Energy IN TIME is a European project funded by the 7th Framework program that started last October and has an estimated duration of four years. The Energy IN TIME Consortium, led by ACCIONA, is composed of thirteen enterprises from eight different European countries.

Energy IN TIME will develop a Smart Energy Simulation Based Control method to reduce the energy consumption and cost in the operational stage of buildings, using novel techniques based on the prediction of indoor comfort conditions and user behaviour to improve the Lifetime and Efficiency of Energy Equipment and Installations. This will be achieved through continuous commissioning and predictive maintenance, as well as by centralizing the remote control of different buildings in a single automated process. Since the operational stage represents 80% of the building’s life-cycle cost (of which 50% is a consequence of energy use), energy saving strategies addressing this phase, such as those developed in Energy IN TIME, will have a major impact in the building life cycle cost.

Energy IN TIME goes beyond existing building control techniques, which are mainly demand-response based, by developing an integrated control and operation approach combining state of the art modelling techniques and simulation software, as well as new control techniques to obtain automatic generation of optimal operational plans for buildings tailored to the actual building and user requirements. This approach will reduce system inefficiencies and contribute to improved building energy efficiency and comfort.

The target market for the Energy IN TIME solution will be existing non-residential buildings, which guarantee higher impact and room for improvement due to the variety and quantity of facilities and equipment, and the operational management model used in them. A control tool will be implemented in the existing building energy management (BEM) system, which will be automatically and remotely operated. The same methodology will also be implemented in new buildings from their initial commissioning.

The project is divided into a total of nine work packages (WPs) and will be validated in four existing buildings with different uses, located in different geographical zones, allowing the consortium to evaluate the scope and adaptability of the tool adaptation to diverse scenarios.