Next-generation technology for energy savings
BenchMarker Cloud gives Facility Managers a unified view of operational efficiency and control of air conditioning — any type and across all sites — to automate energy savings, increase comfort and prevent costly downtime.
Easy to retrofit, it saves significant operational cost from the moment it goes in.
The Challenge:
Property owners and facility managers are under increasing pressure to reduce energy costs and meet sustainability targets, while still providing comfortable spaces for tenants and guests.
Traditional building management systems (BMS) for monitoring and control are often complex, expensive, require wiring or Wi-Fi and maintenance, and can be tied to specific equipment brands.
Many properties—especially those with multiple sites nationally or multi-nationally with a variety of brands of air conditioners—lack a practical, scalable way to monitor and optimise temperature control and energy usage at the time it matters: in the present!
The Solution:
BenchMarker Cloud transforms how property groups manage their air conditioners with an intelligent, wiring-free, cloud-based energy-saving system.
Each air conditioner is fitted in moments with its own ‘HVAC-Net’ (a small, edge-computing device), which puts the air conditioner status and controls directly into the Cloud for analysis, automated on/off at check-in/check-out, configurations, operating range limits, global schedules and maintenance information.
No power, no wiring, no Wi-Fi and no cellular is needed. There is no complex interface programming. This truly next-generation breakthrough results in a retrofit-friendly, equipment-agnostic system that’s lightning fast to install, inexpensive to run and simple to access and operate across distributed buildings - globally. Rooms are comfort-ready, and it saves significantly on energy costs and enables planned preventative maintenance.
Deliver more comfortable spaces.
Keep rooms comfortable only when they’re in use. BenchMarker Cloud automatically limits active temperature range, switches air conditioning on and off around arrivals, departures, bookings, occupancy, and even compensates for solar radiation. Globally applied schedules may be applied based on normal business operation.
Avoid peak demand power charges - automatically.
BenchMarker Cloud automatically backs off heat pumps and air conditioners to keep under peak demand limits.
See every building and asset.
BenchMarker Cloud provides multi-site visibility in a map view, with the location of every air conditioner shown on your own building floor plans, making it easy to spot and fix problems quickly.
Service contractors can see performance data and add to servicing records.
Suits any type - split-system, ducted, high-wall A/Cs.
Reduce audit effort and demonstrate savings.
Most organisations collect partial data from individual sites, yet still depend on manual reporting or infrequent (and often costly) audits to understand performance.
BenchMarker Cloud replaces this fragmented view with live, portfolio-wide intelligence and continuous analysis that enables strategic, data-driven management.
Automated reporting and live analysis saves hours of audit prep and gives you solid evidence of cost savings and efficiency gains.
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Key outcomes include:
Verified energy and emissions reductions through continuous optimisation.
Lower operating and maintenance costs.
Faster response to comfort or system issues.
Demonstrable progress toward corporate sustainability and ESG commitments.
Consistent brand experience across properties and locations.
Live view of operational costs.
Retrofit simply and quickly, with no ongoing maintenance.
Air conditioning monitoring devices (HVAC-Net) retrofit in moments without complex wiring and with minimal disruption to tenants. HVAC-Net works with any air conditioner brand, and is maintenance-free.
Benefit from real planned preventative maintenance
Know ahead of time when maintenance is required based on actual usage of the air conditioner and its performance, not on calendar cycles. Get to equipment before a breakdown.
BenchMarker Cloud is a modern approach to managing air conditioning across multiple sites.
Scalable
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Add BenchMarker Cloud devices wherever and whenever they are needed. Most require no specialist installation.
No on-site servers or IT integration are required.
The dashboard scales up to any number of devices and any number of buildings, anywhere in the world.
Energy cost optimisation
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BenchMarker Cloud automatically smooths load peaks to prevent excess demand charges while maintaining comfort levels.
Fault Detection
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BenchMarker Cloud identifies malfunctioning controllers or sensors (e.g. cooling when already at setpoint) and raises precise maintenance actions.
The cloud platform performs continuous analysis — detecting deviations, forecasting issues, and guiding actions that optimise comfort, reliability, and energy use.
Proactive maintenance replaces after-the-fact callouts.
First-visit accuracy improves, reducing service costs.
Calendar and scheduling
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Apply master calendar across all sites, eliminating conflicting local overrides.
Environmental correlation
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BenchMarker Cloud can account for solar gain, external temperature, or occupancy.
Ongoing tuning
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BenchMarker Cloud automatically sustains improvements without relying on periodic manual audits.
Moment-by-moment an month-on-month analysis, to improve performance.
How it works
2-layer architecture - device + Cloud
Each air conditioner (of any type and brand) is fitted with a compact ‘edge-computing’ device (HVAC-Net). That device transmits operational data via secure, low-power networks (LoRaWAN or CAT-M1) directly to and from BenchMarker Cloud.
No on-site servers or IT integrations or controllers are required, avoiding legacy issues. All controls and processing and analysis is in the Cloud.
The cloud platform performs continuous analysis — detecting deviations, forecasting issues, and guiding actions that optimise comfort, reliability, and energy use.
Reduce Energy Costs, Improve Guest/Tenant Comfort, Simplify Reporting.
Use BenchMarker Cloud to:
detect inefficient air conditioner operation and automatically apply corrections
cut power costs by
automatically tying operation to occupancy
limiting the active temperature range
preventing incorrect mode for set point
applying schedules of operation
staying under peak demand charges
deliver more consistently comfortable spaces
reduce effort of audits
link to room management software (e.g. RoomMaster) so air conditioner operation is automatically linked to check-in/check-out.
