A new research project is underway to develop a platform for saving energy and increasing product reliability in commercial buildings, following the procurement of funds from the European Commission.
Edinburgh based technology firm NetThings has partnered with CSEM, a Swiss private, non-profit research company, to develop an analytical platform based on the company’s ‘internet of things’ approach.
The two-year project worth around £900,000 aims to save money for businesses and public sector facilities through connected hardware and software that will both monitor and control energy usage. The system will also flag when specific plant and machinery requires servicing in an effort to optimise efficiency of operation and reduce down time.
NetThings and CSEM were awarded half of the funding towards the project from Eurostars, a joint programme between EUREKA and the European Commission. Eurostars awards funding to the development of rapidly marketable products, processes and services that help improve the daily lives of people around the world.
George McGhee, chief executive of NetThings, said: “The EU has ambitious targets to meet by 2020, with energy efficiency initiatives expected to deliver 20% energy savings which is approximately the equivalent to turning off 400 power stations. Eliminating wasteful use of energy in commercial buildings that have lacked suitable systems is essential to driving sustainability on this sort of scale.
“Leveraging our technology expertise and CSEM’s 32 years of applied research experience, this project will result in more cost effect ways of addressing this challenge.”
NetThings previously operated as Ewgeco, which developed independent energy display devices to monitor electricity, water and gas in homes and businesses in real time. The company says its past experience means the technology being developed can be commercialised at a price and footprint “not previously imagined”, meaning significant savings and fast returns on investment.
The company says that many of the private sector businesses in the UK have properties with limited options for energy management. It claims that traditional Building Management Systems (BMS) are often only installed at construction stage due to cabling and instrumentation which is complex, time-consuming and disruptive to business. One of the intended deliverables from the project is a system that will offer a low cost solution that can be easily retrofitted and improve millions of buildings.
The potential for the system to help businesses, particularly smaller firms, is central to what attracted CSEM to the project.
Mario El-Khoury, chief executive of the Swiss firm, explained: “SMEs are a central focus for our company, so this project is particularly close to my heart. Thanks to our expertise and our patents, we can offer solutions that will enable them to reduce their energy costs and contribute to improving their competitivity.”
