British university helps Europe’s buildings become energy efficient

The project, called SEEDS, is being developed by the European consortium which is working in collaboration with the ICT, construction and energy sectors. It will focus on new and existing buildings, and aims to optimise the energy consumption of buildings by using wireless technology and data mining.

Sensors will record variances such as the temperature, humidity and level of light. Self-learning software will then optimise heating and ventilation in the building to minimise energy consumption without impeding user comfort.

Computer scientists at the University of Salford are responsible for applying the self-learning software to the system.

Salford University’s Professor Sunil Vadera from the School of Computing, Science and Engineering is leading Salford’s part of the project which will cost £299,000.

He said: “This is a project of major importance as it brings together scientists from different specialisms and locations.

“Using software in this way has the potential to make our buildings much more energy efficient without having to rely on every single person using them in the correct manner.”

Initially SEEDS will demonstrate the technology at two sites – a building at the University of Stavanger campus in Norway and an office block in Madrid. The sites were chosen because of their high levels of energy use and contrasting local lifestyles and weather conditions.

Conor McGlone