Researchers at Oxford university set out plan to help businesses better manage energy use

Reliable and smart building energy management systems could help retailers save a lot of money on their energy bills, researchers at Oxford University have argued as part of a new project.

Even companies using smart meters would have a tough time understanding all of the information they receive from their automated systems, so finding the optimum solution to manage energy use will become extremely important on the future, scientists claimed.

They are currently seeking to work with retailers, energy suppliers, business support groups and energy advice companies as part of a new project called WICKED (Working with Infrastructure, Creation of Knowledge and Energy strategy Development) funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Dr Kathryn Janda from Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute said the team’s “smart-er meters” will also measure energy services, allowing firms to see the breakdown of energy use, divided up into areas such as light, heat and building humidity.

She added: “By using big data analytics, we will turn numbers into knowledge and provide retailers of all sizes with actionable insights to how they could use energy more wisely… The project promises real business potential in helping to cut energy bills and reduce energy consumption in the long term.”

Building Energy Management Systems are capable of delivering extensive monitoring and control options, compared to basic controls. They typically employ data from a variety of sources (boiler flow and return sensors, internal and external temperature sensors, occupancy sensors, humidity sensors, etc.), and enable the perfect optimization of a building’s boiler-based central heating system.

If you’d like to find out more about the savings enabled by the HeatingSave Building Energy Management System, just contact our dedicated product team, they’ll be more than happy to answer all of your questions and queries.