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The TV gives access to water and energy use
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The 166 apartments have an integrated energy monitoring system
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One of the key challenges facing developers and estate managers is that whilst the buildings themselves may be constructed with impeccable low-carbon credentials, they are still occupied by people. And, ultimately, it is the variable lifestyles and habits of the occupants who will determine if the building is energy efficient or not.
And knowledge is power, as even the government recognises. Soon after coming to power, David Cameron announced that his administration would be the ‘greenest government ever’, with real time reporting of energy efficiency data implemented across 19 ministerial HQ buildings. These real time energy meters help departments identify when and where energy is being used and assist them in trying and finding ways to reduce that energy use.
It follows that if property owners, such as hoteliers, and the occupants within these buildings could visualise their energy consumption in the same way then the impact could equally contribute in a positive way to cutting fuel consumption and carbon emissions.
Media solution
This is where the television comes in. For buildings in these categories, a media solution from isrighthere brings together TV as we know it, complete with streamed social media content such as YouTube, but also offers access to localised services, such as transport information and, importantly, energy usage. Previously, delivering this breadth of services would have required expensive equipment both in the individual rooms and in the building itself, but, thanks to the system’s centralised cloud-based architecture, this has now become an affordable option.
IS Energy Vision can measure utility consumption, including fresh water and grey water, gas and electricity usage. It allows building owners and occupants, whether that’s a workforce or hotel guests, to see exactly how much energy they're using and how this compares with the building's average.
In schemes like Greenhouse (pictured), the cloud-based architecture of the approach removes the need for building owners to purchase and install expensive and energy-hungry equipment on site, making it vastly cheaper and more flexible than alternative solutions. The value here can be significant, with energy savings in the order of £2,000-5,000 possible.
Knowledge is power
DEFRA research from the Environmental Change Institute of Oxford University, supported by recent studies from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and the University of Eindhoven, shows that fuel savings in the region of 10-15% can be achieved where building occupiers are empowered with energy usage information. The proven capability of this approach to reduce energy consumption makes it a viable option for many hotel and managed estate owners today. In addition, such a service enables building owners in the hospitality and managed estate market to differentiate themselves better from the competition, attracting guests and residents with the latest media services on demand, as well as adding value to their business by generating an extra revenue stream.
Case study
The award-winning Greenhouse scheme in Leeds shows how the technology works in practice. For property developer, CITU, isrighthere helped provide each of the 166 apartments with its own integrated energy monitoring system by using the TV as an interface. This allows the owner to not only monitor their own energy usage, but also the amount of energy the building is generating and using as a whole. The system has also enabled occupants to form an ‘energy co-operative’, with Greenhouse acting as energy supplier and invoicing homeowners by net usage, taking into account energy produced on site and energy ‘exchanged’ between apartments.
Furthermore, homeowners can book an electric pool car from the on-site car club, get real-time information on the next buses and trains departing from local stations and access an integrated community notice board to keep in touch with the wider community, all through the TV. Our research shows that if people know when buses are due, they are far more likely to use this option and leave behind their car. An additional green benefit is that the IPTV screen is used as an information resource to reduce the need for paper directories, covering, for example, apartment or hotel services and local information.
Ensuring that all residents would actively use and participate in the communal technology system at Greenhouse was absolutely critical to the success of the project as a whole. If the monitoring system wasn’t fully integrated into daily life for the residents, they would not embrace the core values of the scheme and wouldn’t change their energy usage behaviour, impacting on the sustainability of the building.
The isrighthere solution encourages residents to watch their television through an IPTV set top box provided by Greenhouse, which allows the energy monitoring system to be permanently on view. The screen is very similar to a regular Sky box interface but it also displays details of the homeowner’s energy usage compared to other residents; together with information on local transport and other communal features.
Teresa Robbin is director of isrighthere ltd
This article originally appeared in the April/May 2011 issue of Greenbuild magazine. Click here for a free subscription.
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