Sentir™

Sentir Technologies

Finding Faults Before Failure.

Case Study · Savannah, Georgia

Why a $160,000 AC Upgrade Wouldn't Have Cooled This Live Music Venue

A live music venue was too hot and humid every busy night, even with a brand-new HVAC system. Here's what Sentir found on day one — and the $90,000 it saved.

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Diagnosed in 24 Hours$90K Saved Immediately4 More Systems Ordered

The Setup

New HVAC System, Still Too Hot and Humid

This live music venue had fought cooling complaints for years. A newly designed, professionally installed HVAC system was supposed to end that — it didn't.

Fixed on Paper, Not in the Room

Once the new system went operational, the space still ran hot during peak service, and patrons felt sluggish as headcount rose — the exact complaint the new install was supposed to solve.

Nobody Had a Number

When the complaints started, everyone had a theory and no one had proof. The owner blamed the contractor. The contractor blamed the engineer. No data existed to settle it either way.

The Deployment

Every Signal, From Day One

Sentir's sensors went on both rooftop units, tracking refrigerant, air, and power around the clock.

Refrigerant Pressures & Temps Superheat & Subcooling Supply/Return Air & CO₂ Compressor & Fan Power Sensible & Latent Load

Sentir flagged the real problem on day one. The system kept measuring for two more weeks anyway — not because it needed to, but because the data only got more certain - all while a third-party contractor was reaching the opposite conclusion with no data.

The Diagnosis

The Real Cause: Latent Load, Not Cooling Capacity

Discovery

Refrigerant Wasn't the Problem

Superheat and subcooling checked out normal on both units.

Whatever was going wrong, it wasn't the AC circuit. Yet adding more cooling was exactly what the third-party contractor proposed.

Root Cause

A Latent Load 3× the Design

The building's real latent heat load ran 3× what the original system was sized for.

A sensible heat ratio mismatch — more AC was never going to fix it.

IAQ Finding

CO₂ Was Spiking With the Crowd

CO₂ hit 3,812 ppm at peak occupancy.

More than double what's typical during airplane boarding (~1,600 ppm).

A ventilation problem wearing a cooling problem's symptoms.

Solution

The Fix: A Right-Sized Dedicated Outdoor Air System (DOAS)

A right-sized Dedicated Outdoor Air System (DOAS) with hot gas reheat.

Engineered for the load Sentir actually measured — not the load someone guessed at.

$70,000 · 15-ton DOAS, hot gas reheat solution.

The Two Paths

One Diagnosis Backed by Data. One Without.

Without Sentir

$160,000, and the Problem Stays

Quoted by a third-party contractor on experience, not data

15–20 tons of added AC

Would not have fixed the latent load problem

The $70,000 DOAS would still be needed afterward — and months would be lost finding that out

$160,000

Spent, and the room is still hot

With Sentir

$70,000, and It's Actually Fixed

Diagnosed from real sensor data, not a guess

Root cause identified in 24 hours

Right-sized DOAS, specified once

Operating at temperature setpoint from day 1 of peak occupancy

$70,000

Spent once. Problem solved.

Owner immediately bought additional Sentir sensor and hardware kits for all existing HVAC units - 4 more additions.

$90,000 Saved

Immediately, against the wrong quote — before ever counting the $70,000 DOAS the owner would have needed anyway.

Live Sensor Data — Not a Projection

One Month In

The Fix Is Real, and It's Working

The comparison above shows how much money we saved the owner up front. What follows is pulled straight from this building's Sentir dashboard — the actual telemetry from its first month on monitoring.

Comfort This Week

The Room Held Its Temperature Through a Hot Week

Space Temperature Range

67°–78°F (19–26°C)

Setpoint held between 70°–75°F (21–24°C)

Indoor Humidity

61% RH

Range: 48%–78% through service swings

Outdoor Conditions

81°F avg (27°C)

Peaked at 97°F (36°C), dew point averaging 74°F (23°C)

4-Week Trend

Comfort Compliance Has Climbed Every Week

Share of each week spent within 2°F of the active setpoint. Outdoor temperatures stayed in the same 80°–86°F (27–30°C) average range across all four weeks — the improvement tracks equipment performance, not easier weather.

"The owner was satisfied enough to order four more Sentir sensor systems — one for each of the property's remaining HVAC units."

All five units are soon to be on Sentir's ongoing monitoring plan with continuous diagnostics and alerts. This property is also our first pilot site for the Controls beta. See monitoring plans →

Since Going Live

Holding at Setpoint, Service After Service

The DOAS went operational at the start of August. This is what changed.

Peak Service — Before DOAS

Temp climbs well above setpoint as the room fills.

Peak Service — After DOAS

Temp holds within a degree of setpoint straight through.

Illustrative comparison of indoor temperature relative to setpoint during evening peak service, before and after the DOAS install.

Does Your Restaurant or Venue Feel Hot and Stuffy When It's Busy?

That's often too much moisture and too little fresh air, not too little AC. Sentir can tell the difference in about a day. See how Sentir monitors rooftop units.

Find Out Why Your Space Runs Hot

Book a walkthrough and we'll show you what Sentir would catch on your equipment — starting day one.

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