STAGE - viSual daTa Acquisition for Gas mEter

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To reach the targets of the new climate law, the Swiss building stock must reduce its CO2-emissions by replacing old fossil fuel heating systems with heat pumps. Incorrect sizing of new heating components is a known issue and leads to inefficient behaviour of the new heat pump.This project will test a new device for the automated temporary optical read-out of existing gas meters in two existing buildings. The data collected will be processed by the device to get the sizing of the new heat pump. 1. Project idea descriptionIntroductionIn June 2023, Switzerland has approved a new law that seeks to accelerate the country’s shift from fossil fuels to renewable energies and reach zero emissions of CO2 by 2050. To achieve this ambitious goal, an immense effort will have to concern the energy renovation of the existing building stock. Buildings are, in fact, responsible for an important share of CO2 emissions, because almost 60% of residential buildings are still heated with fossil fuels (heating oil and gas)[1].The switch (even without envelope retrofit), from fossil to renewable energy, can significantly reduce CO2-emissions of the building stock, and therefore needs to be increased to achieve the targets of the new climate law. Different heating systems are available on the market for the switch to renewable energy, but one of the most used technologies is the heat pump.The first step of exchanging a heating system is the dimensioning of the new heating components (heat pumps, storages and so on) based on the calculation of the heat load of the building. Here, an accurate determination of the maximum heat load of the building is important to avoid oversizing of the components and, as direct consequence, higher system costs and inefficient behavior of the heat pump.Within this project, we will test in real buildings a new device for the automated data acquisition developed by the company originate. The device, equipped with a camera, can take pictures of existing gas meters, automatically convert the pictures in measurement data which then is analyzed. This device, installable with low effort, allows to determine the heat load of the building based on the temporary measurement of the gas consumption of the building. Compared to similar devices already existing on the market, this device is distinguished by its simplicity of installation and data access. The main goal of the project will be to determine whether this device can help to size the new heating system in refurbished and not-refurbished residential buildings (focus on multifamily buildings).What problem would you like to solve?The current approaches for determining the heating load for old buildings are based on national standards (such as SIA 384.201 and SIA 384/1) or measurements with insufficient time resolution of existing heating system. However, these approaches have several drawbacks, including the high chance of overestimating the heat load of the building, high cost of installations, necessity of skilled worker, fluctuations in the measurements.Through this device developed by originate, the estimation of the heat load of the building (and consequently the dimensioning of the new heat pump) would be quick, affordable, non-invasive and without the need for skilled on-site labor. Since the device measures the actual gas consumption of the building over a couple of weeks during heating season, the calculation of the heat load will be significantly more precise compared to standard calculation based on SIA norms (Energy Performance Gap, Real User Behavior etc.).Who are the customers and how will they profit from a solution?The main customers are building and energy consultants and heating system installers who will be involved in the next years in the expanding sector of energy refurbishment of buildings. Since 60% of the Swiss buildings are still heated with fossil fuels (i.e., oil or gas), the potential fuel-switch market in Switzerland is huge. Pragmatic (but in the meantime precise) approaches in this field will be needed, especially in the correct sizing of the new heating system. The overestimation of the thermal power of the new heating system (heat pumps in most of cases) may result in bigger space allocation, higher investment costs and inefficient behavior of the heat pump (On-Off-Operation).Installers and designers could dimension the new heating components based on a more accurate measurement of the heat load of the actual building, but building owners could also benefit from this, as they would face lower costs for the heating system switch.How does your project idea affect energy savings of CO2 emissions?The proposed solution will help installers and designers to correctly design the heat pumps and other important components of the new heat system. This project idea, therefore, will affect not only the investment costs and the space requirement of the new system, but also the efficiency of the new heat system and, as direct consequence, the CO2 emissions of the system. The proposed device would have also the benefit in making heat pumps a viable option in buildings where usually a heat pump would not be recommended because of the too high investments costs or too high required power (limited space for boreholes, air-exchangers etc.). 2. Current Status and previous activitiesThe development of the minimum viable product is mostly done, and test devices are currently mounted on two gas meters. The results look very promising and originate is targeting late September 2023 to be ready for shipping with the devices. The two biggest hurdles were finding a design that minimizes the chance of flash reflections and getting 2-3 months runtime on the battery. In the beginning the idea for the battery was a simple power-bank, after that something rechargeable, but after a couple of problems, originate decided, for the minimum viable product, to go with non-rechargeable lithium batteries.3. Resources neededWhat are your planned work packages?WP1: Selection of the buildings and installation of the deviceIn this first work package, SPF will find one/two Multi-Family-Houses (MFHs) in Switzerland that need to be renovated (building envelope renovation and/or replacement of the current fuel-based heating system).After the buildings are chosen, originate will proceed with the installation of the device in each building. They will also undertake the necessary setup and configuration to enable the monitoring of gas consumption in both buildings. The devices collect the data independent of the local building infrastructure. WP2: Monitoring of the buildingsData collection during the wintertime will be conducted in the selected buildings. The collected data of gas consumption information will be transmitted to the data cloud. originate will perform the post-processing of the data to calculate the heating load of the buildings. WP3: Comparison of measurement data against standard norms calculation In this work package, a comparison between the two dimensioning methods will be carried out. In the first step, SPF will conduct norm calculations for each building to determine the appropriate sizing of the new heat pump.In the second step, the analysis provided by originate, utilizing data from the device, will be used to size the heat pump. Ultimately, based on the comparison of the results obtained from both methods, the advantages and disadvantages of each approach will be documented. This analysis will provide valuable insights into the accuracy, efficiency, and practicality of the norm calculation method versus the utilization of real-time consumption data. WP4: Assessment of the report of originate In the final work package, the report generated by originate (based on the measurements, weather data and site parameters) will be reviewed together with SPF and improvements will be suggested. How can the Energy Lab help you?The Energy Lab can assist us in several ways. Firstly, it can provide financial support for the project, which would help in funding the research, development, and implementation stages. This financial assistance would be instrumental in ensuring the project's successful execution.Furthermore, by connecting us with other professionals and experts in the field, the Energy Lab can facilitate valuable partnerships and collaborations.Overall, the support of the Energy Lab in terms of funding, expertise, and networking would significantly contribute to the success and growth of our project. [1] FSO – Federal Population Census, Buildings and dwellings statistics (Heating system and energy sources)

