By including metering and a method to easily viewing this data, such as on a smartphone, as part of your KNX installation you will be able to review both live and historical water, electricity and gas consumption. Having this information easily at hand leads to increased awareness and has proven to be key to reducing energy usage. Visibility will encourage energy efficient use and behaviour by the whole family.

Tracking energy consumption as you make changes to your home reinforces and encourages further experimentation. For example by reducing the temperature throughout the house by 1 degree you may save around 30% on you gas/oil bill. But without being able to see this you won’t know if the changes you have made really have helped. Once you can see the consumption levels dropping before your eyes you can then fine-tune comfort vs. efficiency to find the compromise that’s suits you and your family. The same is true of other systems in the home, dimming the maximum level of lighting in your home by 10% will be hardly noticeable for the occupants but may lead to significant electricity savings, its worth trying. KNX metering and visualisation makes this easy.

Being able to compare data from different billing periods can quickly flag up problems in the home, for example a leaky toilet may lead to a spike in your water consumption. Normally this wouldn’t be picked up until the next billing period, if at all. With the ability to easily compare your past consumption with the live data you will be aware of problems much earlier and resolve them before it starts to cost you and the planet.

KNX is the perfect system for accurate metering as you can choose the best product for each application. You may end up using one manufacture for the electrical metering and a different one for the water metering. With KNX you know that all the devices will communicate seamlessly and you have the peace of mind that any new device will also be supported. KNX devices are manufactured to strict standards and are backward compatible with all previous KNX products

We suggest speaking to your local KNX integrator about the different options and decide what is best for your new home. Please find a list of integrators on our website at www.ivoryegg.co.uk

View this article as a pdf

Well one option is the Energy DataStream by Synetica – An Internet connected device that enables you to collect, store and transmit data for total energy management.  Built in Ethernet and optional Wi-Fi connectivity provide you with high speed, real time access to meter data via the Internet or corporate IT network with the benefit of no ongoing communication charges.  For remote sites, a GSM/GPRS option is also available.  Powered by a high speed ARM® processor the Energy DataStream has the capacity to acquire, process, record, present and stream data from multiple energy meters and environmental sensors.

Energy Metering

The Energy DataStream has 8-meter pulse inputs for direct connection to energy meters.  Energy consumption is recorded at selectable intervals, typically 1/2 hourly.  This data is then stored on the DataStream and automatically sent to a central server, such as a Monitoring and Targeting package or a spreadsheet such as Microsoft® Excel® for further analysis.

Main Features of the Energy DataStream:

• Built in Web pages provide easy configuration and monitoring of your energy usage
• Eight S0 class pulse meter inputs
• Modbus RTU & IP Communications
• EnOcean Wireless Sensor networks
• Built in support for ‘Indirect Meters’ approved in Part L2
• Reveals energy consumption in real-time
• Records energy consumption at selectable intervals
• Automatically streams data to host computer or Monitoring & Targeting (aM&T) software for further analysis
• Notifies excessive consumption via email/SMS text alerts
• Built in interactive energy profile graphs and charts via a standard Web Browser
• Built in Carbon Footprint analysis & charting
• Can be used stand alone or combined with Synetica’s hosted energy Monitoring and Targeting software; EnergyAnalytics to provide a complete energy management solution
• Easy “Plug & Play” configuration & operation requires no specialist knowledge or IT skills to operate or deploy
• Assists with compliance of Building Regulations Part L
• Optional 1-Wire Temperature, Humidity & Light Sensor inputs
• Eligible for Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECAs)

Easy Configuration & Operation

The Energy DataStream has been designed to be ‘plug & play’ – easy to install, configure and operate, without any specialist knowledge or IT skills.  The 8 meter input circuits connect directly to any pulse output meter.  Configuration, such as scaling parameters and email address, is carried out via a simple Web browser interface. Once configured, the Energy DataStream automatically sends the logged data via email and/or FTP at the selected intervals.

Energy Alerts

The Energy DataStream can send email alerts when consumption limits are reached. For example when more energy is consumed in a given day or period than anticipated, then an email containing the energy profile data is automatically sent.

Indirect Metering

In addition to direct metering, the Building Regulations Part L2 also permit indirect metering to be used to reduce costs.  For example an Hours run meter can provide an effective energy meter where the plant rating is known and is constant, e.g. a fan or motor.

The Energy DataStream logger provides connections to direct meters (pulse outputs or Modbus communications) and also has built in support for indirect metering methods such as hours run.  All of the calculations and parameters for creating indirect sub-meters are built in and reported in the same way as direct meters, but at significantly lower cost.

Hours run meter

An ‘hours run’ meter can measure the operating hours of a piece of equipment that operates at a constant known load (e.g. a fan). (Energy consumption (kWh/yr) = kW x hours run x load factor). This provides a relatively cheap and simple way of reaching a reasonable estimate of consumption

Energy Profiling

Data logged by the Energy DataStream can be presented as energy profile charts within a standard Web Browser.  The built in interactive charts allow you to view the logged data in a variety of formats including line and bar charts.

