency signal and monitor the frequency of the reflected signal. These sensors are a lot more accurate than a PIR sensor; they can detect small motions and don’t require a direct line of sight.

The best occupancy sensors, however, leverage computer vision technology, which is able to detect people through the use of cameras and sophisticated algorithms. These types of sensors can detect occupancy even if someone is not moving at all and, in the case of desk occupancy, can be effective down to the individual seat.

[edit] The benefits of occupancy sensors

[edit] Determine occupancy without significant motion

The most obvious benefit of occupancy sensors is how accurate they are and how much useful data they can provide.

A motion sensor will allow you to determine when there is motion in an office, but it won’t tell you who caused that motion, where they’ve been or where they go next. Occupancy sensors can track multiple desks at once, so you can track desk usage throughout the entire office.

Occupancy sensors also allow you to see exactly how much time a desk is in use. Whilst a motion detector will only tell you when someone sits down at a desk, an occupancy sensor can tell you how long they stay there, even if they’re not moving at all.

[edit] Determine vacancy rates

Since motion detectors require motion to work, they can’t detect when someone isn’t there. Occupancy sensors are able to accurately determine if someone is or isn’t seated at a desk. This offers your business to see how often workspaces are vacant. You can then analyse whether those workspaces are being used efficiently.

[edit] Increase capacity

By analysing how your workspace is used, it allows you to increase the capacity of your office space without the need for investment in additional real estate. Occupancy sensors allow you to identify wasted capacity in your workspace, which you can then utilise to increase overall capacity.

[edit] Free up unused space

Conversely, through the use of occupancy sensors, you may discover that some space in your office is rarely used at all. If that’s the case, you can elect to repurpose that space for better use. If the space has been used, but very infrequently, your analysis will be able to help you find alternative capacity so that the space will become completely freed up.

[edit] Analyse meeting room usage

Occupancy sensors are a powerful way to analyse how you utilise your meeting rooms, too. If you have multiple meeting rooms, you may find that you can run the same number of meetings using fewer rooms. You may also find that the capacity of your meeting rooms is too large, allowing you to redesign the space and make use of the unused office capacity.

[edit] Develop multipurpose spaces

A meeting room may get used once a day and then remain unused for the rest of the time. This wasted capacity can be utilised by developing multipurpose spaces. For example, a meeting room in the morning could become a yoga room in the afternoon.

[edit] Reduce costs

One of the most common uses for motion sensors is to reduce energy costs by controlling lighting and heating. An occupancy sensor switch makes this far more accurate. You can ensure that you are only lighting or heating rooms that are in use, without suffering from the most common downfall of motion sensors, and that is the lights going out when someone is in the room, but not moving.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Building performance evaluation v post-occupancy evaluation
• Briefing documents.
• Equipment.
• Fixtures.
• Post Occupancy Evaluation: operational performance of a refurbished office building
• Production information.
• Project brief.
• Specification.
• Types of room.
• Ubiquitous sensors to assess energy consumption and wellbeing in domestic environments