Project Idea Metadata

Project Idea Name: STAGE - viSual daTa Acquisition for Gas mEter
Date: 7/26/2023 10:15:04 AM
Administrators:
- Toni Calabrese

Project Idea Description

1. Project idea description

Introduction

In June 2023, Switzerland has approved a new law that seeks to accelerate the country’s shift from fossil fuels to renewable energies and reach zero emissions of CO₂ by 2050. To achieve this ambitious goal, an immense effort will have to concern the energy renovation of the existing building stock. Buildings are, in fact, responsible for an important share of CO₂ emissions, because almost 60% of residential buildings are still heated with fossil fuels (heating oil and gas)[1].

The switch (even without envelope retrofit), from fossil to renewable energy, can significantly reduce CO₂-emissions of the building stock, and therefore needs to be increased to achieve the targets of the new climate law. Different heating systems are available on the market for the switch to renewable energy, but one of the most used technologies is the heat pump.

The first step of exchanging a heating system is the dimensioning of the new heating components (heat pumps, storages and so on) based on the calculation of the heat load of the building. Here, an accurate determination of the maximum heat load of the building is important to avoid oversizing of the components and, as direct consequence, higher system costs and inefficient behavior of the heat pump.

Within this project, we will test in real buildings a new device for the automated data acquisition developed by the company originate. The device, equipped with a camera, can take pictures of existing gas meters, automatically convert the pictures in measurement data which then is analyzed. This device, installable with low effort, allows to determine the heat load of the building based on the temporary measurement of the gas consumption of the building. Compared to similar devices already existing on the market, this device is distinguished by its simplicity of installation and data access. The main goal of the project will be to determine whether this device can help to size the new heating system in refurbished and not-refurbished residential buildings (focus on multifamily buildings).

What problem would you like to solve?

The current approaches for determining the heating load for old buildings are based on national standards (such as SIA 384.201 and SIA 384/1) or measurements with insufficient time resolution of existing heating system. However, these approaches have several drawbacks, including the high chance of overestimating the heat load of the building, high cost of installations, necessity of skilled worker, fluctuations in the measurements.

