Workplace App Provider Comfy Chooses Current for New HQ Lighting and Controls

• Innovative tech firm ties Current LED fixtures and Daintree⁺ controls into new Oakland, California, headquarters 
• Installation saves energy through low power consumption, energy management through sensors and controls 
• Project kicks off tech partnership between Current and Comfy on workplace environment optimization 

Comfy is an innovative provider of connected technology for the commercial real estate market on a mission to create amazing workplace experiences by harnessing the Internet of Things (IoT). Comfy has developed a digital platform and corresponding smartphone app that empowers employees to take more control of their workplace experience—from temperature to room booking to lighting—driving employee satisfaction, decreasing the burden on facilities staff, and creating energy and space efficiency for workplace teams. 

When Comfy decided to renovate a roughly 20,000-square-foot historic building in downtown Oakland, California, for their new headquarters, they wanted to develop a space that reflected their vision of comfortable, high-tech office environments filled with happy employees. 

A Smart Match 

Comfy sought more than a lighting vendor to help illuminate their new showcase office. As heavily invested in the commercial real estate technology space as they are, Comfy took a long-term vision of infrastructure investment. Along with the Comfy app, Current played a critical role in elevating the workplace experience and optimizing energy usage, as well as providing a framework for future smart investments. 

Comfy and Current representatives were introduced, Current specialists conducted a site audit, and conversations were soon underway regarding the best solutions to meet Comfy’s needs. Their desires, simply put, were as follows: 

• To deploy the latest in lighting technology to meet stringent codes and comply with California’s Title 24 requirement for energy conservation, and to create an attractive workspace for bright, talented Bay Area workers.   
• To build on LED’s inherent energy savings with sensors installed throughout the building to enable daylight harvesting, dimming, occupancy sensing and other energy-saving features.   
• To utilize sensors and an on-premises server to power a mesh network throughout the building from which they could pull actionable data that would power a host of technology-driven outcomes throughout the workspace, such as merging sensor data with Comfy’s people data to better understand how employees use the space.   
• To develop an ecosystem in which they could employ and advance their own workplace enablement technology by integrating with a strong, intelligent environment platform.  

Comfy’s request could not have been a more perfect fit for Current. The project team set to work building a customized solution for Comfy that would give them the right aesthetics to fit their bright and airy space, the right setup to meet their energy-savings goals, and access to the data needed to benefit Comfy today and tomorrow. 

A Multifaceted Solution 

Comfy’s new office space is spread out over two floors and is designed to be open, collaborative and state-of-the-art. To complement the substantial amount of natural light the space receives, 70 Current Lumination™ LAL luminaires of varying lengths were installed in a hanging pendant configuration, cutting lines of light throughout the office space and providing uniform illumination. An additional Current Lumination™ EL Series “blade style” ultrathin luminaire was installed in Comfy’s main, all-glass conference room above a heavy wood table, complementing the visual appeal of the room. Current Lumination™ LW Series wall washer lights were added throughout the building as well, providing strong accent lighting. 

Daintree wireless lighting controls and sensors were also installed, and lights were divided into control zones to provide the light-dimming and on/off scheduling functionality that Comfy desired. These systems were paired with Current’s ControlScope Manager software and Intelligent Environments Platform to create a digital backbone for data collection throughout the office. An on-premises server was installed to manage these systems, and the Comfy application was integrated with the Current software platform via BACnet™ protocol. 

Lasting Results, New Partnership 

With the help of Current’s digital infrastructure, Comfy has built an office space environment where they can demonstrate what their technology can do. For example: 

• Comfy will be able to utilize Daintree's sensors to detect true occupancy which Comfy can use to optimize space utilization.   
• Employees can use the Comfy app to adjust the temperature on demand. Over time, Comfy learns users’ preferences through machine learning. Daintree’s sensors capture additional temperature information that can feed into this learning.  
• Comfy also enables employees to have more control over their connected lighting, empowering them to do their best work. Employees create a personalized work environment by adjusting light levels to meet their needs.  

Feedback from Comfy on lighting and data quality has been quite positive since they moved into their new space and began utilizing their intelligent technology. A pleased customer was not the only thing to come out of this engagement though. Current and Comfy are now partnering together, tapping each other’s expertise and technological capabilities to bring more value to customers. Together, the two companies want to make the employee experience the best it can be in modern offices. 

Comfy has offered to host Current customers who want to see GE LED fixtures and Daintree control systems in action. 

Current’s hardware-agnostic, open-at-the-top, open-at-the-bottom intelligent environment software makes collaboration with customers like Comfy possible, and Comfy has offered to host Current customers who want to see Current LED fixtures and Daintree control systems in action. It marks the beginning of an exciting partnership, and both companies look forward to working together to enable customers to make smarter data-driven decisions about their real estate needs moving forward. 

Want to learn more about the benefits of future-proofing your new office building with LED lighting and controls, and how you can leverage Current’s software to make the most of your data?