immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Thermostate

  • Ostermundigen installs smart thermostats in school

    Ostermundigen installs smart thermostats in school

    The council of the municipality of Ostermundigen recently voted in favor of the installation of 237 smart thermostats from the cleantech start-up Cleveron , based in Stettlen. According to a media release , they are intended to convert the radiators in the Dennigkofen school and reduce their heating energy consumption by up to 30 percent. The investment costs amount to 40,000 Swiss francs.

    These costs should have amortized after two to three years through the optimized energy consumption. Should the measure reduce the current energy consumption for heating by at least 8 percent, the municipality of Ostermundigen will consider equipping other school complexes and administration buildings with new thermostats.

    “With the pilot operation in the Dennigkofen school, we are testing how we can reduce energy consumption in our community-owned properties in the future. At the same time, the procurement is a contribution to minimizing the risk of energy shortages in the coming winter,” Maya Weber Hadorn, municipal councilor in Ostermundigen, is quoted as saying in the media release.

    Cleveron heating thermostats measure the temperature and humidity in rooms. They also take into account the current weather data and the outside temperature. A self-learning algorithm is designed to ensure optimal temperature regulation. All data can be displayed and evaluated via an app, and the thermostats can be controlled via it. Last fall, the municipality installed 220 Cleveron sensors in school buildings to improve air quality.

  • viboo saves heating energy with a learning algorithm

    viboo saves heating energy with a learning algorithm

    viboo has developed an algorithm to save heating energy. According to a press release , the spin-off of the Federal Materials Testing and Research Institute ( Empa ) can also heat older buildings with around a quarter less energy. The user comfort remains the same or even improves.

    Researchers Felix Bünning and Benjamin Huber developed the idea while working in Empa's Urban Energy Systems Lab. Based on weather and building data, the control algorithm can calculate the ideal energy consumption of a building several hours in advance. The first experiments in NEST , Empa and Eawag 's research and innovation building in Dübendorf, reduced energy consumption by 23 percent. The researchers worked together with the thermostat manufacturer Danfoss . In comparison, the Danfoss Ally thermostat saved only twelve percent.

    In March 2022, the two researchers founded viboo together with Matthias Sulzer, Senior Researcher at Empa, to bring the solution to market. In the next heating season, the company will carry out further test projects, apart from with Danfoss also with other manufacturers such as ABB and Schneider Electric .

  • An algorithm controls thermostats

    An algorithm controls thermostats

    Two researchers from the Urban Energy Systems Lab at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research ( Empa ) have created a self-learning algorithm for heating thermostats. According to an Empa report , it can be integrated into conventional intelligent or smart thermostats via a cloud connection and regulate the room temperature in a predictive manner.

    "The potential is enormous," says Felix Bünning, co-founder of the Empa spin-off viboo, which markets this algorithm. "Our experiments at NEST have shown that energy savings of between 26 and 49 percent can be achieved with this approach."

    To create a model of the building, building data such as valve positions and room temperature measurements from just two weeks are sufficient. In combination with forecasts for the local outside temperature and global solar radiation, the algorithm then independently calculates the ideal amount of energy required to heat or cool the building up to twelve hours in advance.

    According to the information, a first partner is the Danish company Danfoss . The internationally active thermostat manufacturer is currently testing in a pilot project together with viboo how high the savings potential is in conventional existing buildings. In addition, the start-up is already in talks with other industrial partners. For example, it will integrate the algorithm directly into the central building automation system in a Zurich office building.