This month, for our Partner Spotlight series, we had the pleasure of connecting with Harry Sim, Founder and CEO at Cypress Envirosystems.

What problem does your company solve? 

We talk a lot about intelligent buildings today with smart software running in the cloud which can optimize operations, save energy, and automatically detect faults. Unfortunately, the reality is that most buildings are “dumb.” In North America, over 80% of the non-residential buildings were constructed before 2000, and most them use pneumatic (compressed air) thermostats to control temperature. They are not able to interface with the Internet, cloud, smart grid, or IoT, and they are less efficient and less comfortable than modern buildings.

Upgrading them using traditional “DDC” technologies requires ripping open walls and ceilings, and disrupting occupants and operations. The cost is prohibitive, and the payback periods are not attractive, which means most existing buildings are trapped in time —they are stranded with old technology. It also means that they cannot communicate with nor take advantage of the newest intelligent building solutions.

How is your solution different from other providers?

We produce patented “non-invasive” technology, which can upgrade pneumatic controls in a fraction of the time and cost of conventional Direct Digital Control (DDC) solutions. Our Wireless Pneumatic Thermostat (WPT) typically requires less than 15 minutes to install (vs. many hours for conventional approach), and does not require running wires, cutting open walls or ceilings, nor disrupting occupants. Energy savings of 20-35% are confirmed by independent M&V by the US Department of Energy, the California Energy Commission, New York City DCAS, ComEd, etc.

Who are your customers?

Our technology is installed in over 100 million sq-ft in North America, spanning government, K-12, higher education, healthcare, commercial buildings, and industrial facilities. We go to market directly to end-customers, plus also partner with major solutions providers including Honeywell, Trane, Johnson Controls, Siemens, Schneider Electric, GE.

• US Federal Government GSA, NASA, USDA, Coast Guard, Architect of the Capitol, VA Hospitals
• NYC HHC, Sutter Health, Advocate Health, Ascension Health, Dignity Health, Kaiser Permanente,
• JLL, CBRE, Cushman and Wakefield, Equity Office, Hines, Colliers, Newmark Frank Knight
• Stanford, Yale, SUNY, CUNY, Notre Dame, University of California (multiple campuses), Caltech, UMass (multiple campuses), U of Toronto, U of Texas (multiple campuses)
• Exelon, ConEd, PG&E, Tri-State Power, Caterpillar, Toyota, Eli Lilly, Merck, Western Digital, AT&T, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Cox Communications, Caesars Palace, Intercontinental Hotels
• K-12 schools in 13 states

Why did you partner with BuildingIQ?

BuildingIQ’s 5i Platform is a leading intelligent building solution. It works wonderfully with buildings which are already digitized and networked, and it can help to save energy and improve operations. However, when it comes to pneumatic buildings, even the 5i platform hits a hurdle; there is little or no data and control to interface with.

This is where our WPT technology comes in. We can very cost-effectively upgrade the existing pneumatic controls. Once done, we have communications and control of zone temperatures, setpoints, valve and damper positions etc. that can in turn integrate with the 5i platform. The combination of Cypress Envirosystems’ WPT plus BuildingIQ’s platform allows us to target the 80% of legacy buildings, which other intelligent building providers cannot do.

If you want to learn more about our work with Cypress Envirosystems, watch these OnDemand Webinars:

• Qualify for Utility Incentives Through Digital Twinning
• Creating Smart Buildings through Digital Twins – Hosted by Memoori

Harry Sim is the founder and CEO of Cypress Envirosystems, and is actively involved in developing products to improve existing facilities. He has a passion for low cost non-invasive retrofit solutions, and strongly believes that “green” should be both sustainable and profitable.