EnerBuild - Democratise the Process of Energy Consumption Optimisation by Means of Smart Building Technologies
Overview
EnerBuild (Democratise the Process of Energy Consumption Optimisation by Means of Smart Building Technologies) set out to cut energy use in buildings that have no advanced building management system. It was led by the Energy Island Council of Gran Canaria and ran from August to December 2022.
The pilot took place at El Sabinal, a socio-health centre and residence for the elderly in a building provided by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria. There, HiPerWare, an Internet of Things and big-data platform from BPS Group (Germany), was combined with the Intelligent Maintenance Management Platform from Infraspeak (Portugal). Together they created a live digital twin of the building’s utility systems that flags anomalies, sends real-time notifications about the energy status of the building and recommends improvements.
The consortium also included Finnova, a Spanish-Belgian foundation that led communication and dissemination, and SmartUp – Social Innovation Lab. SmartUp joined as a partner from North Macedonia, contributing to knowledge sharing across the consortium.
The partners reported savings of up to 240,000 kW a year at the pilot site and about 15% lower energy costs, and presented EnerBuild as an example of good practice. Read about the results seminar and how EnerBuild was presented around COP27.
The challenge
Buildings without smart management
Many buildings have no advanced building management system, which makes it hard to find savings with traditional methods.
Connecting platforms to real buildings
The IoT and maintenance platforms had to collect and analyse data from the building’s own systems and turn it into insights that staff could act on.
Turning recommendations into practice
Savings only last if building operators understand the recommendations and apply them over time while meeting environmental standards.
Activities and methods
The consortium worked together to install, test and communicate a smart-building solution in a real public-use building.
What the project did
- Created a live digital twin. Sensors and analytics gave a continuous view of the building’s utility systems and of air quality and environmental conditions, so that staff could check compliance with standards and see how the building behaves.
- Gave data-based recommendations. The system showed where, when and what kind of anomalies appeared and recommended changes to cut energy use.
- Improved maintenance. Infraspeak’s platform reduced equipment downtime and improved how the utility systems performed, giving building teams the data on their phones or computers.
- Shared the results. A hybrid technical seminar on 12 December 2022 presented the solution and its results, and the project was shown as an example of good practice at conferences and fairs around COP27. It also fed into the GIRLS4TECH programme, which introduces young people, especially girls, to STEM careers.
What was reported
- Savings of up to 240,000 kW per year at the El Sabinal pilot site.
- Around 15% lower energy costs in buildings, according to Finnova’s CEO.
- A solution the partners see as suitable for hospitals, care homes and hotels.
SmartUp’s role
SmartUp was a partner from North Macedonia, and our contribution was knowledge sharing. At the project’s final seminar, Lovren Markic of the Municipality of Skopje spoke on our behalf about the value of energy-metric tools and European funding for public institutions in the region.
Outputs
The European project EnerBuild can save up to 240,000 kW per year
Report from the final technical seminar, with the partners’ results and the El Sabinal pilot.
View Blog postEnerBuild, a practical example of solutions to COP27 in the energy area
How the El Sabinal pilot was presented as an example of good practice around the COP27 climate summit.
View Blog postPlanning similar work?
SmartUp can support research, co-creation, facilitation, digital tools, implementation, or learning documentation for related programmes.