In many applications the built in energy profiling application can be used in place of a full-featured Monitoring and Targeting (aM&T) application.

Carbon Footprint Analysis

Automatic calculation and graphical presentation of greenhouse gas emissions, also known as your ‘Carbon Footprint’ allows you to track environmental impact and any improvements achieved.

Hosted Data Analysis & Energy Management

1. Export

Data can be automatically exported via email and/or FTP to a third party data collection / analysis tool such as Microsoft® Excel® or an automatic Monitoring and Targeting (aM&T) package.

2. Analysis

EnergyAnalytics is our web based energy management solution that provides a complete aM&T, carbon reporting and asset management solution for single and multi site organisations.

• User tailored dashboards and reports within a Web browser
• Reveal previously hidden relationships to identify operational issues
• Benchmark energy performance against best practice
• Perform Degree Day analysis
• Set & review targets & Key Performance Indicators
• Prioritise & present data for real time decision making
• Automatically receive alerts and alarms via web pages, e-mail or SMS messaging

The Energy DataStream is fully integrated into EnergyAnalytics via the Synetica plug & play framework.  EnergyAnalytics is subscription-based service accessed via a web browser and requires no software installation.

Intelligently measuring and controlling energy consumption with KNX

• KNX building automation and Smart Metering complement each other in an optimal way
• Highest energy efficiency: Experience gained in 300.000 realized projects in Europe
• New brochure with detailed explanations and practical examples

The rising cost of energy, the need for commercial viability and the protection of the climate call for more transparency in energy consumption. The general practice of annual energy bills does not help in this matter. Changes are on the horizon only with respect to the supply of electricity. By using intelligent energy meters, electricity consumers could view their consumption as it happens and would be in a better position to control it. With KNX, more detailed choices regarding the responsible use of energy are possible already now, not only for electricity but also for heat, water and fossil fuels such as oil and gas. Numerous KNX components are already available on the market. A new brochure informs in details about the advantages of the technology. More info at www.knx.org.

Transparency

One key element for achieving more selective energy consumption patterns by consumers in buildings is to make it possible for them to monitor their ongoing energy consumption as directly as possible. For a long time now, we have had fuel consumption indicators in cars that show our current consumption: when we press the accelerator impulsively or drive with ‘a lead foot’, we can see immediately how our fuel consumption jumps up or stays high. It could be the same in buildings. But unfortunately, only very few are as yet equipped with such metering devices. This method, also called ‘smart metering’, provides intelligent metering and display of the energy consumed. I can only make more economic choices with my use of energy, such as turning off appliances or shifting uses to cheaper tariff time zones, when I know where and what I am currently using energy, for.

A task for KNX

We also have to question the usefulness of customers being informed about their heating costs when they do not get any information about the temperature in their rooms, the ventilation status of their windows or the occupation status of the apartment/house. How useful is it for customers to be informed about the cost of electricity supply when they do not know the settings of their various appliances or whether rooms are occupied or not? Customers will be able to draw better conclusions about consumption patterns and potential savings or about optimising their usage patterns when they have information about the temperature in their rooms, the ventilation status of their windows and the occupation status. For this situation, KNX offers visualisation and automation solutions that can be combined with the metering of energy data. The result of this implementation is an active energy management, which can be used by customers to obtain information and, more importantly, will highlight any necessary changes of user patterns shown on the visual display.

The future has started

In the concept for introducing Smart Metering the ROI (return on investment) or cost neutrality is of great importance. The investment is offset by increases in efficiency through on-line meter reading and billing and, particularly, by cost reductions in energy consumption. Any remaining ‘cost gaps’ can be closed by additional services. Possible options are continuous user information, monitoring devices, e.g. smoke detectors, glass breakage sensors, room heating controls, monitoring facilities for the vital functions of occupants etc. An important prerequisite for these services is the compatibility of the metering devices and instruments with the KNX world.

The recommendation of the association

The association of more than 1000 companies that produce gas, heating and water meters, FIGAWA, recommends the use of KNX as the international standard for all transmission media in home and building automation, i.e. twisted pair, power line, radio frequency and IP. This shows that the different branches of the industry with different backgrounds, market objectives and target groups have worked together for the benefit of their customers. Even though KNX is already established as a standard, these synergies on the collection of consumption data will accelerate its success.

New brochure

Detailed information with descriptive explanations and examples can be found in the new 16-pages brochure “to Smart Metering with KNX”. In five chapters it describes general background in understandable language the Smart Metering and technical connections. Finally it presents sample applications and deals with different products. The brochure “Smart Metering with KNX” can be found at the address http://www.knx.org/knx/knx-applications/smart-metering/ to be downloaded or can be ordered at the email address info@knx.org.