The energy management has become a basic requirement for the economic and environmental sustainability of buildings, especially in the case of large installations where this type of solution is essential to ensure the necessary energy efficiency.
At TALATWe have participated in multiple projects that integrate the effective management of systems to improve energy efficiency. This management offers a information and a control that are very useful for making reasoned decisions about energy consumption, but also to ensure that these decisions are made in a way that is systems are more functional and offer better services to the users of these large buildings.
What is energy management?
Energy management is defined as the set of solutions that are adopted for optimize energy consumption of a building. This includes from planning to maintenance of the facilities, passing through conscious and rational use to reduce consumption and costs, but without affecting the quality of services.
Energy management includes a variety of techniques, processes and systems that can be implemented at various scales, from a private home to large hotel complexes or sports facilities.
In the case of large facilities, energy management is a necessary tool that complements other measures in favor of building sustainability. It is not only a matter of using renewable energies or installing home automation and control systems, but energy management is comprehensive, including energy consumption monitoring, data analysis, forecasting plans and their follow-up, or any other solution aimed at improve energy efficiency and reduce costs.
Energy management objectives
The main objective of energy management is to increasing energy efficiency of a building's installations such as air conditioning, lighting or other electrical equipment. Good energy management will result in minimum energy consumption, in which the least amount of energy possible is used to carry out a process, while ensuring the well-being and safety of the users.
Thinking about the energy efficiency of buildings and how to improve it allows us to minimize the impact of your ecological footprint, avoid energy waste and, consequently, reduce the costs derived not only from consumption, but also from equipment maintenance, thus generating a significant cost savings.
But, in addition, taking into account that there are more and more regulations related to the promotion of sustainability and energy efficiency of buildings, both at local and international level, energy management is necessary to ensure that the energy performance of the building is complies with current legislation in each project. In our engineering works, in the drafting of the project, we often include the processing of licenses and tendering of installations; this phase is also carried out from the point of view of energy management to comply with all the requirements established by law.
3 examples of energy management systems in large facilities
At TALAT, we have participated in the implementation of energy management systems in a wide range of projects, often on a large scale. These systems refer to innovative low-consumption technological solutions such as installations using geothermal, aerothermal or photovoltaic renewable energy; but they also include the assessment and advice in each case, the drafting of action plans, their implementation or the monitoring of the project until the proposed objectives are actually met.
Below, we review three examples of very different projects, on different types of buildings and circumstances, but which have in common the fact that they are large facilities and that in all of them solutions were implemented to improve energy efficiency.
Hipotels Playa de Palma
Often, energy management acts on a mix of technical solutions. For each project, the most appropriate formulas are studied and a specific plan is designed.
A clear example is the Hipotels Playa de Palma de Mallorca, where we carried out different actions to improve the energy management of a hotel complex that includes a 4* hotel and a 5* hotel, as well as restaurants, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, spa areas and a convention center with capacity for 1,000 people, among others.
This complex has the largest open geothermal system in the Balearic Islands, which moves one million liters per hour, to which aerothermal and solar panels are added to create an optimized water movement management system with intelligent two-way valves in each unit. In addition, all the electrical installations are domotic, which facilitates remote management.
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium Hypogeum
For the hypogeum of the recently remodeled Santiago Bernabeu StadiumWe were in charge of the reengineering and installation of the HVAC systems for the air conditioning of this subway greenhouse where the trays containing the grass of the playing field are "parked". We designed and executed the system that keeps the grass in optimal temperature and humidity conditions while it is inside.
In addition, we also implemented a management system (BMS) to control both the climate control and the automation of the retractable turf system.
Alcúdia Nautical Training Center
After having been the winners of the merit competition presented by the Balearic Government, we were in charge of the engineering project, the material executive management, the engineering construction management and the health and safety coordination.
The objective of this project was the construction of a new sustainable building for nautical training in this center in Puerto de Alcudia, Mallorca. It consists of 6 classrooms, 4 workshops, changing rooms, office area and common spaces. For the energy management of the building, systems were implemented using solar thermal and photovoltaic energy, as well as aerothermal energy, with the intention of obtaining an A energy rating.
These three examples, despite their enormous differences, have in common the concern for increasing energy efficiency in the construction sector as a preferential value. Energy management can be applied to any type of project. At TALAT, we listen to you to design the most suitable solution for yours; get in touch with us and tell us what it is.
