Doing Things Differently: Revealing Hidden Inefficiences

Revealing Hidden Inefficiencies

In our continuous efforts to increase energy efficiency and reimagine waste, we’ve made big strides in our latest project, in partnership with DePaul University's SPARK Center.

Developed and implemented in-house, our existing smart metering system tracks the total wattage used in The Plant and where the power is being used, as each business has its own smart meter. The interface illustrates energy usage in real time; the screen shot shown above shows the cycling of a cooler 24/7 as well as the activity from the business's team during their workday. This system is great for monitoring electricity use and identifying vampire loads, but it doesn’t capture the full story. 

Building off this infrastructure, we are installing a system of sensors to capture temperature, humidity, air quality, occupancy, and related data. The data will flow into a 3D model to serve as a digital twin of the building, with visualization of real-time heat and electricity flows that will be accessible online. Once that system is up and running, it will inform the settings for heat pumps, thermal storage, and a condenser loop to collect and redistribute heat from different spots in the building. Both the sensoring effort and the infrastructure improvements are in the works, so stay tuned!

What Can You Do?
At home, a workplace, or wherever you volunteer, you can tackle those vampire loads with the help of power strips and devices like our old friend the Kill-a-Watt. You can also do a common sense check: is that adapter warm even when the device is turned off? If you have a programmable thermostat, be sure to use it, and keep it current as the seasons change. We've got more tips on reducing your energy consumption and costs in our case study on Renewable Energy Strategies; it's smart to start with reducing usage as you seek renewable solutions!