Through this device developed by originate, the estimation of the heat load of the building (and consequently the dimensioning of the new heat pump) would be quick, affordable, non-invasive and without the need for skilled on-site labor. Since the device measures the actual gas consumption of the building over a couple of weeks during heating season, the calculation of the heat load will be significantly more precise compared to standard calculation based on SIA norms (Energy Performance Gap, Real User Behavior etc.).

Who are the customers and how will they profit from a solution?

The main customers are building and energy consultants and heating system installers who will be involved in the next years in the expanding sector of energy refurbishment of buildings. Since 60% of the Swiss buildings are still heated with fossil fuels (i.e., oil or gas), the potential fuel-switch market in Switzerland is huge. Pragmatic (but in the meantime precise) approaches in this field will be needed, especially in the correct sizing of the new heating system. The overestimation of the thermal power of the new heating system (heat pumps in most of cases) may result in bigger space allocation, higher investment costs and inefficient behavior of the heat pump (On-Off-Operation).

Installers and designers could dimension the new heating components based on a more accurate measurement of the heat load of the actual building, but building owners could also benefit from this, as they would face lower costs for the heating system switch.

How does your project idea affect energy savings of CO₂ emissions?

The proposed solution will help installers and designers to correctly design the heat pumps and other important components of the new heat system. This project idea, therefore, will affect not only the investment costs and the space requirement of the new system, but also the efficiency of the new heat system and, as direct consequence, the CO₂ emissions of the system. The proposed device would have also the benefit in making heat pumps a viable option in buildings where usually a heat pump would not be recommended because of the too high investments costs or too high required power (limited space for boreholes, air-exchangers etc.).

2. Current Status and previous activities

The development of the minimum viable product is mostly done, and test devices are currently mounted on two gas meters. The results look very promising and originate is targeting late September 2023 to be ready for shipping with the devices. The two biggest hurdles were finding a design that minimizes the chance of flash reflections and getting 2-3 months runtime on the battery. In the beginning the idea for the battery was a simple power-bank, after that something rechargeable, but after a couple of problems, originate decided, for the minimum viable product, to go with non-rechargeable lithium batteries.

3. Resources needed

What are your planned work packages?

WP1: Selection of the buildings and installation of the device

In this first work package, SPF will find one/two Multi-Family-Houses (MFHs) in Switzerland that need to be renovated (building envelope renovation and/or replacement of the current fuel-based heating system).

After the buildings are chosen, originate will proceed with the installation of the device in each building. They will also undertake the necessary setup and configuration to enable the monitoring of gas consumption in both buildings. The devices collect the data independent of the local building infrastructure.

WP2: Monitoring of the buildings

Data collection during the wintertime will be conducted in the selected buildings. The collected data of gas consumption information will be transmitted to the data cloud. originate will perform the post-processing of the data to calculate the heating load of the buildings.

WP3: Comparison of measurement data against standard norms calculation

In this work package, a comparison between the two dimensioning methods will be carried out. In the first step, SPF will conduct norm calculations for each building to determine the appropriate sizing of the new heat pump.

In the second step, the analysis provided by originate, utilizing data from the device, will be used to size the heat pump.

Ultimately, based on the comparison of the results obtained from both methods, the advantages and disadvantages of each approach will be documented. This analysis will provide valuable insights into the accuracy, efficiency, and practicality of the norm calculation method versus the utilization of real-time consumption data.

WP4: Assessment of the report of originate

In the final work package, the report generated by originate (based on the measurements, weather data and site parameters) will be reviewed together with SPF and improvements will be suggested.

How can the Energy Lab help you?

The Energy Lab can assist us in several ways. Firstly, it can provide financial support for the project, which would help in funding the research, development, and implementation stages. This financial assistance would be instrumental in ensuring the project's successful execution.

Furthermore, by connecting us with other professionals and experts in the field, the Energy Lab can facilitate valuable partnerships and collaborations.

Overall, the support of the Energy Lab in terms of funding, expertise, and networking would significantly contribute to the success and growth of our project.

[1] FSO – Federal Population Census, Buildings and dwellings statistics (Heating system and energy sources)

To reach the targets of the new climate law, the Swiss building stock must reduce its CO₂-emissions by replacing old fossil fuel heating systems with heat pumps. Incorrect sizing of new heating components is a known issue and leads to inefficient behaviour of the new heat pump.

This project will test a new device for the automated temporary optical read-out of existing gas meters in two existing buildings. The data collected will be processed by the device to get the sizing of the new heat pump.