Glossary

Acoustic comfort

Acoustic comfort is the state of well-being experienced in an appropriate sound environment, where noise is controlled and managed. This comfort goes far beyond a simple decibel measurement: it encompasses the quality of sound and its impact on our concentration, communication, rest and health.

Automation

Building automation is the process of integrating automation and control technologies and systems to centrally monitor and control a building's technical equipment and systems, including heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting and security.

BACnet

BACnet is an open communication protocol standard, essential for building management. It enables automation devices made by different manufacturers to communicate with each other, increasing interoperability. It also helps centralize monitoring and control data.

BMS (Building Management Systems)

A Building Management System (BMS) is a computing system for two-way communication with a building's technical equipment. It enables the monitoring and control of equipment such as air conditioning, heating, ventilation, lighting, and energy supply. BMS significantly improves the performance of buildings by centralising and automating operations, making them intelligent and responsive.

BOS (Building Operating System)

The Building Operating System (BOS) is a software platform that acts as an intermediary between the building's technical equipment and external applications or digital services. Its role is to simplify the complexity of operations in the field while providing rapid access to equipment data.

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is an odourless, colourless inert, and non-toxic gas. It is predominant in the earth's atmosphere and is an essential component of the carbon cycle. The building and public works (BTP) sector, which is crucial for our infrastructures, is also a major source of CO2 emissions, accounting for around 25% of emissions in France.

Corrective maintenance: Definition

Corrective maintenance in the building industry includes all operations carried out to rectify and repair faults in systems and equipment. Its aim is to restore normal operation to installations affected by malfunctions.

Domotics

Domotics or home automation refers to all the technologies and automated systems used to control and manage a home's equipment and infrastructure centrally and intelligently.

EPC (Energy Performance Contract)

An Energy Performance Contract (EPC) is an agreement between a client (public or private) and a company to improve the energy performance of one or more buildings. It guarantees a level of energy performance to be achieved over a predefined period concerning a specific situation, thus providing a contractual basis for energy improvements.

ESG

ESG refers to the Environmental, Social and Governance criteria taken into account in the extra-financial analysis of companies, to measure the progress of their socially responsible management.

Electrical sub-meter

The electrical sub-meter, also known as a sub-division meter, is a device associated with the general electrical meter.

While the main meter provides an overall view of a building's electricity consumption, the electricity sub-meter precisely records the electricity consumed by specific areas and uses within the building.

Energy efficiency

Energy efficiency refers to the ability of a system, whether an appliance, a building or an industrial process, to minimise its energy consumption while maintaining the same level of service. The objective of energy efficiency is two-fold: to reduce the costs associated with energy consumption and the environmental impact.

Facility Management (FM)

Facility management (FM) is a set of services provided to manage a building. It encompasses the tools and services that ensure the smooth running, safety and comfort of its occupants over time.

HQE

The HQE (High Environmental Quality) label is a certification that supports developers and building owners in their commitment to reducing the environmental impact of their constructions, thereby promoting sustainability by reducing the carbon footprint and improving the quality of life of occupants. This certification applies to both commercial and residential buildings.

IPMVP Protocol

The IPMVP (International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol) standardises the assessment of the energy performance of buildings by providing a scientific methodology for verifying the energy savings resulting from specific actions.

KNX

The KNX protocol is an international standard adopted by many device manufacturers in the building automation and BMS sectors. KNX is an open global standard. It ensures that all building equipment, devices and systems can communicate instantly and remotely.

LoRaWAN

LoRaWAN is a Low Power, Wide Area Network (LPWAN) protocol designed for wireless connection to the battery-powered Internet of Things (IoT). This network protocol stands out for its low energy consumption and extended range, two major advantages that significantly improve the performance of IoT devices. It is an innovative radio protocol for technical building management.

LoRaWAN Gateway

A LoRaWAN gateway is a communication device used in IoT (Internet of Things) networks to connect sensors and low-power devices to a LoRaWAN network. It acts as a relay, receiving transmissions from sensors and transmitting them to the network, enabling long-range connectivity and data management of remote devices.

Predictive Maintenance

Predictive maintenance uses technological advances such as IoT devices combined with connectivity solutions and SaaS platforms to anticipate breakdowns by analysing data in real-time and using remote alarms to spot early warning signs of equipment failure.

Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance is based on the idea of anticipating and resolving problems before they arise. The purpose is to ensure the safety and comfort of occupants and the optimal operation of equipment - heating, lighting, ventilation, an more, in buildings.

Proptech

PropTechs (a contraction of "property" and "technology") are innovative companies that use cutting-edge technologies to solve the challenges facing the building management sector. They aim to simplify and digitise real estate solutions for a better user experience and greater environmental impact.

Smart Building

A Smart Building is a building that uses advanced technologies to optimise its performance in terms of reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions, cutting operating costs and improving the safety and quality of life of its occupants.

Smart Grid

The Smart Grid is a new approach to managing the production and consumption of electricity. It integrates sensors, actuators and analysers into the grid to optimise energy use, in particular by facilitating the integration of renewable energy sources and reducing the ecological footprint of electricity.

Smart Meter

A smart meter is a meter that can track the electricity, gas or water consumption of a building, business or household in detail and in real-time.

Thermal Comfort

Thermal comfort is a complex concept, which can vary considerably from one person to another. It can be defined as the feeling of well-being experienced by individuals in a given environment, and this feeling is influenced by a number of factors, including temperature, humidity, air quality and the effectiveness of insulation.

VOC

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are a wide range of chemical substances characterised by their ability to evaporate easily at normal temperature and pressure. Their volatility is such that some VOCs can quickly be found far from where they were emitted, producing direct and indirect impacts on health and the environment.