We are pioneering the use of 4D Monitoring, a cutting-edge, low-cost, building monitoring system which optimizes plant efficiency, improves energy efficiency, and generally reduces property management costs.  

The initial twelve week pilot was carried out at 27 office buildings ranging in size from 600 sq m to 5,000 sq m and with properties constructed in the 1980’s through to newly built.  

Although the aggregate cost of installation was just £2000 per building, the system was able to reduce chiller and boiler operation and AHU (air handling unit) operation by as much as a third. 

Furthermore, the initial results suggest that the 4D monitoring system could identify and deliver wider energy savings of 10-30% per property, thereby delivering a payback within six to 12 months. 

The cloud-based system installed at the sites saw nearly 400 sensors fitted to key plant equipment and 36 information processing centres created to produce easy-to-interrogate live data which enables the quick identification of faults, run time errors and energy wastage.

The system is designed to give facilities managers instant visibility of a building’s performance data so that they can respond to issues immediately, and monitor the proficiency of contactors’ activities. 

Director Matt Livesey said: “The initial pilot was very successful and has shown that systems that are usually checked via a monthly inspection or service visit can now be monitored 24 hours a day and subtle changes in performance detected so that they can be remedied immediately. It also gives a much greater visibility of contractors’ activities and the efficiency of maintenance works. 

“Whilst this is a fantastic development, we’re confident that the technology could do much more. We are currently exploring the possibility of using the systems to measure footfall, people movement, and air quality, and believe that the more we develop it, the more significant a reduction it could make in building maintenance costs.”

 “It has the potential to improve the way that property management is delivered, with improved supplier management, cost savings, improved wellbeing of building occupiers, to say nothing of the environmental impact of reducing commercial buildings’ energy usage on a large scale.”

The 4D Monitoring system allows users to directly monitor the building environment and the performance of plantroom equipment. Using alerts on pre-set parameters, buildings can call for works in response to simple alarms.  

Due to the success of the initial pilot, a more extensive second phase is currently being rolled out with additional monitoring capabilities which is scheduled for completion in spring 2018. 

If the second phase of the pilot is successful, LSH is aiming to install an enhanced version of the 4D Monitoring system across all of the 12,000+ properties it manages across the UK.