A smart university platform for building energy monitoring and savings

This paper presents a novel, integrated platform for energy monitoring, management and savings in the context of a Smart University Building. Namely, the proposed Smart International Hellenic University (IHU) platform integrates an intelligent, rule-based agent that enforces savings, while a variety of applications offers user interaction with the system and the means for monitoring and management. The application layer is built over a common Web Service middleware, incorporating semantic interoperability. Monitoring applications visualize raw and aggregated sensor readings, such as building energy disaggregation, environmental measurements and data center efficiency. Extensive monitoring capabilities allow users to take immediate action and devise policies towards energy-savings. Such policies are, then, autonomously enforced by the intelligent, hybrid agent, which is capable of both deliberative (long-term) and reactive (immediate) actions. The agent is also integrated with the OpenADR standard for receiving provider instructions in future Smart Grids. A pilot deployment of the agent with expert-formulated policies at the MU premises, has managed to reduce the total daily consumption of a typical university office by approximately 16%.