#Ontario lockdown software#
Federal and provincial governments provide other incentives, such as rebates and low-interest loans on capital investments that reduce energy use.Ĭompanies like Feedback Solutions stand to benefit from that retrofit business by offering software and data analysis that supports smart buildings. Over the next three years, the Canada Infrastructure Bank will allocate $2 billion to support energy efficient retrofits in large buildings by working with private- and public-sector owners. The federal government will finance some of that effort. “We’re going to have to do deep retrofits for thousands of buildings between now and 2030 if we’re going to meet our commitments,” says Thomas Mueller, president of the Canada Green Building Council. And Ottawa has set some ambitious benchmarks: it’s pledged to cut emissions by 30 percent from 2005 levels by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. If the country is going to hit its climate change targets, reducing that figure will be vital. Smart buildings can help Canada meet climate targetsīuildings currently account for 13 percent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
“We want to give customers confidence that they can maintain a healthy space while they manage their energy costs.” “Buildings won’t be used like they were pre-COVID,” says David Whalley, the CEO of Feedback Solutions. The technology several Canadian startups use to collect and analyze data is now sophisticated enough that it can help ensure air quality while also reducing carbon emissions. It’s still an open question, however, as to how people will comfortably return to indoor spaces in mass, so as building managers look to reopen retail spaces, offices, schools and other public buildings, they’ll increasingly need flexible, smart solutions. Research suggests that COVID-19 primarily spreads from the aerosol particles that people infected with the virus breathe out and these particles can linger in poorly ventilated spaces for several hours - good ventilation will be a key part of keeping the lockdown lifted. This system helps ensure healthy air quality while controlling energy costs - a welcome benefit for retailers given the challenging year they’ve had. That information feeds into an automated system that constantly adjusts the HVAC fans according to the number of people in the space and the quality of air. And that points to how addressing health and safety concerns can also help tackle the climate crisis.įeedback Solutions’ software manages data from an array of people-counting sensors and works in tandem with technology that monitors indoor air quality by tracking humidity, particulate matter and the presence of volatile organic compounds. The pandemic shifted priorities, but not the Feedback Solutions pilot project. The effort was part of an initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). The property management company had engaged Burlington-based startup Feedback Solutions in late 2019 to deploy its people-tracking software system at Devonshire Mall in Windsor as well as Peterborough’s Lansdowne Place. “The global spread of COVID-19 certainly has heightened awareness of the pressing importance of building-occupant health and safety, specifically within closed retail shopping centres,” says Gregory Pheiffer, an operations manager at Cushman & Wakefield.
But we’re finally beginning to see COVID-19 ebb across Ontario and businesses are reopening, indoor air quality through proper ventilation is suddenly top of mind, and building managers are increasingly looking at solutions from Canadian technology companies. Building managers are seeking rapid solutions from Canadian tech companies as businesses and public spaces across the province reopen.Īmong the many things we didn’t worry about a year and a half ago was the quality of the air in the malls where we shopped and offices where we worked.
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