R8tech takes building technical management to the next generation by adding Artificial Intelligence on top of existing automation system. Our solution enables clients to take intelligent and automated control over their HVAC (Heating-Ventilating-Air Cooling) systems 24/7 and achieve energy costs savings and CO2 emission reduction up to -30% together with a better indoor comfort and improve HVAC transparency and stability with novel fault diagnostics features.
R8tech ensures that buildings are heated, cooled and ventilated at the right time, with the right amount of energy as our AI engine takes account the constant fluctuations of visitors, weather and energy market prices.
Q: Tell us about yourself?
I am a hands-on HVAC and energy systems engineer with over 10 years of experience in research, modelling, simulations, design, construction and technical servicing field at domestic and international settings. After my studies in Estonia, Japan and Finland I worked in Finland before returning to Estonia. Here I realized how efficient the HVAC (Heating-Ventilation-Air Conditioning) management was in big commercial buildings and I got an idea how to solve it. Now this idea is called R8tech.
Q: What is the inspiration behind your business?
Commercial buildings face serious HVAC-related energy efficiency and cost challenges due to the complex nature of state-of-the-art Building Management Systems (BMS) and the limits of human building operators. This leads to energy-waste, too high CO2 emissions, makes it difficult to detect HVAC errors as well as pollutes the indoor climate and causes in long term severe health issues.
Q: What is your magic sauce?
Our magic recipe seems to be simple: talents with different skills and knowledges mixed with different experiences. This has enabled us to develop an unique AI-based software solution that covers 3 main KPIs – energy efficiency, indoor comfort and technical conditions using different USPs – 2-stage model incl Diagnostics and Autopilot; remote connection without any additional hardware; no need for a new user’s interface; results instead of monitoring and analytics.
Q: Where do you see your company going in 5 years?
R8tech is growing and we do not have any geographical limits. With a min 2x growth rate per year we will be min 32 times bigger than today. Supporting commercial buildings’ efficiency and sustainability goals all around the world.
Q: What has been your biggest setback so far?
Launching any new technology is hard always. Because the market is not ready and there seem to be more risks than opportunities. Fortunately we are not alone at this track and together with other technology companies and organizations we have been able to deliver the understanding for a need to new technologies to many relevant people.
Q: What is the next big challenge for your business?
For sure our globalization goals bring many challenges for R8tech. Organizational growth with keeping the high efficiency; new markets and cultures; general openness to new technologies are few keywords. And also – how will C19 influence our business in a short run and long run.
Q: How do people get involved/buy into your vision?
R8tech goal is to be a TOP company offering TOP solution for TOP clients. It is possible only if we can attract TOP talents to join our team. This is about IT, AI, HVAC, Sales & Marketing etc. We have a strong vision and mission.
We have a lot of ideas, more than we can do even. And we have R8 Digital Operator – a TOP solution that will be ready never; an AI that enables humans to focus on issues where they are more efficient than robots. This makes us smile. And like you know – if there is a reason to smile then there is a reason to wake up in the morning to come to the R8tech office to make the world a better place.
