Climate control takes on a double meaning with multiple benefits
Reducing energy consumption and emissions is critical to mitigating climate change, and many new technologies and approaches focus on achieving this. Non-residential buildings account for 11 % of global CO2 emissions so targeting this sector could have significant impact. EU support of the SQ Building project has helped DeltaQ bring its gateway and cloud-based software as a service to market to do just that while simultaneously improving indoor climate and occupant comfort and reducing operational costs. Its ‘little black box’ can help owners or managers of most buildings with a building management system (BMS) quickly begin enhancing the real estate’s sustainability profile.
A ‘little black box’ connects your building to AI and the cloud
Getting started is a piece of cake. DeltaQ connects its gateway, a little larger than a deck of cards, to the building’s BMS. For the next few weeks, the system monitors measures such as air and water temperature, CO2 levels and the state of pumps and boilers. A digital model of the building is created, and the data are displayed on the customer’s dashboard at the physical locations corresponding to the data sources. Marieke de Groot, Marketing & Communication Manager for DeltaQ, expands: “The digital building model integrates artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning while also considering weather and occupancy forecasts and user preferences like thermostat settings. DeltaQ anticipates how the building will react and what it will need in the coming hours for comfort and energy efficiency. The control settings are sent to the BMS via the DeltaQ gateway and continuously updated.”
A small and simple investment with a big impact
The product was launched at the headquarters of Sodexo in Brussels (website in French) where it optimised heating, cooling and ventilation of the nearly 10 000 m2 of floor space over a 3-year period. DeltaQ reduced gas usage by almost 50 % (1 285 MWh), electricity consumption by 25 % (648 MWh) and CO2 emissions by almost 33 % (586 t). Impressively, there were 75 % fewer complaints related to comfort. Clearly, the potential global benefits of widespread DeltaQ uptake for greener buildings with more comfortable occupants are tremendous. In addition to benefits for the environment, enhancing comfort for occupants translates to business benefits, such as the ability to attract more tenants or talented and productive employees. Furthermore, as de Groot adds, “what makes DeltaQ solution most valuable is that it addresses existing buildings without requiring a big investment in insulation, heat recovery and other energy-saving measures. It is easy to implement on almost any building with a BMS – DeltaQ is compatible with most types. Payback times of the solution are limited to a few months. DeltaQ can reduce CO2 emissions for its customers by 15-40 % and simultaneously reduce energy-related expenses.” The SQ Building project enabled the company to grow from its three founders to a staff of twenty employees. Success has garnered additional equity funding, helping it to expand commercial and operations teams and hire a new CEO. DeltaQ is on its way, and the world could soon be feeling the effects, literally, on global warming and indoor ‘climate’ control for comfort.
Keywords
SQ Building, building, DeltaQ, emissions, energy, CO2, BMS, AI, building management system, artificial intelligence
