Given the unprecedented increase in energy prices and the risk of a supply shortage as winter approaches, it is more important than ever to reduce consumption as much as possible. As buildings in the EU are responsible for 40 percent of our energy consumption and 36 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, significant savings can be achieved by making them more energy-efficient. Together with energy-optimisation company KTC, Telia Company has launched Heating Optimization in the Nordics, a solution that could help to reduce heating-energy consumption by up to 10 percent, saving building owners money and reducing their impact on the environment while improving tenant comfort.

Through its Smart Buildings portfolio, Telia already offers a broad range of monitoring solutions that help building owners gain valuable insights and make data-driven decisions. Telia estimates that its IoT solutions reduced energy consumption by 800 GWh last year, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 90,000 households in Sweden.

There is a broad consensus that energy consumption needs to decrease, as will be discussed this week by heads of state, ministers, businesspeople and representatives from civil society who are gathering in Egypt for COP 27, the UN's largest annual gathering on climate action.

The new Heating Optimization solution uses wireless Narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT) sensors placed inside the building to monitor temperature and humidity. The data is used to adjust the indoor climate, as opposed to the traditional method, which is based on climate conditions outside the building. This approach has previously been considered complex and costly due to wiring and indoor connectivity limitations but can now be achieved using Telia’s mobile network and technology.

Rikard Skogberg, Portfolio Manager Smart Buildings at Telia Division X, says Heating Optimization saves money and reduces energy consumption, costs and emissions, while also increasing tenant comfort and satisfaction.

“Nobody can afford to waste energy,” he says. “At the same time, building owners cannot compromise on tenant comfort. The solution we have developed together with KTC combines reliable and secure connectivity with automatic steering of the heat from district heating systems to optimize both energy consumption and the indoor climate, based on real-time temperature data from indoor NB-IoT sensors.”

KTC CEO Björn Hanell says the solution creates new opportunities for energy optimisation.

“At KTC, we see the collaboration with Telia as a crucial step towards accelerating energy efficiency and the transition to renewable energy,” Hanell says. “Buildings in which this solution is installed will not only become more energy-efficient, but also have the best possible indoor climate. Using the mobile network to access data from wireless NB-IoT sensors creates possibilities that were previously not economically viable, making it much easier to optimise energy consumption in buildings.”

The first installations in buildings have already begun.

“When it’s up and running, customers will be able to optimise their heating-energy consumption,” Skogberg says. “From a broader perspective, using our sensors and platform will enable customers to continue to fully digitalise their operations so that they can monitor air quality, see which doors are open or closed and where people are in the building. That last point has obvious security benefits for residents, but also enables property owners to take a more proactive approach to customer service.”