A smart building's primary task is to maintain the indoor environment to be comfortable for the people in it. Atamate's smart building technology is flexible enough to operate any type of building service and to choose the combination of services that make the building comfortable as energy efficiently as possible. The components communicate using wireless technology, which makes it straightforward to retrofit to an existing building.
A smart building uses sensors to continuously collect data on its internal environment. The data is passed to a central hub which uses it to inform the use of building services like heating, cooling and ventilation which it controls through the technology of the internet of things. Once the building's occupants or manager have set the parameters for comfort, the smart building runs in the background to maintain them.
Infrared panels heat surfaces directly, making them more efficient at preventing condensation than convection systems that transfer heat energy through the air. However, electricity remains far more expensive than gas and there are no real-world performance and efficiency studies.
Sensor data inform cost-effective approaches to damp and mould problems. They may be as simply as changing occupants’ behaviour, or they may require renovations to fabric and services. A sensor network enables renovations to be planned for maximum cost efficiency and forms the basis for ongoing monitoring and service automation.
The problem of damp and mould in the social rented sector can only be solved when landlords have good data on the problem. Sensor networks can provide data that will not only identify rooms at risk of damp but a host of other current and potential problems as well.
In recent years, there has been a growing focus on the impact of air and housing quality on the health of children. In 2022, the tragic death of a child was attributed to damp and mould, leading to the landlord being held accountable. As a result, there are plans to strengthen social housing regulations in the near future.
Indoor mould occurs when relative humidity is consistently over 80% and an indoor wall is cold enough to cause condensation. Damp is prevented by a combination of heating, insulation or ventilation, all of which incur costs. Damp and mould are most often found in older buildings with poor insulation.
The atBOS sensor network comprehensively monitors a building’s indoor environment and energy use. The data facilitates building management and can also be used in various independently assessed certifications relevant to its environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) rating. This article introduces the main residential and non-residential certifications used in Britain.
The Atamate Schools project is intended to meet the following objectives for schools:
Atamate's smart building controls use the technology of the internet of things to keep a building safe and secure and to simplify the management of multi-use buildings. Entry controls may allow an individual to access all or part of a building for a time-limited period while the settings in certain rooms may be set according to the preference of different users.
Today’s market offers a wide range of building management and automation systems with overlapping functionalities. We designed the Atamate building operating system (atBOS) as a flexible platform that can be designed into any development. This article describes how that flexibility reduces capital and operational costs.
The Atamate building operating system (atBOS) is designed to integrate the functions of building management and automation.
Cutting domestic carbon emissions is essential to achieving net-zero by 2050. Current policy is to renovate existing buildings to energy performance certificate (EPC) band C. However, that does not measure carbon emissions so every building could achieve band C and still leave the sector far short of net-zero. Here’s why.
McCarthy Stone is the UK’s leading developer and manager of retirement communities.
In the last couple of years it has been difficult to miss the bombardment of adverts, articles and commentary about our own and our society’s ‘wellbeing’. What has been more tricky has been trying to understand what this means for us as individuals and how improving our wellbeing can be a change for good. Wellbeing is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy.” but it seems to have been expanded out to include how people feel and how they function, both on a personal and a social level, and how they evaluate their lives as a whole.
The Atamate building operating system (atBOS) can control a building’s services to mitigate overheating. As required by Part O of the UK building regulations, it can prioritise passive cooling by opening windows and dynamic shading but if necessary, it can operate mechanical ventilation and cooling as efficiently as possible.
The Atamate building operating system (atBOS) was designed around the premise that mitigating overheating should be a priority for any building project. Its sensors can collect data to quantify overheating in an existing building and inform renovations as well as for post-occupancy evaluation on a new build or completed renovation.
The newly drafted Part O of the UK building regulations, mandating measures to mitigate domestic overheating, will come into force in June 2022. Some homes can comply through limiting window area and ensuring windows can be opened but some will need to undertake dynamic thermal modelling using the TM59 methodology.
The problems of overheating and air pollution are inherent to any solid fuel burner, but they can be mitigated. A well-designed installation can achieve the pleasant ambience that makes a solid fuel burner desirable while minimising the drawbacks and meeting the regulatory requirements.
Are solid fuel burners appropriate in a modern new build home? Can they be incorporated into an eco home without ruining it's green credentials?
Burning solid fuels like wood or briquettes is an attractive option for a living room but tends to generate particulate air pollution and over-produce heat. Here we discuss those drawbacks, solutions like automation and back boilers, and the regulatory requirements that inform the design of a given installation.
