Improved management of energy consumption in buildings
Since 2010, the year in which it was founded, the Energy Division has been responsible for the centralised follow-up and implementation of all the decisions of the College and the Municipal Council in connection with energy competence and in particular with a view to reducing the City's energy consumption, the rational use of energy and the energy control of the municipal construction.
Within the framework of follow-up for energy consumption by public sector buildings in the City, the Energy Division took part in a monitoring project on these buildings. Thanks to the installation of dataloggers on the ground, it is now possible to study the energy consumption levels of our buildings using an online software package called NR Click. This software allows closer follow-up of consumption (day D +1), which has sped up the detection of potential anomalies (e.g. via programmed alarms) and facilitates the refining of regulation parameters. In the long term, the aim is to use the data collected to raise awareness among building occupants on the rational use of energy.
In terms of water consumption, the city has installed a water leak detection system. Water meters on city-owned properties are equipped with sensors to monitor water consumption remotely and detect leaks or anomalies.
The results from 2009 till 2020 (all consumption rationalisation initiatives combined) prove that installing relatively simple sensors can make significant savings and have a real impact on environmental issues:
• -34% natural gas
• -14% electricity
• -23% water
In total, 40 sites are equipped with NR Click, representing 55% of the total consumption of the city’s public buildings and nearly 90 water meters are equipped with leak detection sensors.
In recent years, the City of Brussels has reduced its consumption thanks to these monitoring solutions and other initiatives to rationalise consumption. It intends to continue and strengthen these efforts in the years to come. The target for 2030 is to have 70 equipped (most energy intensive), representing 90% of total consumption. The plan is to fast-track the deployment of water leakage sensors from the end of 2022. Other projects aimed at the rational use of water are being studied: for example, optimising the use of rainwater for road cleaning and watering green spaces.
Pictures : Unsplash © Ashes Sitoula, Daan Mooij, Campaign Creators, Alex Dukhanov
