On the smart hardware infrastructure side, the Auto-DAN solution will provide a flexible approach to deploying smart technologies with a wide spectrum of device choice based on the intended user needs. This flexible approach will be set up specifically to ensure that the user gleans the maximum benefit from their technology installations, providing clarity to the home occupant to develop a, fit-for purpose, all encompassing smart home solution. Furthermore, this simple and non-invasive hardware solution will address the absence of Building Management Systems within these buildings. The creation of this smart hardware infrastructure will provide a new level of smart readiness in small buildings that has been challenging to date.
The existing software market offerings tend to offer a selection of services that can generally be classed under six different headings, namely energy optimization, flexibility optimization, system fault detection, comfort optimization, what-if analysis and certification. Currently, there is currently no individual solution that offers all six of the services above. Furthermore, in many of the cases, significant contributors towards energy performance were omitted from the analytical workflow (for example real-time weather data) , which will have an impact on the accuracy of the computations. The Auto-DAN platform will satisfy all six of the service offerings indicated above, providing the user with a single tool that they can use for all their building performance needs. Also, by exploiting the analytical capabilities of the Digital Twin and Digital Occupancy Model, deep and accurate insights can be shared with the building occupant to significantly improve the performance of their building.
Through Auto-DAN, the implementation of AuI will present energy insights to building users, while enhancing automated controls where they are present. With these newfound or improved insights into operational behaviour, this will also enable citizens to optimise their own energy use and a knock-on effect will take place as occupants can educate alternative occupants to modify their energy patterns to a more conservative approach. Data will be available for use in the Digital Twin to enhance the energy modelling of buildings providing occupants with un-paralleled operational information and scenario generation required to improve energy performance behaviourally before being supplied with an audit detailing optimum energy strategies to implement.
Auto-DAN will unlock the potential of “live” energy audits focusing the whole self-energy performance assessment on it and its structure, thus making these documents accurate in terms of real monitoring data. The Auto-DAN audit will be dynamic and continuous (as the user interacts with their building and make changes the “live” audit, this will be represented). Static existing audits only represent the current status of the building, however the Auto-DAN methodology will provide an ongoing assessment that is reactive to occupational/physical changes & will also have a large impact on EPBD and EU standards for energy efficiency.
