Consumer-driven energy management for networks of intelligent buildings (Fully Funded)

The project aims at the design of a novel consumer-focused control solution for networks of smart buildings. This advanced control framework has to be able to manage local generation capabilities and storage devices, as well as to incorporate users into the design, with their preferences and their uncertainty; this way, the building is smartened, thus is responsive to building’s occupants in order to improve their comfort and allow smart appliances and heating systems to be on the market and respond to utility signals. The core of the novel control framework will be a distributed algorithm that coordinates a network of smart buildings such that common goals are achieved. The benefits for consumers can be diverse, e.g., reduction of electricity bills, improvement of living conditions, supporting engaged consumers to reduce their carbon footprint. The designed control framework should not be a tailored configuration but a cost-effective solution deployable by a wider range of consumers’ types. The ultimate goal will be identifying the optimal methodology to understand better the interaction between consumers and energy market and find an answer to the following question: what is the optimal combination of consumer feedback to facilitate active behavioural change and automation technologies? As such the project combines smart grid engineering and understandings of behavioural drivers. The developed control framework will be validated against actual buildings data collected from selected buildings in the university campus and Manchester Corridor, in order to verify its performance and reliability.