Cooling technology helps Irvine-based company save energy, money
An innovative company in Irvine is reaping the benefits of a different type of cooling technology installed just in time for summer.
IRVINE, Calif. (KABC) -- The Masimo building sitting off the 5 Freeway is no stranger to innovation.
It's the headquarters of Stark Industries in Disney's Iron Man, where Tony Stark develops the technology to transform into the Marvel superhero.
In real life, the Masimo building is a place where medical technology is created.
The company's chief operating officer, Bilal Muhsin, said the tech made there helped doctors and nurses battling COVID-19, all while keeping the environment in mind.
"Annually, we review our green initiatives at Masimo and we look to improve our efficiency when it comes to that," Muhsin said.
Muhsin said one example of the company's commitment to efficiency was a new white layer of silicone from SolarBox completed on the roof of the building in July.
"With that we're going to see about a 40 to 50% improvement in efficiency and saving us costs as well," Muhsin said, adding, "We are seeing a difference I think with cool roof technology and what we've deployed that allows us to keep the building even cooler than usual, hopefully helping us with these heat waves."
Staying cool inside, employees work on Masimo's signature product -- Signal Extraction Technology, or SET.
The company's COO said the wearable finger and chest sensors took off at the onset of the pandemic. Deployed in more than 125 hospitals throughout the globe, Muhsin said they allowed medical professionals to send less critical patients home to monitor them remotely.
"It allows hospitals to really focus on those critically ill patients that need to be admitted into the ICU or into the hospital, where the healthier patients that probably are not suffering from harsher symptoms of COVID, they can now send those patients home with reliable technology," Muhsin said.
Minute by minute, readings of vitals like oxygen levels, heart rate and temperature are sent through a mobile device to medical practitioners.
All this tech comes with a cost, but Muhsin said Masimo develops efficiently.
The owner of SolarBox said typically a rooftop has the same temperature reading as a blacktop, but with the silicone coating more than 90% of UV rays are reflected. That combined with 2,500 solar panels means a great energy savings for Masimo, according to executives.