Heat pumps are a possible way to close the gap between low-cost, high-carbon gas power and high-cost, low-carbon electricity in heating the British domestic sector. Energy Systems Catapult’s recent project tested the feasibility of installing them across the many home types and ages that comprise the British housing stock.
Energy Systems Catapult has declared its Electrification of Heat (EoH) project successful in installing heat pumps in all types and ages of British homes. However, their published reports suggest that installation may not be possible in many older, low-income homes where the high cost of electricity will be most felt.
A developer building new homes for social housing and for private sale.
There are many innovations transforming building services driven mainly by the huge challenge of achieving Net Zero targets. In a series of articles, we look at these innovations specifically where they are appropriate for apartment blocks.
In this article we look at the impact of psi-values and why they matter. Psi-values are a measure of the heat loss of a junction between two fabric elements, eg floor and external wall. These junctions are called non-repeating thermal bridges.
Previous iterations of the UK Building Regulations have raised awareness of the importance of fabric u-values and air tightness, the incoming revision is set to sharpen the focus on the ‘non-repeating’ or ‘linear’ thermal bridges that occur at junctions between fabric elements. The easy option of using Accredited Construction Details (ACD) will disappear from SAP as a new version is introduced next summer. This will force developers to more strongly consider junctions when choosing their building fabric or to have the heat loss properties of their junctions evaluated by trained specialists in order to avoid having to assume worst-case default heat losses.
There are many innovations transforming building services driven mainly by the huge challenge of achieving Net Zero targets. In a series of articles, we look at these innovations specifically where they are appropriate for apartment blocks.
There are many innovations transforming building services driven mainly by the huge challenge of achieving Net Zero targets. In a series of articles, we look at these innovations specifically where they are appropriate for apartment blocks.
Air-source heat pumps (ASHPs) are widely promoted as a source of low-cost, low-carbon space and water heating. However, a model of ASHP-powered heating in London shows that they compare unfavourably to heating derived directly from mains electricity, especially when compared to real-world data from flats using direct electric heating.
There are many innovations transforming building services driven mainly by the huge challenge of achieving Net Zero targets. In a series of articles, we look at these innovations specifically where they are appropriate for apartment blocks.
Given the recent rise in gas prices and the UK government’s stated aim of making all newly built homes ‘zero-carbon ready’ by 2025, the need to move away from using gas to heat and produce hot water for domestic properties has been brought into focus.
One of the technologies that is seen as an alternative to a gas combi boiler is the electric combi boiler. Here we go through our views of the positives and negatives of this technology. As with all mechanical and electrical technologies used in domestic buildings, the most appropriate one will depend on the type of property that it is to be installed in, and the way that the building is used.
This winter’s hike in international natural gas prices will lead to heating price hikes this winter. It exposes the vulnerability of Britain’s dependence on imported gas, both for heating homes and for generating electricity, and illustrates the importance of initiatives to replace gas heating systems.
If you’ve looked at the news recently, you’ll have seen dire reports of soaring gas prices and dire predictions of either a very expensive or a very cold winter ahead.
Yesterday, the government announced a £450 million boiler upgrade scheme, offering £5,000 grants for households replacing gas-boilers with low-carbon heating systems. The scheme does not specify what low-carbon system should be used although it repeatedly refers to air-source heat pumps.
The internet is the backbone of everyday life, we use it not only to keep in touch with family and friends, but to watch movies, shop and run our finances. There are however many questions still being asked about how we manage all this data, and how we can best distribute the signals through each room in our homes. The all pervasive nature of the internet and the increasingly reliable wireless networks lead to a critical question - wired or wireless?
Passive cooling methods keep the temperature inside a building comfortable without using energy-hungry air-conditioning, fans or heat pumps. Cooling is needed during the summer, when air temperatures get uncomfortably high, but also at cooler times because electronic devices and simple human metabolism can make a building uncomfortably hot.
Standards for space heaters are governed by several European Union standards that remain in place in Britain including Regulation 2015/1188, often called Lot 20, which sets minimum standards for energy efficiency and emissions that all heaters powered by electricity, gas or oil must meet.
Air quality is impacted by carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides and humidity. Good air quality management has many benefits:
Embodied carbon has been nagging at the ‘net zero’ building ambition for a while but is often considered too complicated to consider in a useful way. The latest TM from CIBSE aims to simplify the process and stands to make the subject a real hot topic.
Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) extracts heat energy from exhaust air. However, it carries a high capital cost and case studies revealed that many systems are incorrectly designed and operated. In the mild climate of most of the British Isles, more efficient options are available at lower cost.
This morning (26 November 2020) I, virtually, attended the official launch of the NABERS UK Rating scheme, presented by the Design for Performance Initiative and chaired by the Better Building Partnership.
Recommendations for promoting workplace health and wellbeing often include monitoring the indoor environment using wearable sensors. Our view is that a fixed sensor network is a better option as it records more parameters, does not depend on who is wearing what sensor and is less intrusive.
The winter vomiting bug is caused by the norovirus which spreads rapidly through aerosols and surfaces, survives for days or weeks between human hosts and is resistant to ammonia and alcohol-based cleaning products. We suggest that ultraviolet could be used to control its spread, especially public toilets and restaurants.
Yongchao Huang's recent paper describes Atamate's latest progress in machine learning for the smart home. A set of calculations allows a smart building to quantify the influences of various ambient conditions on the temperature of a room and use them to control a radiator.
Our Senior Data Scientist, Dr Kat Kelly recently showed that rented flats using variable ventilation and direct electrical heating under Atamate smart control delivered better energy efficiency than predicted for heat pump-based systems. We argue that the data shows that automation has been under-valued in planned reforms to the UK building regulations.
The 200 common cold viruses are more prevalent in the British winter. That's mainly because indoor relative humidity drops below the comfort threshold of 40%, making it easier for them to infect. Being infected with one makes us more vulnerable to others, enhancing the misery of the winter 'flu season'.
Modernist architecture in the early 20th century adopted the Licht und Luft principle, maximising light and ventilation to combat tuberculosis. Amid another airborne disease pandemic, the same principles apply: the ultraviolet component of sunlight kills viruses and good ventilation is an established approach to limit airborne transmission.
The modern urban environment is ideal for the transmission of respiratory viruses, which is why the common cold spreads so fast. COVID-19 spreads using the same mechanisms but is far more serious because it can cause pneumonia and long-term illnesses. Developing ways to limit the spread of viruses in the built environment will require an understanding of how they infect.
The urban environment facilitates respiratory virus transmission. COVID-19 is now the major threat but the common cold has long had a serious impact on wellbeing, personal income and the economy. The factors by which urban living aids virus transmission are known but little attempt has been made to address them.
As Britain returns to work at the end of the lockdown period, we need to limit transmission of Covid-19 and other pathogens to avoid another major outbreak to properly ensure Britain's economic recovery.
The UK government's Future Homes consultation aims to improve energy efficiency in British homes but gives little attention to the problem of overheating driven by the warming climate. We call for the proposed regulatory reforms to include design to avoid overheating alongside design for energy-efficient heating.
District heating schemes use a single powerplant to provide heating and hot water to many buildings. They have been promoted as important in decarbonising the British economy but their dependence on gas limits their carbon efficiency and heat is lost as it is distributed which causes internal gains.
In March 2020, the Chartered Institute for Building Service Engineers (CIBSE) published an update to their TM40 guidelines titled Health and Wellbeing in Building Services. It discusses principles that place wellbeing at the centre of building design and management.
Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) extracts heat energy from exhaust air to pre-heat incoming outdoor air.
However, it is expensive to install and case studies found many systems are incorrectly designed and operated. In the mild British climate, there are cheaper and more efficient options.
Atamate have just been awarded a grant from Innovate UK following a competition to find 'Business-led innovation in response to global disruption'. Innovate UK received a record number of applications for the £40 million investment. From the over 8,600 projects submitted, 800 projects from innovative businesses and start-ups were chosen to be funded.
We often specify and control electric heaters and ASHPs in projects, and thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast what each has to offer. There are 2 main points to consider, the energy efficiency of each, and the capital cost of installation and maintenance.
The government's Future Homes consultation presents air-source heat pumps as a mass-market high-efficiency heating solution. However, field trial evidence shows that in well-insulated buildings, occupancy-controlled electrical heaters are more efficient. Heat pumps may have a role in existing homes but have not proved themselves as the best option.
The UK government has published a consultation document for its Future Homes policy, which is intended to update the building regulations covering energy efficiency (Part L) and ventilation (Part F) by 2025. Atamate welcomes the aim to cut the energy needs of British housing stock and particularly the preferred approach which prioritises carbon-saving technology, but our view is that the potential of smart building technology is not recognised.
