Hot take: Green building sensors are locking out people with motion issues

I just worked on a project where they installed automatic lights and doors to save energy. Sounds good, right? But the motion sensors were set too high and too fast. My uncle who moves slowly with a walker kept getting stuck in the dark because the lights would turn off before he passed through. Same with the doors; they'd start closing on him. We had to go back and adjust the delay times way longer than the manual said. This isn't just annoying; it makes spaces unusable for folks with arthritis or mobility aids. If you're picking eco-friendly tech, always test it with real people moving at different speeds. Don't let the push for sustainability make places less accessible.

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jessica5h ago

Ugh, I mean, this is such a real problem. I had the same thing happen at my kid's school after they put in new sensor taps and hand dryers in the bathrooms. The dryers would stop before her little hands were even dry. We basically had to complain until they brought in someone with a walker and a wheelchair to test all the timers. The fix was just making the delay way, way longer than the book said, like you did. Idk why that isn't just the standard from the start. You have to test with real people moving at all sorts of speeds, not just a quick walk-by from an installer.

jenny_young3h ago

Man, I always figured these sensors were foolproof. This post shows I was dead wrong.