Energy crisis and energy saving

Energy crisis and energy efficiency of a building

With the energy crisis taking center stage and, due to recent international developments, expected to be with us for a long time to come, energy saving technologies are becoming increasingly popular. In the direction of energy saving, the European Union directives and the commitments made by its members to achieve specific savings targets by 2030 play an important role.

In Greece, the building sector is responsible for 42% of total energy consumption, with residential buildings consuming the largest share (79.1%). In fact, an indicator that documents residential buildings as a highly energy-intensive consumer of energy is that 66.83% of residential buildings are classified in the three lowest energy categories, i.e. E, F and G.

Available financing solutions

In order to improve the energy efficiency of the building sector and to harmonize with the European directives, more than 140,000 energy upgrade interventions have been implemented in Greece from 2007 to 2021 in building units under the programs "Energy Efficiency at Home I", "Energy Efficiency at Home II (A and B cycle)" and "Energy Efficiency at Home". The number of homes to be upgraded in terms of energy efficiency is expected to increase significantly as the application stage will soon be completed and the interventions under the new "Energy Efficiency 2021" savings program will start. At the same time, and in line with the "Energy Efficiency 2021" program, the Electra program for the Energy Efficiency Upgrade of Public Buildings is expected to be launched.

One of the eligible costs of the two programs mentioned above is the installation of smart energy management systems (Smart Home). As the official guide of the "Exoikonomo 2021" program states, Smart Home systems must:

• Adjust and maintain the energy consumption of loads, such as lighting or water heating systems, at the levels desired by the users,
• collect and present data on the load consumption of the loads,
• and adjust shading levels to increase energy savings in external walls or their openings (windows).

By installing systems that implement the requirements of "Exoikonomo 2021", energy savings of 30% to 40% of the loads managed by Smart Home devices can be achieved.

Energy saving and Smart Home

It has therefore been found that the energy we consume is significantly higher than what is needed. However, Smart Home devices can significantly reduce this excessive energy consumption, as demonstrated in the examples below.

Water heater and radiator inspection

With load management through devices that allow remote load control and recording of energy consumption (HAM DinSwitch and HAM Plug), it is possible to operate devices such as the water heater or outdoor lighting for specific time periods set by the user or through various scenarios, such as when the user enters the house. Thus, the operation of these devices, and therefore their energy consumption, does not depend on the user's handling of them, with any delay that may occur in their pause time, but they operate strictly within the intervals necessary for the task they perform. At the same time, by analyzing the energy consumption records, the user can identify and then correct events that cause increased energy consumption, such as, for example, leaving the water heater on at times when there is no demand for hot water use.

Learn more about where your electricity bill goes and easy ways to save energy by clicking here!

Space heating and cooling control

Also, another area associated with significant consumption is heating and cooling systems. By installing devices to control these systems (HAM RemoteAC & HAM Thermostat), it is possible to set a schedule of operation, adjust the desired temperature at specific intervals, such as in the evening, and switch off the systems when the user leaves the house. Therefore, the heating and cooling systems will be precisely adapted to the user's needs, saving energy. For example, a rule can be set to switch off the air conditioner if the temperature in summer falls below 22°C.

Lighting control

Finally, by implementing building automation systems that improve the quality of life of the users, significant amounts of energy can be saved. For example, with load control devices (HAM DualSwitch) we can program the operation of shading systems (awnings or blinds) so that in the winter season we can make maximum use of solar radiation for heating the property and, correspondingly, in the summer months we can cause shading in the building to reduce the need for cooling.

About the author: Orestis Akritidis is a graduate in Electrical Engineering with many years of experience in APPLYING and IMPLEMENTING the INTERVENTIONS for the Exoikonomo programs, through his company AKRAS Engineering.