EcoSync are aiming, through innovative technology, to reduce the energy consumption and carbon footprint of buildings by 40%.

Their solution: stop heating empty rooms. They have successfully applied to OxFutures GreenFund for funding to continue developing their technology.

The Project

EcoSync are aiming, through innovative technology, to reduce the energy consumption and carbon footprint of buildings by 40%. Their solution: stop heating empty rooms.

Larger organisations spend millions on their energy bills while 70% of their heated rooms are empty and 40% of the energy is wasted. The University of Oxford and many of its colleges experience this problem, with much of their historic building stock lacking modern Building Management System (BMS) controls.

To combat this, EcoSync have created a cloud-based platform that will connect existing building technologies and thermostatic radiator valves so that only occupied rooms are heated.

The team applied to OxFutures for innovation grant funding and were successful in being awarded a £13,000 grant to develop the next phase of the technology.

This would integrate occupancy detection technology, using mobile phone signals, to allow EcoSync to add rooms to zoned heating which are not in the booking system, such as of ces and shared areas to create better controlled heated areas in entire buildings. This would aim to reduce energy consumption by up to 40%.

Lady Margaret Hall have installed the system in one of their student accommodation blocks. Each student has the ability to dial their heating up or down using their phone, whilst the building manager can set thresholds it can’t go above or below. Over time the system learns when students are normally present or absent from their room during the week and programmes the heating accordingly.