Honeywell announces cloud-based energy optimisation solution
Solution leverages machine learning to autonomously adjusts building energy settings to deliver energy savings and a seamless occupant experience
Honeywell has announced what is billed as the first autonomous building sustainability solution to fight rising global energy consumption. Honeywell Forge Energy Optimization is said to be a cloud-based, closed-loop, machine learning solution that continuously studies a building’s energy consumption patterns and automatically adjusts them to optimal energy saving settings without compromising occupant comfort levels.
According to a statement, it is the first autonomous building solution focused on decreasing energy consumption, it can deliver double-digit energy savings, decrease a building’s carbon footprint, and can be implemented without significant upfront capital expenses or changes to a building’s operational processes.
Honeywell states that energy consumption in commercial buildings is a significant issue. The firm notes that buildings account for more than 36% of global final energy consumption and nearly 40% of total direct and indirect CO2 emissions. HVAC is also said to offer the largest opportunity for energy savings in a commercial building.
The new solution is said to continually optimise a building’s internal set points across hundreds of assets every 15 minutes, to evaluate whether a building’s HVAC system is running at peak efficiency. When it finds a need to make an adjustment, it analyses factors such as time of day, weather, occupancy levels and other data points to determine the optimal settings per building, and makes calculated decisions 96 times per 24-hour period for every building in a portfolio, 365 days-a-year across the system of assets, Honeywell states. Repeated results have shown double-digit reductions of HVAC related consumption while not impacting customer comfort, the firm says.
“Buildings aren’t static steel and concrete – they’re dynamic ecosystems and their energy needs fluctuate based on ever-changing variables like weather and occupancy. With Honeywell Forge Energy Optimization, we’re evolving building operations far beyond what would be possible even with a robust team of engineers and the rules they code in their building management system. By employing the latest self-learning algorithms coupled with autonomous control, we can help building portfolio owners fine-tune their energy expenditures to drive efficiencies and create more sustainable practices for our customers,” said David Trice, VP and GM of Honeywell Connected Buildings.
During a pilot at Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) in Dubai, Honeywell Forge Energy Optimization is said to have demonstrated an initial 10% in energy savings, along with a reduction in complaints related to overcooling.
Following the pilot, HBMSU selected Honeywell as its preferred technology provider for energy optimisation. The collaboration will leverage Honeywell Forge as the IoT platform to expand technology adoption such as advanced AI, Machine Learning and data analytics across the University’s campus.
The collaboration is said to support HBMSU’s commitment to the UAE’s Strategic Vision and UAE Energy Strategy 2050 to improve energy efficiency of individuals and corporations by 40% by 2050. It also supports Dubai’s university free zones strategy announced by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, to provide economic and creative free zones in universities, encouraging universities and businesses to collaborate more closely and develop entrepreneurial employees of the future.
