PBSA energy management: Dynamic temperature control
A panel heating management system remotely monitors the heaters in student accommodation and, when rooms are left unoccupied, dynamic temperature control allows the heating to be adjusted accordingly. This ensures that, should students leave the rooms without turning down the thermostat, the level of heating can be reduced remotely to avoid energy being wasted.
When the students return to their rooms, they can adjust the heating to their desired level. In this way, dynamic temperature control saves energy and money for the PBSA provider, without affecting the thermal comfort of the students or their ability to retain control over the heating system in their rooms.
Student accommodation is seasonal with 3 terms a year. This leaves rooms vacant for around 16 weeks, or 30% of the year. Dynamic temperature control ensures that the heating is set at an appropriate level during these times. In the colder months for example, the energy management system can set the temperature so that just enough heat is provided to prevent frost and mould damage from occurring. In this way dynamic temperature control can help to preserve the fabric of the building and reduce long term maintenance and repair costs.
In this blog we will look at how the dynamic temperature control within energy management systems brings benefits to PBSA providers. This is just one of many topics explored in the SmarterDM white paper ‘Intelligent heating solutions – reducing carbon emissions and energy costs for hotels and student accommodation’ that is available as a free download.
How do energy management systems use dynamic temperature control to bring benefits to PBSA providers?
Intelligent energy management systems use a custom-built network of sensors to remotely manage the dynamic temperature control of individual rooms within PBSA assets. This allows the energy used to heat and cool individual rooms to be controlled by students when the rooms are occupied and by the PBSA asset managers when the rooms are empty.
For PBSA providers, the behaviour of the students plays an important role in the energy that is used by the asset. Students pay a flat rate for energy in their accommodation meaning that there are no additional charges for energy consumption. This inevitably leads to higher than necessary energy use as there are no financial penalties when energy is wasted. Although there will be some students in accommodation who care passionately about energy conservation, the use of dynamic temperature control reduces the influence of students on energy use. The energy management system makes it more difficult to waste energy in the first place and the reduction in energy use reduces costs for the PBSA provider.
A SmarterDM energy management system was retrofitted onto an existing student accommodation site provided by GSA (Global Student Accommodation). The energy management system delivered heating energy savings of 63% in occupied student areas and 86% in unoccupied areas. This resulted in an annual cost saving of £28K and meant that the SmarterDM solution provided would pay for itself in just over two years. You can read a case study on the SmarterDM PBSA heating management system installation and usage benefits.
Intelligent heating systems not only use dynamic temperature control to save money by reducing wasted energy. By use of a secure proprietary network, they gather information about energy usage patterns across the asset. This can be used to build up a picture of typical energy use, making it easier to spot areas that are operating outside of expected norms. These can be investigated to see if they are being caused by building fabric or systems issues, providing an early warning system to quickly identify and resolve issues to limit their financial impact.
The sensors used by intelligent energy management solutions may also uncover instances where unauthorised use of equipment is causing temperature spikes – such as cooking in student rooms, which is prohibited due to fire safety concerns.
Where can find more about the benefits of dynamic temperature control within PBSA energy management systems?
More information on the benefits of dynamic temperature control within PBSA energy management systems can be found in the SmarterDM white paper ‘Intelligent heating solutions – reducing carbon emissions and energy costs for hotels and student accommodation.’
SmarterDM is an innovative UK based software and hardware development company that delivers intuitive systems for asset holders to help monitor, report, and manage data in real time.
If you'd like to learn more about the benefits using dynamic temperature control within a SmarterDM energy management system could bring to your PBSA asset, please contact us, and our expert team will be in touch to provide a free indicative energy saving calculation.