New comfort and energy efficiency service for buildings

ICT will have an increasing role in energy and indoor ambient monitoring, which will enable novel services to building occupants and operators. In the IntUBE -project an end-user interface is demonstrated, where both occupants' sensation of thermal comfort and building's energy efficiency information are displayed. Data for the end-user interface is provided by a continuous commissioning and monitoring service for buildings' technical systems and indoor air. The service is mainly based on the RAUinfo application in cooperation with the Human Thermal Model. The RAUinfo application is further developed in the IntUBE project, whereby a new wireless ambient monitoring tool has been included in the application. By utilising wireless sensors in the ambient monitoring tool the following benefits can be achieved: monitoring devices can be easily transferred from one monitored location to another, the monitoring system can be extended with additional sensors afterwards, if needed. Additionally, with wireless sensors the existing building automation system's monitoring can be supplemented, and monitoring tool can be utilised also in one-time energy or indoor air quality studies, not only for continuous monitoring purposes. Furthermore, the wireless and portable monitoring devices have better cost effectiveness than stationary monitoring system.