Latest news with #commercialbuildings
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
'Avoid area' Wolverhampton warning as fire crews tackle blaze across two buildings
Emergency crews tackled a blaze in Wolverhampton after a fire took hold across two commercial buildings. Residents near Neachells Lane were advised to keep their windows and doors closed amid the incident. West Midlands Fire Service first shared news of the blaze just after 10.30pm last night (Wednesday, August 6). READ MORE: Huge £1.4m stash of fake Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Boss, Off-White and Balenciaga clothes seized READ MORE: Third man tragically dies after horrific Dudley crash Five fire crews were in attendance at the time and the public was warned to avoid the area. A statement on X said: "We have 5 crews in attendance at a fire on Neachells Lane, Wolverhampton. "As a precaution, if you live or work nearby, please keep doors and windows closed. "Avoid the area, where possible." West Midlands Fire Control confirmed that the stop message was received at around 1am this morning (Thursday, August 7). However, some crews remain at the scene to ensure that the fire is fully extinguished. Two commercial buildings were affected by the fire, but thankfully no one is thought to have been hurt. It was not confirmed which buildings on Neachells Lane were impacted.
Bloomberg
30-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Commercial Tenants are Looking for Growth, Liz Hart
Liz Hart, Newmark President of Leasing for North America, says the Big Beautiful Bill will help commercial buildings that need renovations and improvements become more (Source: Bloomberg)
Zawya
04-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
South Africa: A facility manager's guide to measuring water savings
Why water conservation is key to sustainable facility management ? Water is no longer an invisible utility; it's a vital resource under stress. Facility managers are on the front lines of sustainability, especially in public and commercial buildings where restrooms can account for up to 90% of water use. With rising operational costs, environmental regulations, and ESG commitments, water conservation is no longer optional, it's essential. Whether it's a commercial office block, airport, hospital, or shopping centre, smart water management is fast becoming a top priority. Measuring and verifying water savings helps build a compelling business case for sustainable upgrades and ensures compliance with green building standards like Leed, Breeam, CE marking, and Well. Our guide explores practical, data-driven ways facility managers can measure water savings, focusing especially on public washrooms where usage is high, visibility is low, and potential for impact is significant. Step 1: Understand your baseline water consumption Before savings can be measured, it's essential to understand current usage. This starts with establishing a baseline, ideally segmented by location, fixture type, and time period. How to create a baseline: - Pull historic utility bills (preferably 12 months) to calculate average monthly and annual usage in m³ (cubic metres). - Use sub-metering in high-use zones, like washrooms, kitchens, and maintenance areas. - Allow Propelair to conduct a washroom audit by counting the number and types of toilets and urinals in your washrooms and installing flush counters to provide you with an accurate toilet water usage. Fact: A typical 6-litre toilet flushing 100 times/day uses 219,000 litres/year. (that's a staggering 1,460 standard household bathtubs, considering that the average bath holds 150 litres) Multiply by the number of toilets, and you'll see how quickly water use adds up. Step 2: Install water-saving fixtures and track the difference Modern fixtures such as Propelair's OneThreeFive can significantly reduce water consumption, but savings only become meaningful if they're measurable. Example: A shopping centre with 20 Propelair toilets, each used 100 times/day, would save over 850,000 litres/year compared to 6-litre systems. These savings equate to thousands in monetary value, and in water and sewage fees. Step 3: Use IoT and QR code tracking to monitor performance Without visibility, waste continues. Installing IoT-connected fixtures and pairing them with QR code-enabled maintenance platforms (like the system built into Propelair), you are able to track usage volume by time period or location; identify leaks, and non-operational units quickly; and monitor performance trends to trigger alerts for overuse or underuse. Tip: Facilities using the Propelair Connect platform can benchmark across multiple sites, enabling group-wide sustainability reporting and ESG compliance. Step 4: Calculate true cost savings (including sewerage) A common pitfall is only calculating savings based on water supply charges. However, in many regions (including the UK, EU, and South Africa), sewerage costs are calculated at 90–95% of metered water use—and these charges can exceed the water bill itself. Simply stated, by passing less wastewater through commercial plumbing systems, sewerage costs are reduced. Together with the actual cost of the water being used, the total financial savings outweighs the water savings by far. Step 5: Benchmark and verify results To build credibility and secure future budgets for sustainable upgrades, measurable impact must be verified. Use tools like monthly water utility reports, smart meter systems, and IoT dashboards. QR code based asset tracking also helps. Conduct before-and-after comparison studies. Create water savings reports to share outcomes with stakeholders and compliance officers. These should include baseline consumption, upgrade summaries, projected vs. actual savings, and payback periods. A well-documented water reduction case study can also be used for green building certifications, grant applications, or award submissions. Step 6: Encourage behavioural change Technology alone won't save water. Engage your building users and cleaning teams to reinforce positive habits such as placing signage in cubicles encouraging responsible flushing, running staff awareness campaigns, training maintenance teams to report issues via app-based systems like Propelair Connect, rather than slower manual channels or traditional reporting structures. Step 7: Schedule preventative maintenance Leaky cisterns or inefficient valves can undo even the best water-saving plans. Include your washroom systems in a preventative maintenance schedule. Propelair offers a Periodic Service Plan that includes audio-visual inspections of toilet systems and surrounding pipework, leak detection, replacement of flow regulators and lid and seat seals, voltage checks to ensure reliable flushing and QR-code enabled service logging. Proactive service helps maintain optimal performance and extends product lifespan—preserving your investment and sustainability impact. Tip: Link water saving to your ESG goals. Measuring water savings isn't just a utility management exercise, it's an ESG advantage whereby facility managers can report