Case
Brunata’s climate sensors enable data-driven humidity management in buildings
Both excessively high and low humidity levels in residential properties can lead to significant issues. To mitigate these risks, KAB deploys advanced climate sensors to monitor humidity levels, enabling proactive maintenance and ensuring optimal indoor conditions for residents.
Bo Michael Neergaard, an energy and heating consultant at the housing administration company KAB, one of Denmark’s largest housing organisations, explains that while older buildings often struggle with excessive humidity, modern, airtight constructions increasingly face challenges related to low humidity. This can cause discomfort for residents—manifesting as eye irritation and respiratory issues—while also contributing to structural damage, including cracked countertops, floors, walls, and ceilings.
Neergaard suspected that certain newly built properties suffered from low humidity due to specific building characteristics, but he lacked the necessary data to validate his hypothesis. To address this, he reached out to Brunata, KAB’s long-standing partner, to install indoor climate sensors. These sensors would collect real-time data, providing KAB with deeper insights into the issue and supporting data-driven decisions to enhance building performance and occupant well-being.
Bridging the regulatory gap in humidity management
“Current building regulations specify the required air exchange rates for new constructions, but there are no legal mandates for maintaining optimal humidity levels,” says Neergaard.
Recognizing this gap, KAB has intensified its focus on optimizing default settings in ventilation systems. At present, these systems reduce airflow when the average humidity level drops to 30%. However, KAB advocates for an adjustment to 40% to better maintain indoor air quality and prevent structural damage.
“We are actively collaborating with ventilation system manufacturers and installers to assess whether standard settings for new builds should be recalibrated to prevent excessive ventilation. Additionally, this challenge may necessitate updates to building regulations, as we are not the only organization encountering low humidity issues in new constructions,” Neergaard notes, emphasizing that an optimal indoor humidity level falls between 40-60%.
Compact, battery-powered, and highly efficient sensors
To further enhance indoor climate monitoring, KAB is expanding its data collection efforts beyond humidity levels to include temperature and CO2 concentrations. Brunata offers a comprehensive range of sensors capable of capturing and transmitting these critical environmental parameters.
“For instance, we have deployed climate sensors in vertical utility shafts. In these locations, standing water often accumulates unevenly, making it difficult for conventional moisture alarms to detect leaks promptly. However, Brunata’s sensors monitor air humidity levels, allowing us to receive early warnings of potential moisture issues before they escalate.”
Neergaard highlights that Brunata’s sensors were selected due to their compact size, battery-powered operation, and ease of installation.
“These sensors provide us with valuable insights into humidity distribution within different rooms, allowing us to prioritize interventions effectively. Furthermore, their small footprint enables us to install them directly at critical infrastructure points without requiring additional wiring, which would be costly, complex, and visually intrusive,” he explains.
Towards intelligent building management
As a first step, KAB is conducting pilot projects in unoccupied apartments to refine its approach to indoor climate optimization. These initiatives focus on assessing humidity fluctuations, temperature variations, and CO2 levels.
“Data collected from these apartments is integrated into Brunata Online, where it is processed and transformed into actionable insights. Across individual buildings or an entire property portfolio, we can generate statistical analyses, create visual reports, configure automated alerts, and notify technical personnel of emerging issues. Our primary objective is to enhance resident comfort while simultaneously achieving more intelligent and cost-effective building operations,” Neergaard states.
Leveraging digitalization for smarter facility management
The digital transformation of facility management plays a pivotal role in KAB’s strategy.
“In the past, if a resident manually turned off their apartment’s ventilation system, we wouldn’t detect it until the annual filter replacement. Today, thanks to Brunata’s climate sensors, we can instantly determine whether ventilation systems are operating as intended. The ability to access real-time data, combined with automated alerts, empowers us to prevent damage and optimize maintenance efforts far more efficiently than before. This data-driven approach delivers significant financial benefits for our property portfolio,” concludes Neergaard.