Empowering building occupants to reduce energy consumption
Buildings are responsible for about 40 % of the energy consumed in Europe. To efficiently power indoor spaces, there is a need for solutions that reduce energy consumption. The EU-funded Auto-DAN(opens in new window) project uses smart technologies to monitor and assess energy performance and provide guidance for reducing energy use.
A focus on overlooked building stock
Improving the energy performance of buildings presents several unique challenges. Variations in climate, the building’s intended function and the types of appliances in use all play a role. Additionally, there is a wide range of smart readiness among buildings, and up to 75 % of EU’s building stock is energy inefficient. Auto-DAN focused on a subset of the building sector that has not been adequately addressed by research and innovation initiatives: small and medium-sized buildings. Demonstration sites targeted buildings in Ireland, Italy and Spain. The sites included residential and commercial buildings representing a variety of uses, such as student residences, apartment blocks, business parks and a theatre. Such diversity was challenging, but it allowed the project to test its solution under real-world conditions. As project coordinator Beatriz Fraga De Cal shares: “By deploying Auto‑DAN in buildings with varying levels of digital maturity and operational complexity, the project ensured that the solution could be validated in realistic settings and demonstrate clear pathways for replication in similar buildings across Europe.”
Maximising replicability
Replicability is integral to the Auto-DAN solution, which directly reflects the goals of the European Commission’s Strategic Energy Technology Plan(opens in new window). The project developed hardware and software infrastructure that is flexible, modular and interoperable. Key hardware components include smart meters, IoT gateways and a user experience dashboard. Software solutions involve digital twins and digital occupancy models that act as a decision-support tool, providing next-day recommendations on when appliances are best used, . “Replicability was achieved by decoupling hardware choices from the analytics layer,” Fraga De Cal explains. “This approach allows future adopters to replicate the solution while selecting hardware that best fits their local context, costs and user preferences.” The Auto-DAN infrastructure uses the iSCAN(opens in new window) platform and data retrieved from the SenseIoTy data intelligence platform to deliver actionable information via an application programming interface developed by the project. This information takes the form of a self-energy assessment framework, accessible through the user dashboard.
Augmented technology for decision-making
The goal of Auto-DAN is not to replace human agency with automated optimisation systems, but to assist building occupants in making wise energy decisions. For this to work, people need ongoing feedback on a building’s performance so that they can understand the impact of their choices. The project’s modular infrastructure turns raw data into actionable insight. As Fraga De Cal states: “This makes it particularly well suited to Auto‑DAN’s self‑assessment and self‑optimisation approach, where value comes from regular feedback, evidence‑based decisions and continuous adjustment rather than static performance snapshots.” Dashboard end users have responded positively to the energy consumption information made available, particularly the user-friendly visuals. But just as ongoing self-assessment is essential to optimising energy savings, so is ongoing engagement of building residents. Designing replicable technology solutions for buildings is only part of the solution. The next step is using the information made available by the iSCAN platform to improve decisions and change energy-use behaviours for the better.
