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. The “new normal” of the workplace In this “new normal,” building owners around the world are still struggling to understand how they can use workplace utilization data to manage and optimize the spaces they own for gains in tenant productivity and effi ..read more

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 air quality. As part of R-Zero’s commitment to helping create environments where students and their educators can thrive, we want to help you secure funding and invest in technologies that directly benefit your students and staff.  R-Zero can help your school crea ..read more

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 space is being maximized for its intended purpose and if there are opportunities for improvement.  Building Intelligence Pillar 1: Occupancy Understanding occupancy analytics throughout your space gets you the highest level of effectiveness and perf ..read more

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 of air-cleaning technologies.  As a building owner or operator, it’s crucial to understand the impact these measures can have on indoor health, energy consumption, and occupant comfort,  before taking action.  Recent research conducte ..read more

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, climate-driven health risks facing their workforce. This highlights the importance of collaboration between the public and private sectors to address climate-related impacts on business. Here’s a quick recap of the initiatives HHS is ..read more

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 factors driving firms’ decarbonization efforts and investments over the next year.  The Verdantix study also reveals that although almost 10% of firms are not confident in their ability to reac ..read more

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 this trade-off, allowing harmonization across the needs of human well-being, energy efficiency, and environmental stewardship.  We root our solutions in the belief that buildings should be ..read more

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 operators feeling the pressure to act on these regulations now? Or are they taking a more phased approach to their emissions reduction strategy?  Matt: Companies are not only feeling the pressure from regulations, but also from consume ..read more

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 optimize the management, performance, operations, and energy efficiency of commercial buildings. Here are the top takeaways from our conversation with Laurie.  You can also watch the full webinar here. E ..read more

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 for making these spaces more in-tune and responsive to our real-time needs, without the costly price tag of a retrofit.  But what is the best way to get started with sensing technologies? And what type of sensor data is required ..read more