Main content:
The Energy Navigator: Energy-optimised design and operation
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The software tool "Energy navigator" is an Internet-based platform whereby architects, engineers, clients and facility managers can together plan and monitor the performance of their building.
© IGS, TU Braunschweig
The Internet-based working platform enables the design of system descriptions, automatic analyses of operating data and reporting functions for engineers, building owners and users. Thanks to innovative Web 2.0 technologies, the working platform can be used online by all project participants throughout the entire lifecycle. The Energy Navigator enables the operation of buildings to be systematically supported. The newly developed Energy Navigator software tool uses special design and data analysis methods to visualise important and critical parameters and analyse them over time and in terms of their interaction with other factors. The Energy Navigator is a practice-based tool for the design and semi-automated monitoring of building operations.
Technology summary
| Software type | R&D-Tool |
|---|---|
| Term of project | 04.2008 – 12.2011 |
| Terms of use | Contact: Synavision GmbH, http://www.synavision.de |
| Key aspects |
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Project description
Buildings are being planned to ensure user comfort with simultaneously high energy efficiency. The potential here is initially defined through the building design, energy concept and the quality of the construction. The building performance ultimately achieved during the actual building operation depends on successful systems implementation and optimal control during operation. Although existing tools can support this process, their use is not very revealing and they are hardly integrated into existing building management processes: There has still not yet been any noteworthy effective and economic deployment of them.
The Energy Navigator offers the vision of an Internet platform where architects and engineers, building developers and facility managers can jointly model, optimize and monitor the performance of their buildings. In the research project, the IGS/TU Braunschweig and SE/RWTH Aachen University are developing the methodical and technical bases for a uniform building performance platform.
What’s it about
Energy efficient buildings are increasingly using new technologies that frequently have complex functions and interactions. It has been shown, however, that the goals aimed for during the design stages often fail to be achieved in practice, whereby a main problem in this respect is the lack of effective tools for defining and monitoring building systems.
The Energy Navigator project is therefore concerned with developing the principles for a working platform that facilitates the design and quality assurance of building systems. An important component in this regard is a consistent language for describing the building systems. It enables engineers to create precise system descriptions during the design phase. These can be updated during their implementation in collaboration with the installation engineers responsible for the technical equipment, in particular the measurement and control technology. The system descriptions are also used to monitor the building systems during operation by means of innovative descriptions written in a specially developed language. This so-called domain-specific language is based on the Object Constraint Language, which in turn is an extension of the Unified Modelling Language. The linguistic concept is supplemented by modelling systems, characteristic curves, timer programs and metrics. Based on this, historical building automation data are automatically analysed in relation to all relevant systems. Since the system descriptions can also be continually adjusted during operation, the working platform for the first time makes it possible to update the documentation of the building systems after their commissioning and during operation. With the Energy Navigator, it is possible to turn the vision of functional quality assurance for buildings into reality during the entire life cycle.
Project partners
The Energy Navigator is a research project conducted by the Institute for Building and Solar Technology (IGS) at Braunschweig University of Technology. The IGS is coordinating the project and is working on the building-specific and energy-based aspects. In addition, it is developing methodical concepts for integrating the tool in design and operational processes. The information-related principles are being developed at the Department for Software Engineering (SE) at RWTH Aachen University.
Next steps
During the first two years, the research project has developed the methodical principles for the working platform and developed a prototype. Actually, during the second half of the four-year project programme, this will be extensively tested and optimised in real buildings.
Application-ready product
The developments provide the basis for innovative tools and service products in the building sector. A professional application in the form of an Internet platform is currently being developed by synavision GmbH in collaboration with IGS and SE.