The UK government is consulting on proposed updates to the UK building regulations on energy efficiency (Part L) and ventilation (Part F). Atamate welcomes more stringent standards that will cut energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. However, we’re concerned that the solutions proposed only consider a few of the available technologies, which doesn’t allow for the flexibility required to fit the best solution to an individual building.
A real-world study of rental properties tested how much Atamate controls improve heating efficiency. Occupancy-based heating with demand control ventilation (DCV) cut heating energy demand by an average of 34% below standard assessment procedure (SAP) predictions, and exceeded Passivhaus standards even though construction was not to the expensive Passivhaus requirements.
Britain faces the dual crises of a serious housing shortage and a construction industry that's losing skilled workers faster than it recruits them. Offsite construction techniques might enable a smaller workforce to build houses faster, but only if the government takes a lead in transforming the industry to adopt them.
While offsite construction offers many advantages to a developer, its use in Britain is mostly confined to large-scale developments. Here we discuss the constraints to its wider adoption, including poor understanding of the advantages among people who commission developments, an overly restrictive planning system and a lack of industry capacity.
The British construction industry has been slow to adopt offsite techniques in spite of the savings in time and money they offer to developers when compared to traditional onsite techniques. Also, offsite techniques tend to cause less environmental damage and local disruption. Here we discuss their financial and efficiency advantages.
A range of modern methods of construction (MMC) is revolutionising the construction industry. Many involve work being done in factories rather than building sites, hence the term 'offsite construction'. Here we give an overview of the types of offsite construction and the techniques behind them.
Why were Atamate taking part in a construction show in Oman? It may not seem like the place you would expect to see a British based software company whose markets have been mainly European.
Peaceful retirement
atBOS replaced an existing system to control lighting in this rural period property. The home already had an existing automation system which Atamate was called in to replace as it was no longer fit for purpose.
The biggest expense in a conventional home is heating, which works by integrating central heating with the hot water system. A low energy home's insulation slashes the heating bill to leave hot water as the biggest expense, but also removes the need for a central heating system that the hot water can be integrated with.
Air-conditioning is a major running cost of many commercial buildings, but it's needed to keep the internal temperature comfortable. Here we discuss some of the ways in which building management, selective use of new technologies and smart building controls can cut the aircon costs to a minimum.
Air-conditioning (aircon) removes heat energy and water vapour keep a room's temperature and humidity at comfortable levels. Most aircon systems use the same heat pump technology as a fridge or freezer. Here we'll discuss what aircon does and how, with particular reference to its use in the British climate.
The Shelter Commission recently published their report on the poor state of social housing in the UK, and their recommendations for improving the situation. We welcome the investment called for by the commission, but we believe that regulatory reform will also be necessary to meet the goals laid out.
TM59: Design methodology for the assessment of overheating risk in homes describes a methodology to assess whether a home stays comfortable in hot weather. It uses a mathematical model, allowing the design to be approved or altered depending on the results. This post describes the assessment procedure and reporting requirements.
In 2017, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) published TM59: Design methodology for the assessment of overheating risk in homes, a methodology for assessing whether a home will be comfortable in hot weather. This post is an overview of TM59's content and its significance in property development.
If you're thinking of going into the Airbnb business, building control can help you in four areas:
A smart meter will save you the cost of 3½ days of electricity per year. To put it another way, the average home in the UK has an annual energy bill of £1,300, so having a smart meter will save that home £11 per year.
Affordable control of heating, lighting and entry to increase the energy efficiency and simplify maintenance of this commercial building
The standard assessment procedure (SAP) is used to assess the energy efficiency of a newly constructed residential building to confirm that it complies with Part L1 of the building regulations. The calculations done on the plans and then done again on the completed building to incorporate any changes that have been made during construction.
They should be! It is the 21st Century after all. With all the talk about the environment and sustainability and meeting targets to save the Earth, building homes that are conducive to reducing our carbon footprint is the very least we can do. Not to mention saving those vital pennies.
So you’re embarking on a new adventure? All of your ducks are in a row; career, partner, kids. It’s time to tick that next box – build your own home. The years of dreaming and scheming have finally paid off and here you stand on the threshold of… of what? How will you approach this mammoth task and what, if anything, will you do differently?
The Building regulations 2010 Part L2 covers the energy efficiency requirements for non-residential buildings. They are divided into Part L2A which covers new build and Part L2B which covers renovations.
The Building Regulations Part L set the energy efficiency standards for residential buildings. They are divided into part L1A, which covers new build, and part L1B, which covers renovations to existing buildings.
