JISC

Overview

A project which integrates the separate heating and lighting control and timetabling systems to allow timetable information on room use and allocation to be used to more precisely control the provision of heat and power to classroom accommodation.

We will utilise our varied estate to explore the application of our design to relatively modern, integrated environmental control systems, and we will also apply the method at a more localised level, using independent control units (radiator controls etc.) physically located in the room(s) being controlled.

Aims and objectives

The outcome of the project will be a specification of the data and processes required to extract data regarding room booking and usage from a timetabling system, and use that data to derive a heating and lighting control system in which the settings of heating and other environmental control systems are programmed according to actual usage patterns. This will be validated by implementation on our local estate, noting that the actual implementation will be of necessity system-specific, however the underlying processes and design will be generally applicable.

Specific objective include:

1. Identify appropriate candidate technologies for development purposes. We will undertake desk research to categorise possible technologies to be used in each element of our project (the software integration and the localised controllers) and the criteria against which we can make an informed choice;
2. Identify appropriate candidate locations for testing. In collaboration with colleagues across the University, we will identify the locations and applications which will be used as our test beds, focusing particularly on the different criteria under which we wish to test, and taking advantage of the variation in our built estate to address lecture room space in old and new buildings;
3. Determine suitable metrics and measurement methods. We will review the range of possible measurement metrics and metering approaches, selecting those which best allow us to evaluate the relative performance of selected systems against our requirements for reliability and efficiency of operation, with the overriding criterion of energy saving;
4. Develop the centralised control program, and interface it with timetabling and environmental control systems. This will involve liaison between those responsible for these systems and the project development team;
5. Install required hardware/software and monitoring devices (for localised application). We will ensure that the measurement and monitoring facilities required are in place. This will involve the assistance of colleagues from estates and members of our technical staff;
6. Monitor effectiveness of the resulting systems. We will monitor whether the systems we develop are able to provide the requirements for efficient and reliable environmental management;
7. Study the network infrastructure impact. We will monitor the added network load generated by these systems, and also address any changes needed to the network to meet the requirements of this service;
8. Report on outcomes. Deliver a detailed description of the results and analyses of outcomes, including guidelines for future deployment of such control systems.

Project methodology

The project team comprises a mixture of academic, technical and estates management colleagues. We will draw on academic skills to design the measurement expe.riments and interpret results; technical knowledge to deploy and maintain the test equipment, while our estates colleagues will advise on and deliver the measurement and data capture facilities

Anticipated outputs and outcomes

Central to our proposal is the development of an intelligent control system (a form of expert system tool) which creates appropriate sequence programmes from the data made available to it. As an added requirement, this system should respond in real time to changes in input information, therefore speed, reliability and efficiency are essential behaviour. One of our initial project objectives is to review and determine appropriate forms of technology to be used in our project. “Appropriate” in this context means that the technology needs to be representative of the types of system likely to be used; that the power measurement techniques are accurate and reliable, and that the overall experiment is repeatable. We will also explore the range of possible measurement and data reporting techniques in order to contribute to the development of standard forms of measurement and reporting.