UrbanEnergy Management
Overview
UrbanEnergy Management is a landmark innovation and a key element of CUD’s Connected and Sustainable Cities framework. The pilot project is a collaborative effort involving Cisco IBSG—the global strategic consulting arm of Cisco—and the CUD partner city of Madrid through the Office of Madrid-Centro, Department of Urbanism and Housing. The organizations are jointly applying an urban services platform approach toward which visionary cities and the ICT industry are moving. Madrid is the first city worldwide to launch an UrbanEnergy Management pilot service.
The “Strategic Plan for the Central Area” is one of the main projects of Madrid’s Local Council, whose objective is to transform the center of Madrid into a better-connected and more accessible, attractive, and competitive area. Within this program, city leaders have realized the importance of focusing carefully on how energy is generated, managed, and consumed (homes, buildings, open areas, and businesses)—and on the need to transform Madrid from a resource-consuming, contaminant-gas-producing city into one that smartly produces and uses energy while minimizing its greenhouse gas footprint. Broadband, connectivity, and smart infrastructures are essential in the model definition and project implementation.
The UrbanEnergy Management pilot is being implemented in a 33-apartment building with common areas and parking that belongs to the Local Council. The building is an innovative test bed that will serve as a “role model” for subsequent projects incorporating bioclimatic design and heating/cooling using geothermal and solar panel technologies among other design innovations. These innovations, together with the UrbanEnergy Management solution and the installation of an Urban Energy Controller, can deliver estimated energy savings of between 75 and 85 percent.
Key Features
The UrbanEnergy Management platform is based on a broadband infrastructure that shares information about energy generation, consumption, and usage patterns in homes, apartment buildings, and open spaces (such as parking areas, gardens, and streets). The platform has the following components, all connected through a seamless broadband platform:
Home Energy Controller: In each apartment, a Home Energy Controller (HEC)—utilizing monitoring devices and the building’s broadband infrastructure—is being implemented to enable each resident to manage energy consumption, establish limits, and receive energy-related alerts. The HEC is an intelligent device with a high-definition touch-screen that enables users to read and store information regarding energy consumption, analyze real-time information and statistics, and link this information to a website and other devices.
HEC provides easy access to the following information regarding electricity, gas, and hot/cold water:
- Graphical, real-time energy-consumption curves translated to CO2 emissions
- Curves comparing consumption with previous days, months, and years
- Alarms regarding consumption limits established by citizens themselves, and by the Urban Energy Controller (described below)
- Messages advising on how to consume less and encouraging sustainable energy management
Home Energy Controller Helps Individuals Manage Energy Consumption More Effectively
Urban Energy Controller: The UEC is used by building managers, city authorities, and those who will be managing energy consumption at broader levels—whether in an apartment building or in a wider urban area. The information is organized by different apartments as well as by public and common areas (garages, gardens, solar panel energy generation, and others). The objective is to create a community of consumers able to control and manage urban energy consumption by establishing limits, responding to alerts, and even participating in competitions based on energy savings—all of which will foster emissions reductions. UEC provides information that enables a wider community view, including easy access to the following information regarding electricity, gas, and hot/cold water:
- Graphical, real-time curves showing energy consumption (total per apartment, for common areas/public areas, buildings, and more)
- Data pertaining to maximum-minimum energy consumption, and curves comparing current energy consumption to historical levels
- Energy consumption alarms based on defined limits for shared buildings
- Messages that can be sent to communities regarding news, specifics about regulations/offers/prices, government info, or consumption alerts