Smart home technology and home automation is terminology that has been around for years and generally conjures up the image of luxury properties with expensive lighting designs, multi-room audio and tablets to control everything. When I joined Atamate, that was the supposition of what our offering was by most of my friends and acquaintances. Many people imagined it was very complicated and you’d need a PhD in Computer Science to be able to use it. The reality is that it’s very flexible, simple to use and affordable. I think the best analogy there is too describe it is the following.
The best way of writing this article is to relate to personal experience.
One of the many great features of a smart home is that it gives you elevated control over your lighting. Smart homes can control both natural and electric lighting, using local switches, web user interface, and occupancy sensors and presets. Controlled lighting saves energy and thus reduces costs in unoccupied spaces.
Condensation is not only an annoying form of damp, but it can also actually harm your property. Rotting wood, mould, damaged plaster, peeling wallpaper and even health issues could occur as a result of untreated condensation.
The relationship between technology and loneliness is one that has been increasingly examined in recent years, with the digitalisation of more and more aspects of daily life, such as supermarket checkouts. The increasing influence of social media (and all the pressures that come with it) also has a significant impact on the human interactions experienced - or not - by the average person during the day.
The UK’s aging population has presented us with a increasingly important issue: how can we keep the elderly in their own homes, allowing them to maintain a good quality of life and a sense of independence?
Smart home control explained. There are a number of ways that people can interact with smart homes and smart devices.
Automated gates can increase safety, privacy and comfort
Smart controls bring an elevated level of security to your property in many ways. You can set up lights to turn on automatically if movement is detected outside after dark, or use break-glass sensors on windows and doors to detect any breaches. Another way in which smart controls can keep your home safe and secure is with automated gates.
Home lighting automation can improve your sleep schedule.
You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand the importance of a good night’s sleep. Who hasn’t stared at the clock at 3am in despair, already anticipating tomorrow’s inevitable grogginess and irritation? But in fact, the need for good, regular sleep is now so recognised that there are scientists who do study it. Harvard Medical school has a whole division dedicated to it (the Division of Sleep Medicine).
Garden lighting is often unjustly overlooked. After all, you most likely to actually spend time in your garden during the day, or in warmer weather when it gets dark much later. But the task of lighting your garden is one that is immensely rewarding. Even the most simple of gardens can be enhanced by carefully planned lighting.
Smart devices are on the rise. A recent report by YouGov found that nearly a quarter of British people own more than one smart home device. The most popular device is the smart speaker (for example, Amazon’s Alexa) but other smart designs are getting more and more popular.
Smart homes are not all about energy efficiency - they are also about being comfortable and having fun!
So, why automate your home?
Here are the top 6 reasons why we think you should choose a smart home:
Dementia is a growing issue in the UK and around the world. According to the Alzheimers Society, there are 850,000 people with dementia in the UK, with numbers set to rise to over 1 million by 2025. This will soar to 2 million by 2051.
Ventilation is extremely important as without adequate ventilation the building would be uninhabitable, high levels of...
User Interface or UI is the space where interaction between humans and the buildings occurs. This is particularly challenging in a building control system due to the variety of interactions that are needed, ranging from turning on a light to configuring a ventilation system.
Whole house audio has become easy. The cornerstone of modern audio system is the DAC (digital analogue converter). The DAC will convert an audio stream from a computer (such as a Spotify account) into an audio output. As well as the DAC an audio system needs speakers and an amplifier. These three components may be packaged together into one unit (such as a Sonos Play) or split into 3 separate units. Normally, for building installation the DAC and the amplifier are located in a central accessible location and the speakers are in the walls or ceiling of the room.
It is always a challenge to make things simple. We faced this problem when installing controls in people's homes. Typical tensions occurred:
There are a lot of heating options for a new build house. Deciding on the best option is not necessarily straightforward and needs to be done with consideration with the proposed ventilation and hot water systems.
One of the things we have noticed is the increased interest in healthy buildings. In particular, a recent change in building is the increasing use of airtight construction which can have an effect on occupiers health.
Building behaviour is what we call the configuration of a building. This can be very useful when a building has multiple users each wanting different configurations...
For the past few years now, if you wanted a multi-room wireless sound system then you needed to look no further than Sonos. A reliable, perfectly designed and revolutionary system has meant Sonos has faced little competition, even from the giants such as Sony and Samsung who both have their own independent systems but have failed to make a real impact on the market. So although there has been little direct competition, the growth of wireless hi-fi adapters has meant Sonos’ market share has chiefly been threatened from alternative angles with companies such as Logitech and Jongo.