verified water savings, reduce water-stress impact in drought-prone areas and demonstrating resource efficiency to investors and regulators. A connected washroom system like Propelair's provides auditable ESG data, a must-have for listed companies or those with international sustainability targets. Make savings happen! Visit our webpage now to calculate your savings and learn how to purchase a Propelair toilet. Conclusion: Make water a visible win Sustainable facility management starts with visibility. With modern data tools and low-water innovations like Propelair, water savings can be measured, verified, and celebrated. Facility managers are no longer just operations enablers, they're sustainability champions! Start with your washrooms: track usage, upgrade smartly, and measure results. Not only will you cut costs, but you'll also help preserve one of the planet's most precious resources. About Propelair Propelair is an international cleantech company that utilises technology to produce and install one of the worlds' lowest water-flush toilets. Our innovation replaces up to 7.65lt of water with 70lt of air to achieve an 85% water saving, per flush. We positively contribute and enable our global customers across the healthcare, manufacturing, retail, education, transport, commercial and industrial markets to change the way the world consumes water. info@ | | +44 1268 548322 (EU) | +27 83 273 5711 (SSA) | +971 52 108 4092 (UAE) | +66 90 983 2384 (APEC) | +27 83 273 5711 All rights reserved. © 2022. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
National Post
08-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
Kontrol Technologies Launches BuildX AI Platform and Announces Loan Agreement
Article content TORONTO — Kontrol Technologies Corp. ( ( OTCQB:KNRLF) ( FSE:1K8) ('Kontrol Technologies' or 'Kontrol' or 'Company') provides corporate update and announces new BuildX AI platform for commercial and industrial buildings. Article content Article content The Company serves over 400 commercial and industrial buildings with HVAC solutions and services. It has launched BuildX AI, a new platform designed to improve how building owners and operators interact with their buildings and HVAC systems. Traditionally, the industry focuses on equipment replacement and maintenance cycles, but this approach often lacks efficient data integration and analytics to improve how buildings and HVAC assets are managed. BuildX AI addresses this by connecting with existing equipment and incorporating advanced drone technology and sensors throughout buildings. Asset managers and owners will gain much needed insights and actionable data to improve operations and capital budgeting. Article content 'AI enables us to process vast amounts of data and deliver actionable insights for better asset management and streamlined operations,' said Paul Ghezzi, CEO of Kontrol. 'We are in the early stages of growing our AI platform and are planning multiple customer pilots over the next six months.' Article content The Company will provide an update on its pilots as they are completed. Article content The Company continues to review multiple potential acquisition opportunities. The potential acquisitions are subject to customary due diligence and definitive agreements. The Company will provide further details subject to reaching definitive agreements. Article content Loan Agreement Article content The Company further announced that it has entered into loan agreement dated May 2nd, 2025 (the ' Loan Agreement ') pursuant to which the Company has agreed to loan Paul Ghezzi, CEO of the Company, the principal amount of $680,000 (the ' Loan '). The Loan is repayable within one year and will bear interest at the CRA prescribed rate. Article content The Loan constitutes a 'related party transaction' pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (' MI 61-101 '). The transaction is exempt from the formal valuation and minority securityholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 as the fair market value of the Loan does not exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization, calculated in accordance with MI 61-101. Article content The Loan was unanimously approved by the directors of the Company entitled to vote thereon, which consisted of all directors of the Company except for Mr. Ghezzi who abstained from voting. Article content Kontrol Technologies Corp. Article content Kontrol Technologies Corp., a Canadian public company, is a leader in smart buildings and cities through IoT, Cloud and SaaS technology. Kontrol provides solutions and services to its customers to improve energy management, monitor continuous emissions and accelerate the sustainability of all buildings. Additional information about Kontrol Technologies Corp. can be found on its website at and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at Article content Forward-Looking Statements Article content This news release contains 'forward-looking information' within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. In some cases, forward-looking information can be identified by words or phrases such as 'may', 'will', 'expect', 'likely', 'should', 'would', 'plan', 'anticipate', 'intend', 'potential', 'proposed', 'estimate', 'believe' or the negative of these terms, or other similar words, expressions, and grammatical variations thereof, or statements that certain events or conditions 'may' or 'will' happen, or by discussions of strategy. Article content Where Kontrol expresses or implies an expectation or belief as to future events or results, such expectation or belief is based on assumptions made in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. Such assumptions include, without limitation, that sufficient capital will be available to the Company and that technology will be as effective as anticipated. Article content However, forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected, or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks include, but are not limited to, that sufficient capital and financing cannot be obtained on reasonable terms, or at all; that those technologies will not prove as effective as expected; those customers and potential customers will not be as accepting of the Company's product and service offering as expected; and government and regulatory factors impacting the energy conservation industry. Article content Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements and the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained herein are made as at the date hereof and are based on the beliefs, estimates, expectations, and opinions of management on such date. Kontrol does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or revise any such forward-looking statements or any forward-looking statements contained in any other documents whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required under applicable securities law. Readers are cautioned to consider these and other factors, uncertainties, and potential events carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Article content
