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The SEAI-funded project has deployed smart sensors in 70 Limerick buildings to test the benefits smarter buildings can bring to Ireland’s energy future.
Whether it’s for the climate crisis, reducing costs or preparing for new regulation, there are a lot of reasons to make buildings more energy efficient.
The operation of buildings account for 30pc of global final energy consumption and 26pc of energy-related emissions, according to estimates from the International Energy Agency. In 2022, the Irish Green Building Council said the improvement of Ireland’s built environment is “critical” to help Ireland meet its climate goals.
Meanwhile, Ireland may not have a choice in the matter of improving its buildings in the near future – the EU is working on plans to transform how buildings use and generate energy. One way to improve energy efficiency in buildings is through digitalisation – the use of technology such as sensors to improve energy systems.
To help with these goals for Ireland and the EU, the country’s SmartLab project is trialling a new sensor system in 70 buildings in Limerick. Dr Madeleine Lyes is the SmartLab project manager and says this initiative is testing the impact and potential of smarter buildings “in preparation for the smart grid of the future”.
“We’re working with the building users to explore the impact of those sensors on their daily lives and on their future plans for their homes, offices and institutions,” Lyes said. “We aim to make it simpler to connect our homes and buildings to essential digital services.”
The power of sensors
The SmartLab project is hosted by the Citizen Innovation Lab, an initiative between the University of Limerick and Limerick City and County Council. This innovation lab aims to bring together the insights of multiple partners and communities to “drive climate action in Limerick”.
The sensors deployed in the 70 Limerick buildings are a mix of electricity and indoor environment sensors. While a key focus is on an energy transition, the researchers said these sensors can detect a variety of important data.
“We use smart sensors that monitor indoor air quality, CO2 levels and energy usage in buildings,” said SmartLab partner Cian O’Flaherty of The Convex Lens company. “They report over a wide-area wireless network to buildings which then don’t need to have local internet access on-site. They are used to deliver accurate 10-minute updates on air quality, living conditions and energy use.
“When combined, they give insights into possible efficiency and health gains that may come from smarter use of our buildings or highlight the possible value of upgrades to energy systems or insulation.”
Lyes said the SmartLab project has deployed more than 200 sensors across Limerick to collect real-time data, which is made accessible to participants through a dashboard.
“We have been able to use the data to offer participants workshops and detailed feedback on improving their living conditions,” Lyes said. “Ultimately, we will use the insights gleaned from both the sensor data and the project participants to make policy recommendations to accelerate the energy transition in Irish buildings.”
The project is being fully funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and has already provided unique insights beyond energy efficiency. Lyes said links have been discovered between building conditions and health, as the live monitoring of these 70 buildings detected “very high levels of humidity”.
“These conditions are linked to many emerging health risks, particularly with damp and mould growth,” Lyes said. “Addressing some of these issues would have huge public health benefits and potentially save millions in our health services.”
Preparing for a new EU
The EU is focused on the digitalisation of various aspects of society and believes upgrading buildings in this way is a “key component of the EU clean energy transition”. The bloc’s Energy Efficiency Directive states there is an importance for member states to implement smart technologies to increase the energy efficiency of integrated energy systems.
“Over the next 10 years, the EU will implement directives on digital buildings and energy efficiency that will make huge demands of us and our buildings,” Lyes said. “This research helps map ways to deliver connected buildings at scale.”
More research is required however, as Lyes notes that there were challenges in scaling the deployment of more than 200 sensors to a central server for analysis. She said this is a job which will need to be done by “service providers of the future in offering energy and environment services in a flexible energy grid”.
The improvement of Ireland’s buildings is important for the country’s climate goals, especially when considering its poor progress in its climate goals. At the end of 2023, various energy experts warned that Ireland looks set to miss key targets in its Climate Action Plan.
A report from the Environmental Protection Agency in May said that even if Ireland adopts all of its planned climate policies and measures, it will still miss its emission reduction goals by a wide margin in 2030.
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