Abstract

Kerry Sykes from the University of Cambridge will provide an overview of the Energy Dashboard Project.

George Bartley from Building Sustainability will outline the features of the Energy Dashboard solution at the University. This will include a case study from a Gurdon Institute involving staff engagement.

Energy is a resource that concerns us all both in the workplace and at home. Building energy management in large estates is a challenging task. In the past managers have been limited by the lack of accurate, detailed data on how energy is consumed in buildings, floors, work areas and desks.

A further issue is that traditionally energy management has been the sole responsibility of energy managers. In reality all building users make decisions about their energy use but without any information as to the consequences of their choices. Organisations need to begin to view everyone as an ‘energy manager’ and therefore provide them with useful information.

The popular word on the street is “behaviour change”. The sustainability professional’s definition of this term is far-reaching and often not clear. Building Sustainability’s definition of behaviour change is “to enable people to make better decisions on how and when they use energy by providing them with relevant information on their energy consumption”.

Recent developments in technology mean we can now collect reliable and real time energy data. Radio-enabled smart meters can be easily retro-fitted to existing buildings and also provide a cost effective option for new buildings.

With a web application, this data can be gathered in near real time, processed and presented in a way which can be readily understood by a wide audience. This may include energy managers, building maintenance staff, carbon analysts, kitchen staff, academic staff and students in the halls of residence. With mobile devices including smart phones and tablet computers, energy data can be accessed from anywhere to encourage individuals to change their behaviour. Accurate, real time monitoring is therefore crucial to effective energy management and behaviour change. Energy managers can identify and reduce ‘wasted energy’ by rectifying building maintenance issues which can be responsible for as much as 30% energy waste. However the process must also engage all building users to ensure they have the necessary information to effectively manage their energy use.