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Jan 20

Comfy Results from the GSA Green Proving Ground

We’re thrilled to share the results from the U.S. General Services Administration’s Green Proving Ground program…and they are comfy! Last year, the GSA’s Green Proving Ground (GPG) commissioned the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to conduct measurement and verification (M&V) of an installation of Comfy™ at a Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Phoenix, AZ.

Read on for some of the notable conclusions from this exhaustive third-party report:

  • Comfy improves on traditional thermostats by making occupants more comfortable while at the same time reducing energy consumption.
  • Comfy increased workplace comfort by 83%.
  • There was wide user acceptance of the technology: the majority of occupants continue to use Comfy more than a year after installation and reported being "generally satisfied" to "very satisfied" with the Ease of Use.

Given that survey results in a 2015 Zero Net Energy Building Controls report by CABA highlighted widespread dissatisfaction with building controls, we are thrilled that Comfy consistently receives rave reviews from building occupants and operators.

In addition, GPG researchers modeled savings for three different building sizes across 16 climate zones and predicted energy savings of up to 20% in cooling and 47% in heating.

Other notable findings from the case study:

  • Hot/Cold Calls were reduced by 59%.
  • Comfy is a low-risk technology that can be easily installed and removed without compromising or damaging other HVAC equipment.
  • Properties that are only intermittently occupied, have high energy costs and narrow deadbands will realize the greatest energy savings with Comfy.

The US General Service Administration (GSA) is one of the country’s largest real estate managers, owning and leasing over 376.9 million sq ft in 9,600 buildings. The GSA Green Proving Ground leverages the GSA’s expansive real estate portfolio to test innovative sustainable building technologies and provide recommendations for their deployment. The program helps the GSA meet its sustainability goals with actionable data that informs investment decisions targeted at reducing energy and water use.

Comfy is one of a selective handful of promising technologies that have been chosen to participate in the Green Proving Ground program. Although GPG is prohibited from ever officially naming or endorsing specific commercial products or services, the report did note that there is only one company offering this type of revolutionary technology, which GPP has dubbed a “decentralized HVAC control that adapts to occupant needs.” It's always nice for a client to recognize you as the only technology in your field- and even better when it's the federal government!

Running Comfy in the courthouse has been a great experience for our team, and a great opportunity for us to show how Comfy works within a traditional office environment with stringent security constraints. Some of the most rewarding moments we've had as a team have been at this Federal building, because getting Comfy has meant fixing a problem that employees and visitors have been coping with for decades!

The full 80-page report is available for public download on the GSA website and the 4-page executive summary is available here.

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