Optimising Building Energy

About

Tantallon have developed EnergyFusion®, a next-generation connected smart building control solution for delivering energy-efficient heating and lighting within buildings. It’s an innovative solution for management of the energy and power associated with building facilities. It offers real opportunities to reduce the operational costs of buildings throughout their lifetime and in an independently audited trial has demonstrated 60% average savings in energy used for lighting. Tantallon believes that it can achieve similar results for heating and other services. This is achieved through the use of ‘energy intelligence’ applied to the building facilities, such as lighting, heating and plugloads.  It also massively reduces the costs associated with management and maintenance. A wealth of information is collected in real-time from sensors and controls using ‘Internet of Things’ technology.  This data is timestamped and stored in a database, providing data relating to every managed device such as sensors, lamps, controls. This ‘big data’ forms a valuable resource to ease and reduce the cost and chore of management and maintenance of the building – it gives instant access to device status from any location for any authorised person and forms the basis for the energy intelligence that allows EnergyFusion® to manage ‘energy as an asset’. A powerful predictive approach is used which allows energy to be controlled intelligently. Timely notifications are issued to staff with cost and service implications via email or text and the system takes automatic decisions where the energy is actively reduced.  Through energy and manpower savings, it offers new opportunities to reduce the overall energy, carbon and operational costs EnergyFusion® is built using digital and wireless technologies. Deployment requires a network of connected Hubs and Zone Controllers which are distributed through one or more buildings. The Zone Controllers provide connections for sensors and controls which allow the building environment to tracked and controlled. There are many novel features which have been included. It incorporates a powerful and easy-to-use graphical management system which provides a visual view of the building and its facilities. Configuration is carried out graphically and a novel simulation feature allows the system to be tested off-line without disruption of personnel. EnergyFusion® employs powerful energy intelligence software to address the management of energy and power within commercial buildings.   This software offers an holistic approach to energy and power management EnergyFusion® monitors, manages and controls building facilities and their associated energy and power across one or more buildings EnergyFusion® also issues notifications and alerts to nominated staff by text or email – for instance, on thresholds reached or service procedures due.  This data could also be used for data analytics and diagnostic analysis EnergyFusion® is Internet connected to allow monitoring and management from any location. The system employs TCP/IP protocols to provide pervasive connectivity and strong security EnergyFusion® is based on a blend of digital and software technologies, advanced sensors, machine learning and ‘Internet of things’ technologies and provides this energy savings by providing easy-to-use yet powerful control for services.  It is an innovative framework for supporting energy and power applications such as state-of-the art lighting and heating control. Whereas most energy management systems are solely informational, EnergyFusion® uniquely also provides the means to proactively control both the power and the energy.  It is able to intervene intelligently to reduce the energy consumption and cost or carbon and maintain the power within some agreed peak demand commitment. EnergyFusion® can manage the energy generated from renewable energy sources. EnergyFusion® in Power management Managing power within a building or facility is becoming increasingly important. Buildings will need to cooperate with the Grid and optimise their demand profiles for mutual benefits.  This will imply the ability to curtail loan on cue from an internal or external signal and do this deterministically so that the curtailment is quantified and the impact is understood prior to the demand control event.  It may also require operating within some peak power threshold. EnergyFusion® facilitates this demand side power control and provides the means to automatically schedule and manage and simplify the curtailment event, by implementing a number of strategies which will reduce the demand in a controlled and measured way. It provides the means to simulate and to visualise such an event against a system generated baseline so that any action taken is coherent with the company’s business and P&L requirements. Importantly, it brings the power load associated with such as lighting, heating of buildings within the ambit of demand response control. EnergyFusion® supports fine-grained automatic demand management of Power in response to an external signal (from the supply Grid) or from an internal source, (the executive management of the company). EnergyFusion® offers an organisation the opportunity to manage energy as an asset which implies that: Energy use (& Carbon and Cost) throughout a building is understood to the level of detail required Energy reporting to meet internal or legislative needs is immediately accessible Future energy use can be predicted based on previous and current performance The demand for energy use can be controlled within the scope of the business requirement Account for bi-directional energy flows : (managing both the energy consumed and energy generated) Maintain detailed data on energy (& Carbon and Cost), costs and devices across the organisation