I-NERGY project partner Riga Energy Agency (REA) steps closer to creating an Artificial Intelligence (AI) solution for energy efficiency investment de-risking. This week, REA started monitoring air quality and microclimate in four multi-apartment buildings in Riga.
In cooperation with active citizens, a number of CO2 sensors have been installed in apartments of different characteristics, such as location in the building, square footage, number of external walls, household size, etc. Sensors provide high-reliability, real-time data collection by sending data directly to a data exchange station that in turn transfers data to the cloud server developed and owned by a Latvian IoT company www.energodati.lv.
Data collection is being carried out in renovated and non-renovated apartment buildings with the aim to correlate the obtained data with heat energy consumption and climatic conditions. The obtained data will be used to develop an innovative solution based on AI technologies to reduce the risks of return on investments in energy efficiency and climate change mitigation. This solution will serve as a support tool for de-risking energy efficiency investments. It will enable energy efficiency investment project managers, investors, financiers, building managers, and other stakeholders to perform the risk assessment of energy efficiency projects, estimate the amount of potential investment required and its return, calculate energy performance of the building, as well as evaluate the environmental and climate impact. As a result, Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) and other energy investments will be more reliable, cost-effective, and of better quality.
Indoor air quality sensors will inform the apartment owners about the CO2 concentration, relative humidity, and temperature in their living space. Residents will be able to easily access data from their sensor on the www.energodati.lv data platform, see hourly changes, and evaluate their own energy consumption patterns by perhaps choosing the optimal indoor ventilation mode and increasing energy efficiency of the entire apartment building. In addition, by following the readings of the air quality sensor installed in the home and adequately ventilating the premises, residents will be able to improve their well-being, health, productivity, and the overall quality of their living environment. Indoor air quality is an important aspect of a healthy living environment, especially during Covid-19 restrictions and harsh Latvian winter when people spend most of the day indoors, exposing their health to air pollutants.