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Works with any type of HVAC make/model
Simple and quick retrofit, one push-fit connection internal to HVAC.
Security cable (600mm) from HVAC-Net device to the AC
No wiring, no Ethernet ports needed, No Wi-Fi or cellular needed
Fits either inside the HVAC or alongside HVAC in a small enclosure that blends with any decor
All HVACs are remotely accessed and controlled (power on, temp set point, heat/cool/auto mode, fan, vane location) and grouped as required.
API to RoomMaster and other room management software to correlate operation with check-in/check-out
Natural language interface through the App (web and mobile) that allows managers to get answers on anything, anywhere and any time
Smart Temperature Range restriction.
Idle reduction (reduce AC use during a stay - if no occupants then off after a time)
Smart Scheduling: global calendar settings for all HVACs in all buildings may be applied in one simple move
7-day, 30-day and 90-day running tally of energy savings
Independent environmental temperature and humidity information
Performance analysis
Fault code detection and notification
User permissions defined by Admin: View, Edit, Admin.
User configurable settings, alerts and notifications
Rosters for users
Alarm history
Change logs
Data flows directly to the cloud, no central processing hub required in the building
All buildings in one online view
Geospatial view of assets with floor plans
Automated audit reporting
Permanent records, downloadable
Global grade engineering - the devices work for decades without maintenance
Other edge devices (e.g. for water usage, power usage, gas usage, refrigeration information) appear in the same dashboard.
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Name: HVAC-net
Ordering code: VLL465Wireless range: approx 2km (location-dependent)
Sensors: temperature and humidity
Antenna: enclosed, internal LPWAN/CAT-M1
LED: Red/Green LED visible to indicate installed and connection status
Monitoring rate: 5 sec default, configurable (2sec to 5 min)
Reporting rate: changed data for monitored events is reported without delay. Background data is reported at 15min rate (default, 2-60min)
Operating environment: -10C to 50C, 5-95% RH (non-condensing)
Power supply: 12VDC from HVAC unit (5V-28VDCmax)
Power consumption: Typ. <11.5mA @ 12.0VDC
Compliance: LoRa AS923, AS/NZS4268:2017, IEC61000-6-1:2016, IEC61000-6-3:2006+Amd1:2010; R-NZ.
Security: OWASP 2.0
Product life cycle: Expected minimum operational life 10years. End of life, return to manufacturing based (Nelson, NZ) for recycling.
Enclosure dimensions: 67mmH x 100mm W x 35mm D. IP40 dust and water resistant. 600mm cable to connect to AC.
Weight 120g
Quick to set up. Easy to run.
BenchMarker Cloud devices retrofit easily to existing air conditioners in minutes — no costly system overhaul required.
Make any building’s heating, ventilation or air conditioners accessible.
FAQs
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It’s designed as a modern alternative — lighter touch, retrofittable without wiring, cloud-first, and easier to scale across multiple properties.
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BenchMarker Cloud uses its own secure radio communications (LPWAN). BenchMarker is entirely independent of the local area network.
One LPWAN comms hub can cover a whole building or a complex of buildings, unlike cellular or Wi-Fi. It may or may not be required on site - we can advise.
The devices send information straight to the cloud.
Note: if a system uses Wi-Fi, it is not Cloud-based, it may just provide you access to a local system via the Cloud. BenchMarker is truly Cloud-based, with the sensing devices communicating directly to the Cloud, by-passing the need for a central system. -
BenchMarker Cloud continuously optimises HVAC performance to minimise energy waste.
Real-time load shedding and peak demand limiting reduce power bills significantly. Customers can expect a reduction in HVAC power consumption of at least 20%, often over 40%.
Smarter scheduling and occupancy-based control cut unnecessary operation during weekends, holidays, and off-hours, and once a hotel guest has checked out it is automatically switched off. Don’t wait for a cleaner to (maybe) turn it off, hours after the guest has departed! It will also minimise operation when a guest is not present.
Proactive maintenance replaces after-the-fact callouts and first-visit accuracy improves.
Service contractors are aware of Issues when they arise, and are therefore able to deal with them quickly, preventing further loss, damage and inconvenience. -
The Vention Lab devices have global-grade security and are encrypted. OWASP 2.0 certification.
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Any brand, any type (split-system or individual) - Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Daikin… you name it, HVAC-net will connect it to the BenchMarker Cloud system.
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Payback time is typically 6-9 months.
The ongoing savings continue month by month.
An hotel air conditioner operating approx 12hrs per day can immediately return at least 20-40% power savings per month.Please enquire for detail.
BenchMarker Cloud: for one view across all buildings…
Water usage
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Fridge/Freezer/Chiller monitoring
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Power usage/load-shedding
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Auto-door performance
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Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Monitoring & Control
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Room Occupancy/Air Quality
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Bottled gas monitoring
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Metered gas monitoring
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Cool storage gases (CO2 and Ethylene)
Water usage • Fridge/Freezer/Chiller monitoring • Power usage/load-shedding • Auto-door performance • Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Monitoring & Control • Room Occupancy/Air Quality • Bottled gas monitoring • Metered gas monitoring • Cool storage gases (CO2 and Ethylene)
Keep your equipment performing at its best.
And only operating when it needs to be - when rooms are occupied.
BenchMarker Cloud helps you save money, reduce downtime and give tenants or guests a better experience. Talk to us today to find out more!