Initial situation: Climate protection and efficient energy consumption as key objectives of moun10 Youth Hostel
The moun10 youth hostel building was newly built in 2018 and subsequently leased from the Bavarian Youth Hostel Association. Hostel manager Kevin Kirschke and his team attach great importance to climate protection and sustainability. Sustainable energy use, environmentally friendly catering and the preservation of the building are particularly important to them. One major goal is to make energy consumption as efficient as possible. Previously, they only had an influence on the energy consumption for the operation of the youth hostel, but not on the energy consumption caused by guests. Guests are also to be sensitised.
Solution: Energy-efficient temperature control with better.energy - automatic adjustment and LoRaWAN integration to reduce energy consumption
The energy management solution better.energy controls radiators and fan coils in an energy-efficient, automatic and occupancy-dependent manner. This reduces energy consumption in non-residential buildings by up to 31 per cent. The temperature control is customised to the building and requirements using rules and modes. Upper and lower temperature limits can be defined or a daytime or night-time temperature reduction can be set. The system also recognises open windows and automatically adjusts the heating cable so that no energy is wasted.
The radiator thermostats in the moun10 youth hostel were replaced with LoRaWAN-enabled thermostats for automatic temperature control. This was easily carried out by the caretakers during ongoing operations. A gateway, which was also installed in the building, was used to establish a connection between the thermostats and the better.energy software. LoRaWAN window contacts were also installed, which report directly to the system when a window is opened or closed. better.energy reacts accordingly and changes the heating output automatically. The network-independent integration of better.energy made implementation much easier. For occupancy-dependent control, better.energy was connected to the hostel's PMS system. This means that the system knows which rooms are currently occupied at all times. Occupied rooms are automatically heated to a comfortable temperature, while vacant rooms are kept at an efficient temperature level.
Result: Optimised energy consumption and improved operating processes thanks to better.energy at the moun10 youth hostel
better.energy automatically controls the radiators in the moun10 youth hostel. As a result, the moun10 youth hostel now also optimises the energy consumption caused by guests. The evaluation of the energy consumption, taking into account the room occupancy rate, showed that better.energy has reduced the peak loads. A new calculation of the connected load was carried out by an engineering firm and this was then throttled by the energy supplier.
The system also improves operating processes. The temperature no longer has to be adjusted manually in the lounges, conference rooms and bedrooms. The temperature is automatically maintained at a comfortable level. On the one hand, common rooms no longer need to be checked regularly to ensure that the temperature is comfortable. Secondly, bedrooms and conference rooms are no longer heated up the day before they are used to ensure that they are warm on time.
The energy management system also sensitises guests to pay more attention to their energy consumption.
Dominic Schrickel-Möbus, Teamlead Inside Sales
Alpha Omega Technology is an important and reliable partner when it comes to hardware, for example for the MClimate Vicki LoRaWAN radiator thermostats, which are indispensable for automatic radiator control.
