Since the beginning of the second phase of the EMPOWER project and the approval of INTERREG EUROPE SECRETARIAT on their Regional Action Plan, they are focused on the development and implementation of a cost-effective energy monitoring system, so that it enable to integrate energy data from municipal buildings into Santander Smart City Platform as well as create the dashboards and reports that help municipal staff to monitor the energy efficiency in buildings, as well as, improve their daily work.
In terms of electricity, the integration of the electric consumption data retrieved by the smart meters deployed in the municipal buildings, as well as, the definition of dashboards and reports are progressing, even though at a slower pace due to covid-19. The evolution of both tasks is checked through periodic contacts with involved stakeholders, including municipal officers, Telefonica & Viesgo staff.
Concerning heating systems, so far heating consumption is controlled through monthly/bimonthly bills. However, after a meeting with Nortegas, the company that distributes natural gas to Santander City Council, a collaboration agreement will be signed to deploy smart meters in a set of municipal buildings. Therefore, more detailed information on natural gas consumption will be available, which will be integrated into the Smart City platform. This information will be displayed through a dashboard that will show not only gas consumption evolution, but also KPIs that will allow benchmarking among buildings.
Finally, once this cost-effective energy monitoring system is implemented, it can be used by municipal staff to improve decision making based on historical data.
