Development of a central visualisation-tool for domestic energy and resource-consumption (ZENVIS)

This project analyses, if and in which way the central visualisation of domestic energy- and resource consumption can lead to a cut in consumption and how such a visualisation and its implementation is to be seen technically or under the perspective of law and organisatory issues.

Background

For most of the private end-users, energy and resource consumption are abstract figures because dimensions like kWh are not very meaningful to them. More complications arrise, if dimensions like electricity, heating, hot water or different energy-carriers like electricity, gas or district heating ought to be compared or understood in scale. By means of visualization, a better comprehension of energy efficiency measures and therfore cuts in consumption can be reached.

Goals

The scientific project ZENVIS – „development of a central visualisation-tool for the domestic energy and resource-consumption“ ought to shed light on the question, wether such a tool will be accepted and seen as a viable help by various stakeholders and decision-makers like developers or residents. Such a system can display the figures in form of a home-display, a graphic e-mail, a web-page or on the usual paper bill. The state of the art is taken into consideration, as well as know-how from similar international or local projects.

If this can be prooven, the implementation strategy for the visualisation-system shall be worked out within a pilot scheme. The goal is to assess the feasibility for new and large volume buildings by analysing the cost-benefit ratio for developers.

Previous findings

In connection with the ongoing conversion of common electricity-meters into digital „smart meters“ or „intellegent metering“ enormous possibilities are presented to us in regard to detailed and clear depiction of domestic energy consumption. That ranges from the identification of standby-losses, defect equipment and systems, abnormal consumption-curves (e.g. leekage, wrong settings...) up to characteristical consumption-patterns (weekends with sauna etc...). Manifold information can be gathered that can enable detailed recommendations on energy-efficient behaviour.

Existing barriers

• Until now no plans exist for the conversion of gas- and district heating-meters to digital meters. The integration of different kinds of energy into a bigger picture in the very households still has to be accomplished “manually”.
• Many households are linked to different providers of gas and electricity. Currently no motivation exists in the ranks of these providers, to develop a joint visualisation system. Moreover many providers try to set up their own system, including customer-linkup. Addionally, the consolidation of consumption-data is hampered by data-privacy, as a handing-over of consumer-data is restricted without the signed approval of the very customer.
• In passive houses the heating demand is so minimal, that the cost of measurement is often already exceeding the cost of heating. Therefore, according to the law on heat-accounting, the installation of a single-household-meter can not be argued for. This applies especially for buildings with solar plants. The heating-cost is therefore increasingly accounted as in m²/a.

Project partners

• Austrian Society for Environment and Technology - OGUT (Project coordination)
• “die umweltberatung österreich”
• Verein für Konsumenteninformation VKI
• Gemeinnützige Industrie Wohnungs AG GIWOG

Financed for the program „Energy Systems of Tomorrow“ of the Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technlogy as well as Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth.

Österreichische Gesellschaft
für Umwelt und Technik
Hollandstraße 10/46
A-1020 Wien
Tel +43.1.315 63 93
Fax +43.1.315 63 93-22
E-Mail office@oegut.at

Further Information