Algeco proud to work in partnership with Atamate

Who is Atamate?

Atamate was born out of a property development business and the people behind the company are all building experts by trade. This appealed to Algeco UK as this mindset helps ensure innovation is never suggested without cause; change is evidence and aims to fix or evolve real-world challenges that make a measurable and meaningful difference. Problem-solving from a position of experience is equally appealing and knowing those involved have faced the same challenges of building, designing and running facilities directly themselves, is reassuring and builds trust and credibility.  

The company identified a gap in the market where large buildings, such as hospitals, would invest in very large complex systems, but medium-sized commercial buildings with the same needs, could not afford the same solutions. Lack of unified control for mid-sized buildings has remained a real problem for many in the construction industry, making a unique solution that can both collect and understand data essential. Building services can sometimes be seen as something of a black art, but by exposing the data and simplifying the complexities, the hope is to encourage others to weave this into their strategy in a universally understood way. 

The Project

As part of our ongoing commitment to the ESG sustainability goals of both our own organisation and our customers’, Algeco UK are continuously exploring innovative technology that could help reduce site accommodation energy use. After reviewing many potential solutions, the Algeco UK team chose Atamate as an appropriate trial partner and tested the technology in a small installation. The Atamate product is a mixture of hardware devices installed in the cabin complimented by bespoke software, used to enable data analysis – offering both practical comfort and unrivalled energy consumption insight.

In the first trial project between the two companies, Atamate was tasked with measuring performance before acting on the data captured to install electric heater controls and AC units. Previously this was not possible as the AC unit control system and pulling power were not the same, but an IR emitter was able to take over the equipment remote - onboarding control onto the consolidated platform to be managed from a centralised point. This allowed a benchmark to be set for performance first without, and then with control. Analysing these results proved through evidenced statistics that turning off when not in use saved significant energy, around 30% in total energy consumption. 

The Solution

Any product to be used across a range as diverse as Algeco UK needs to be easy to install and operate.  Atamate is a Bluetooth mesh solution with no cables, which mitigates the potential for signal interference and also helps to keep costs of installation down. Algeco UK desired a system that once installed was able to control as much as possible from one platform. This is essential, especially considering customers with more complex needs such as ventilation systems and water supply, pairing individual systems down. 

Atamate devices are now offered to many Algeco UK clients, continuously observing internal environments and assessing elements such as temperature, VOC, CO2 and ambient light, with the ability to control equipment such as heaters and air-con units, turning these on and off based on the data captured. Having managed performance based on this data, this information is stored to provide reflective insight and suggest what additional measures to a site accommodation or building setup would further improve efficiency. 

This solution now sits at the heart of the Algeco UK Off Grid environment which includes the need for batteries, generators, solar panels, EV chargers and more – bringing data from a multitude of separate systems together, viewed from one place and building a holistic efficiency picture. As Algeco UK continues to update its product offering with new sustainability-focused equipment, as many as 20 different data channels are regularly required to merge into one point of truth. 

As the focus on building energy management continues to grow, Algeco UK’s intention is that the Atamate ‘magic box’ will become a standard feature for many of its ranges, with the option to simply turn features on or off based on individual client wants and needs. 

The future

A year into the relationship with Algeco UK and Atamate continues to be used to increase efficiency and identify problems and solutions. This can be very important when the actions taken are minimal but have a big impact. In these cases, a simple shift of approach can dramatically improve outcomes without any impact on costs. For example, one site recently saw that cabin temperature was increasing and decreasing significantly but with no obvious fault indicating why. Utilising the technology and data available helped to narrow down the problem and identify this was a byproduct of simply keeping the door to a cabin open during daily site briefings. A quick and easy change was then able to be made.  

Being provided data to help make decisions on future installations is also revealing what customers should consider next to achieve other goals. For example, the data acquired in the efficiency process also provides helpful and accurate information to report on ESG and sustainability. This can be very granular data, such as exactly how consumption is split, from hand dryers in washrooms to water heaters in kitchens. This is reported in an audited way that highlights where progress has been made and where more can be achieved statistically. 

Atamate is also using the data it obtains from its relationship with Algeco UK to continue improving its own product capabilities, specifically within the site accommodation market – ensuring as many key devices as possible are brought together into a single box. 

On the companies partnership with Algeco UK, Helen Peach, Marketing Director at Atamate said, 

“More and more customers of Algeco UK are now exploring the use of Atamate, especially those with generators, hoping to reduce the amount of energy used whilst saving money at the same time. The partnership between Algeco UK and Atamate has been one of success from the outset, with collaboration and openness key to understanding results, as well as both Algeco UK and customer requirements, ensuring every potential efficiency opportunity is identified and achieved. 

“Our challenge remains communicating to industry personnel that data is not a mythical beast, but rather a puzzle piece that provides essential clues on how to perform better. We never lose sight of how important people are to technological innovation. The reason we can consolidate multiple solutions into a single platform successfully is because of the knowledge of our people, who understand things like how load shifting works between batteries and generators or the opportunities and limitations of solar power. Algeco UK has a similar approach and ethos, with expert individuals driving the innovation seen in their products, which is why our ongoing relationship works so well.”

Tom Baker, UK Director for 360 Products at Algeco UK said, 

“A big part of our customer’s journey towards a net-zero off-grid construction site is energy management; without the right controls the impact of the great leaps made in fuel source technologies will always be restricted. 

The atBOS system from Atamate has played a significant part in reducing the core consumption of the buildings we provide, whatever the fuel source, helping Algeco and the users of our products to make best use of the increasingly popular solar, climate control and battery storage systems provided with our buildings. This technology now sits proudly at the heart of our Sustainable Off Grid proposition.

Collecting the data is a critical first step for new projects, but where Atamate really stand out is the consultative approach to interpreting that data that they pair with their systems. It’s easy to become distracted chasing big percentage savings, however Helen and the team proactively step forward to work with us and our customers to analyse the detail on a regular basis; establishing trends and making suggestions to ensure we continually make marginal gains throughout the lifespan of the project.”