Pictured above: Dr Edward Mellor
The award winning iCon environmental innovation centre in
Daventry, UK, has become the first building in the world to have an
innovative self-adjusting Wireless Building Monitoring System
installed by Nottingham-based energy management company, Seamless
Sensing.
The state-of-the-art £8.5m building, offers office
accommodation and a supportive environment for firms working in
green technologies and sustainable construction. Currently under
construction, the iCon includes 55 business units, alongside a
conference centre for up to 300 people, exhibition space and a
café. It will be open for business next month.
The iCon incorporates the highly reliable smart energy
monitoring solution which gives a second-by-second breakdown of
energy consumption, from temperature and humidity to light and
electricity. The wireless technology automatically highlights where
equipment and areas of the building are wasting both energy and
money.
Dr Edward Mellor, founder and chief executive of Seamless
Sensing, said: "Across the entire iCon site, our intelligent
Wireless Building Monitoring System will record information on gas,
water and electricity usage and automatically optimises heating,
cooling and lighting systems.
"It will make a big difference by ensuring the building and its
occupants maintain optimum energy efficiency and will help with the
introduction of effective energy consumption reduction strategies
to save costs short- and long-term."
David Walker, Chairman of iCon East Midlands, said: "The iCon
will set a benchmark for energy efficiency and includes a number of
low carbon design features. Seamless Sensing's smart energy
monitoring solution is an important part of the building's highly
sustainable design and will help us to minimise energy consumption.
"We have set high standards for the environmental performance of
this building, while ensuring that it is both iconic and
functional. It will provide a fitting home to some of the country's
greenest and most progressive businesses."
The easy-to-use Wireless Building Monitoring System will help
the iCon building to be a leading example of energy-efficiency and
sustainability. It has been designed to achieve an 'Excellent'
rating from BREEAM, the leading assessment method for the
environmental performance of buildings.
Without the need for any technical expertise or personnel, the
system uses individual sensor modules, the size of a mobile phone,
to wirelessly monitor energy outputs of individual pieces of
equipment second-by-second. This live information is then
automatically transferred directly to an online web account where
customised reports can be created and sent by email or text, or
viewed online.
The user-friendly interface can be tailored to display the exact
information required, whether it is daily energy use, a chart of
monthly usage or suggestions based on live energy data as to how
cost can be cut and to indentify energy intensive equipment. This
information can then be projected through PC, Plasma or LCD screens
in the iCon building to show occupants and visitors alike the
benefits of closely managing energy consumption.
Seamless Sensing developed their product with grant funding
support from the Sustainable Construction Innovation Network
(iNet). The iNet supports innovative companies across the East
Midlands, aiming to stimulate the research and development of new
products, services and processes in the construction
sector.
Funding for the iCon building has been obtained from the
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the East Midlands
Development Agency (emda) and the West Northamptonshire Development
Corporation (WNDC). Daventry District Council and Northamptonshire
County Council have donated the land for the project.