Until now, the overall management of energy consumption in buildings has been a no-man's land, despite the fact that it causes 40% of the world's carbon emissions. The artificial intelligence-based Fidelix Flow_how, developed by the building automation pioneer Fidelix and the technology company Futurice, is among the first in the world to provide a solution for this.
- To date, energy efficiency has been improved on a device-by-device basis by a number of parties. When the entire system is not in anyone's control, an adjustment made on the one hand can increase consumption on the other, even overloading it, says Antti Koskinen of Fidelix.
The scale of the problem is already huge and is constantly growing as the property stock becomes more technical and complex. The properties almost invariably have different heat sources as well as cooling and ventilation solutions, each of which may have its own control systems.
- Every device and system is constantly producing huge amounts of data that is currently completely underutilized. With traditional means, it is difficult to see how the operation of the systems as a whole affects energy consumption and indoor air quality, even though all the relevant information is available.
This is exactly what Fidelix Flow_how, developed by Fidelix and Futurice and based on artificial intelligence and machine learning, brings. It finds all material deviations from the data produced by different devices and systems and offers a unique opportunity to manage energy consumption and indoor climate as a whole.
- In practice, this is a solution in which artificial intelligence chews the data produced by building services systems and combines it. In this way, the data can be utilized as a basis for decision-making and direct cost savings can be achieved as well as prevent problems, says Arttu Sipilä of Futurice, who has been involved in the development work from the beginning.
Complete management is the best environmental protection
Thanks to open interfaces and manufacturer independence, Fidelix Flow_how can be connected to building automation, metering, IoT and building services systems from several manufacturers.
- The only condition for using Fidelix flow_how is that the building automation of the property and the data collected from it are in the cloud. It is estimated that by 2025 we will have more than 5,000 properties under service, Koskinen says.
Cautiously, this means savings worth tens of millions and a significant reduction in the carbon footprint in Finland alone. In addition, overall management responds to the inflexibility brought about by the increasing use of renewable energy.
- In the future, no more energy can be obtained by twisting the screw. Therefore, buildings become energy stores and they need both opportunities to be flexible between heat and energy sources and to monitor the whole.
- It is wonderful to be involved in developing such a significant solution and to take the entire construction industry to a new era! In the future, no one will buy individual appliances anymore, but energy efficiency and good indoor air as a service, Koskinen and Sipilä envision.
More information:
Antti Koskinen, Business Development Manager Fidelix Oy
+358 50 910 4141
Arttu Sipilä, Business Director, Futurice Oy
+358 50 574 3630
