Gathering and processing energy consumption data from public educational buildings over IPv6

Kostas Koumoutsos,Eirini Gkioxi,Vassilis Nikolopoulos,Panagiotis Kokkinos,Aristotelis Kretsis,Anastatios Zafeiropoulos,Emmanouel A Varvarigos

doi:10.1186/s13705-015-0051-y

Abstract

Abstract Background Reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions in order to address climate change requires behavioral changes by the citizens, who will have to adopt more environmentally friendly and energy-saving practices. Methods We present a system and corresponding practices for gathering energy consumption data from public school buildings over the Internet, processing them to identify hidden correlations and produce actionable advice and presenting the results in real-time to its occupants over the Web. We describe the metering infrastructure installed at schools for energy consumption monitoring and the related actions carried out in order to motivate local school communities towards an environmentally friendly behavior. The introduction of IPv6 was found to be a key enabling technology for setting up such a system in a simple, secure, and efficient way. Results The proposed system and processes are put under test in a pilot installation composed of about 50 IPv6-enabled schools of the Greek School Network (GSN). These are also combined with appropriate educational and social engagement tools. In this way, energy consumption, operating costs, and greenhouse effects can be reduced in the area of educational and public administration buildings in general. Thus, people become almost instantly aware of the energy and environmental implications of their actions, which motivates them towards behavioral changes and the adoption of environmentally friendly practices. Conclusions The pilot provides a good example of collaboration between the ICT sector, the smart building and automation vendors, and the public authorities.

Highlights

Reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions in order to address climate change requires behavioral changes by the citizens, who will have to adopt more environmentally friendly and energy-saving practices
The proposed system and processes are put under test in a pilot installation composed of about 50 schools of the Greek School Network (GSN) [14], implemented in the context of the Governments Enabled with IPv6 (GEN6) project [15]
Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) differs from traditional automatic meter reading (AMR) in that it enables two-way communication with the meters. We present such an AMI system designed for public education buildings in Greece consisting of components provided by Computer Technology Institute (CTI) [16] of the GSN [14], Intelen [17], and the Greek Research and Technology Network (GRNET) [18]

Summary

Introduction

Reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions in order to address climate change requires behavioral changes by the citizens, who will have to adopt more environmentally friendly and energy-saving practices. As buildings account for about 40 % of total energy consumption and emissions [1, 2], improving the energy behavior of their occupants is a key factor for achieving the desired climate and energy objectives. Intervention programs aimed at the change of energy consumption patterns need to take into account that behavioral change is best achieved and maintained if supported by tailored information and changes in context, for example, through supportive social networks. Van Dam et al [8]

Methods

Results

Conclusion