Can Provide Enormous Value for Money

– The challenge for many who operate and manage existing buildings is that the money needed to make necessary improvements is often not approved. New wireless sensors can in many situations solve this at a fraction of the cost, says CEO of Evotek, Kjell Petter Småge.

Evotek is a company that provides consultancy services within energy management, control and regulation, and cross-disciplinary technical advisory work in both the project/construction phase and the operational phase. They are a significant player in this segment and since the company was founded in 2004 have been advisors to the most forward-thinking building owners, with a current client relationship covering approximately 15 million square metres of building stock, or around ten percent of all commercial buildings in Norway.

– Wireless sensors collect data that provides a great deal of useful information about the state of things. They are inexpensive and quick and easy to connect. They can therefore provide enormous value for money, says Småge.

One installation where he has used sensors is a large energy centre in Bergen. The centre is one of the largest in the city and supplies both a shopping centre, school, cultural centre and over 600 apartments with thermal energy. Småge took over as contracted CEO in the summer of 2021.

– We had some trouble with the hot water supply. This is a large installation that has been extended and built upon over several years by various operators. My challenge was that while I had good control inside the energy centre itself, I was somewhat fumbling in the dark in the various apartment buildings. To find out what the problem was, we got Energy Control and Tommy to help us install wireless sensors from Disruptive Technologies at strategic points, says Småge.

The wireless sensors were installed within a short time, and as the data found its way to EC Dashboard, an increasing number of faults were identified. There were, among other things, valve faults and balancing faults, as well as a number of bottlenecks.

– The sensors placed in Åsane work perfectly. At last I can see the consequences out in the system, says Småge. The sensors have thus become his eyes in the field, and Småge explains that data from the sensors now allows him to document what is wrong and thereby also more easily propose targeted measures and improvements. A concrete result of this is that one of the developers is now carrying out a conversion in one of the housing associations where there have been particular challenges with the hot water circulation.

– The sensors make it easier for me to optimise the operation of the centre. The gains have been substantial, says Småge, who praises the collaboration with Energy Control.

– I have long been aware of the potential for using wireless sensors, but it is only when you actually put them to use that you see how easily this can be done, says Småge.