When Bas Willemsteijn started working as an energy coordinator at the Real Estate & Housing department of Avans 4 years ago, he faced a challenge: how do you ensure that 35,258 students at 4 locations with a total of 200,000 m² can concentrate well, in a pleasant climate? And also achieve sustainability goals?
He joined at an interesting moment: a pilot with VBoptimum and Priva ecoBuilding was already running, and the initial results were clearly positive.
Already 30% savings from pilot
"My predecessor had already initiated the pilot, for the Onderwijsboulevard 215 in Den Bosch. And that worked out well for me, because the results were substantial: we could save 30% on our energy consumption, which at that time mainly consisted of gas," says Bas.
The results came at exactly the right time: due to changes in the geopolitical situation, it became urgent to become less dependent on gas. Therefore, the temperature had to be lowered by one degree everywhere.
A significant challenge for Avans and VBoptimum
Bas: "That turned out to be quite a challenge: many technical settings had to be changed. We also received some climate complaints, because it wasn't equally warm everywhere. It took a while before we had it completely under control."
Eventually, adding extra climate zones and further integration of the ecoBuilding software into the BMS (building management system) proved to be the solution. This enabled detailed control, in combination with more measuring points.
"We had to temporarily turn it off at the time because it wasn't optimal yet, and we saw the energy consumption go up again immediately. Now it has been running perfectly with ecoBuilding for some time, and we see the savings return right away," Bas shares.
Collaboration enables continuous innovation
"VBoptimum has very skilled people with extensive professional knowledge. They know exactly what they're talking about. Their knowledge of buildings and the data they have about them gives us a lot of confidence in the advice they provide," says Bas.
"Technicians like Maurice Evers from VBoptimum speak a language that few people speak. That's very pleasant for the installers, who have a sparring partner at their level," he adds.
After the pilot, Avans decided to start working at other locations as well, such as the Hogeschoollaan in Breda. "The rollout went very smoothly and it was quickly operational. But we did discover that we needed more sensors so that we could control better," Bas adds.
Bas sees many opportunities for further optimization in Avans' buildings. The knowledge of energy flows also makes VBoptimum a useful conversation partner for other installations, such as an ATES system. The specialists from VBoptimum also contribute significantly to these discussions.
New challenge: grid congestion
Grid congestion is also a relevant topic for Avans. This can pose serious limitations for expansions and improvements.
Bas: "We also discuss this with VBoptimum, to see how we can manage with less power; how to get a better distribution of our energy consumption. By doing this smartly, we can continue to invest in our buildings. For example, we want to switch from gas to a heat pump. By using load shifting, we get more possibilities than we have with just the BMS."
Load shifting is the flattening and shifting of peaks in energy consumption to reduce costs and/or grid load.
Great technology, also for students
With ecoBuilding's digital twin technology, Avans not only has a useful system for energy savings but also a great example of innovation for technology students.
"We always want to innovate smartly, and that's also interesting for the students; the AI, the algorithms behind it, what you can do with the data. That's an extra advantage for them," Bas believes.
VBoptimum as a partner
Bas: "I have worked with VBoptimum for years now, I find them a skilled party you can build on. EcoBuilding is a system with proven energy performance. And the personal connection is there, which is also important. I can easily reach them, to plan a meeting for example.
I would certainly recommend others to explore what is possible in their building as well; for us, it has definitely made a difference."
Are you curious about what VBoptimum's approach can mean for your building? Or would you like to brainstorm with Maurice?
Feel free to contact us, we'd be happy to tell you more.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / 088-01 8000
