Energy Management System incorporating Integrated Retrofit Decision Model (EMSIRDecMo)

Real-time data provided by the existing cloud-based EnerGenius Energy Management System ('EMS') includes minute-byminute gas, electricity, electrical circuit, oil consumption/tank level, temperature and relative humidity. EMSIRDecMo will develop and integrate a robust DECISION TOOL for predicting the outcomes of a wide spectrum of energy-related building
retrofit actions (key outcome 1). The tool will also assess actual outturns against target, supporting early corrective action. Real-time data provided by the existing cloud-based EnerGenius Energy Management System ('EMS') includes minute-byminute gas, electricity, electrical circuit, oil consumption/tank level, temperature and relative humidity. EnerGenius features an excellent User Interface ('UI'), which will now evolve its landlord-centric modules. Initially focused on social landlords, the decision tool will use iterative outcome-based parameterisation overlaid on laboratory-derived data.

EMSIRDecMo will also derive a TEMPERATURE DECAY RATE for a property; an outcome-based indicator of overall insulation effectiveness: a key statistic for both landlord and occupant (key outcome 2).

Finally, existing sophisticated EnerGenius user control features will be enhanced to support both local and remote DEMAND SIDE MANAGEMENT (DSM) tools to reduce energy costs and improve grid performance (key outcome 3). These DSM tools will use aggregated domestic electrical loads, particularly electrical domestic water heating, to develop income streams from Transport System Operators (TSOs). Load shifting and frequency management will represent distinct revenue streams.

The project EMSIRDecMo will benefit specific economic and societal stakeholders as well as having broader general and economic impact.

In the short term, EMSIRDecMo will support the expansion of the product portfolio of Energenius, an emerging SME in the Energy Management Systems sector. The capabilities developed under the project, specifically the Landlord Decision Toolbox, represents an extension of the company's current offerings, deepening it within the social housing sector. The project will underpin the growth of both employment and revenue within the company.

EMSIRDecMo has incorporated both end-users and end-beneficiaries within the consortium. Two social landlords, Hearth Housing Association and Oaklee Housing Group are providing access to their properties to undertake real-time monitoring of energy performance. They will also provide practical, real-world input to the issues that arise in property management and specifically in the delivery of energy improvement retrofits. These social landlords will be early adopters of the Landlord Decision Toolbox which will deliver improvement in the energy performance of their housing stock. The Demand Side Management (DSM) systems developed within EMSIRDecMo are projected to deliver revenue of £100 per property per annum to the landlord.

The project will analyse individual tenant energy requirements and behaviour. By their nature social tenants are at a high risk of fuel poverty. EMSIRDecMo aims to deliver tenant beneficiary energy savings of £400 per annum significantly reducing the risk of fuel poverty. These benefits will accrue from both behavioural changes and from informed retrofitting choices.

The Demand Side Management systems offer benefits to Transmission System Operators (TSOs) particularly those operating the all-island Irish grid with high wind penetration and with the consequent issue of wind farm curtailment; the situation when wind farm output is not dispatched to the grid primarily due to a mismatch of supply and demand. The
systems developed in EMSIRDecMo, while initially deployed by social landlords have much broader application. Their deployment across domestic, commercial and public-sector buildings has the potential to provide much needed dynamic load which will aid grid stability and the penetration of renewables on the grid.

Under the 2008 Climate Change Act the UK is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 34% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. UK Government sources (DTI, 2006) calculate that the built environment contributes 47% of UK carbon emissions. The Landlord Decision Toolbox will deliver an accurate means of measuring the energy performance benefits
of energy saving retrofit solutions. The determintion of real-world saving will be relevant to manufacturers of energy saving products, designrers, specifiers and installers. Improvements in product design, application and installation will be determined by the users of the Landlord Decision Toolbox and will be able to presented to the wider buildings product community ; through product improvments, technique or building regulations.

Building specifiers and building performance professionals will be directly interested in the development of the building Temperature Decay Statistic. This metric has the potential to become a standalone and supporting indicator of building energy performance.