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Building Connect

Facilities, Cities | Public Services  x  AI, Cloud

The AI4Cities Buyers Group consists of lead procurer Forum Virium Helsinki (representing the city of Helsinki), Cap Digital (representing Paris Region), the city of Amsterdam, the city of Copenhagen, the city of Stavanger and the city of Tallinn. These six cities and regions have developed ambitious strategies and policy plans to become carbon neutral by – at latest – 2050. In AI4Cities they joined forces to go through a PCP process, aiming to procure non-market ready solutions which can help them accelerate their transition to carbon neutrality by utilising artificial intelligence and related enabling technologies – such as big data applications, 5G, edge computing and IoT. Their choice to focus on energy and mobility-related challenges is informed by the fact that these two domains are responsible for 82% of GHG emissions in Europe’s cities.

The situation

The project is looking for AI solutions that can contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the fields of mobility and energy, two domains responsible for 82% of all greenhouse gas emissions in European cities.

Following AI4Cities’ Request for Tenders on 01.12.2020 Heroes was one of the 44 companies and consortia to submit an application for AI4Cities energy challenge. In total 97 applications were submitted; following a thorough evaluation by the AI4Cities Buyers Group, 21 suppliers were selected for the mobility challenge and 20 suppliers for the energy challenge.

The solution

In collaboration with the AI4Cities partners, Heroes developed Building Connect, which aims to reduce energy consumption of public buildings by using AI, IoT & Cloud technologies. Now, a few a few months after creating the prototype, we have been busy further developing the solution based on valuable insights and feedback provided by the market.

The key drivers for energy optimization that Building Connect provides are:
The ability to benchmark a building to similar (more efficient) buildings. And learn why similar buildings use less energy, while it has the same use, size, volume, construction year, etc. Does it have something to do with the building material? Or is it off-hour waste of energy? Or does the other the building have more efficient occupancy schedules? With Building Connect you will find out.
Did you know that lighting is one of the greatest energy consumers in most commercial facilities? There are many different ways to optimize your facility's lighting and some of them are absolutely free, below some tips to optimize your lightning.

  • Introduce behavioural modification, which will turn off the lights when you leave;
  • Install motion sensors;
  • Take advantage of natural lights
  • Replace inefficient bulbs with more efficient ones
  • Replace wiring, this is the most expensive option but very effective.
    Building Connect will provide you with insights in the lighting consumption, how efficient you are and whether you can improve.

Next to lighting, HVAC (Heating/Ventilation/Airco) is the biggest consumer of energy facilities. There are simple steps to start with, such as setting the right occupancy schedule (use hours) or adjusting the thermostat a little. After that, the AI HVAC optimization algorithm of Building Connect can take control and reduce energy consumption while maintaining comfort in the building. It will result in the optimal configuration of your HVAC system.

The three key takeaways for every company

1

Collaborative carbon neutrality goals: Multiple cities, under AI4Cities, are uniting with a commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, targeting sectors like energy and mobility that are prime contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.

2

AI-Driven energy efficiency: The Building Connect solution developed by Heroes uses AI, IoT, and Cloud technologies to optimize energy consumption in public buildings, offering comparative analysis against other efficient buildings, and recommending energy-saving measures.

3

Smart building management: Building Connect empowers companies to gain insights into energy consumption patterns, especially in areas like lighting and HVAC. This facilitates energy optimization, which translates to cost savings and reduced CO2 emissions, benefitting both the business and the environment.

In short, Building Connect enables you to compare the energy consumption of several buildings at the same time and provides you with deeper insights on where to optimize the current energy consumption which not only results in reduced energy costs but also reduced CO2 emissions. Win-win, right?

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Mario

Hi, I'm Mario. Drop me an email on coffee@heroes.nl and Heroes will find a solution for your case.

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