IoT with LoRaWAN – Facility Management
Use Cases – Heating costs, smoke detectors, water consumption
Reduce consumption and costs –
protect the climate
Legal Requirement – The Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) was adopted in 2018 by the EU with the clear goal of increasing climate protection and reducing emissions. In Germany, the EED was implemented in the form of a new heating cost regulation, the “Verordnung zur Umsetzung der Vorgaben zu Fernwärme und Fernkälte (FFVAV)” (Reference: Der Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft (BDEW), 21.01.2022). Among other things, it demands:
Monthly Consumption Data – From January 1, 2022, billing information, including consumption data, must be provided free of charge on a monthly basis. Upon the customer’s request, this can also be done electronically.
Effect on the climate – This regulatory intervention aims to provide users with faster access to information about their consumption behavior. Authorities hope that increased transparency will lead to greater awareness and reflection among users, ultimately resulting in more efficient resource use.
The Solution –
IoT-Based Energy and Facility Management
Metering Target and IoT Devices
The remotely readable sensors transmit data via LoRaWAN or a wM-Bus LoRaWAN gateway (bridge) from the sensors of various meters (heating, water, smoke detectors, etc.) to a LoRaWAN gateway. The data originates from various measuring devices in different apartments or rooms and also from different objects. From there, the data is transmitted to a database in the IoT platform via internet protocols (TCP/IP) and an LNS (server).
IoT Platform
The incoming data is collected in the IoT platform and prepared for further processing, then stored in a database. Depending on the user’s role, they can access the data via a web interface or a mobile app, for which the platform provides appropriate backend software. The solution operates “end-to-end”. From the source to the user, communication, processing, and presentation of the data are handled seamlessly.
User Roles
In the context of facility management, there are various user roles. Each of these roles receives data tailored to their needs via the appropriate work and communication tools. The following roles with their corresponding web and mobile user interfaces are currently implemented:
Tenant
- Available as a mobile app
- Monthly provision of consumption data for water and heating
- Graphical display of consumption for individual measurement points
- Comparison to previous years and standard consumption
- Estimated costs
Landlord or Property Manager
- Monthly provision of consumption data for water and heating
- Comparison to previous years
- Order management
Billing Service
- Consumption data of all properties and units
- Billing
- Anonymized tenants
Technicians and Caretakers
- Available as a mobile app
- Off- and onboarding of meters and heat cost allocators
- Maintenance/battery replacement
- Troubleshooting
Why LoRaWAN?
LoRaWAN is the energy-efficient alternative to short-range Wi-Fi or the comparatively cost-intensive cellular network, offering a large wireless range. LoRaWAN is used in scenarios where only measurement data and events need to be transmitted.
Why LoRaWAN?
Long Range. Affordable. Wireless.
LoRaWAN is not suitable for transferring large amounts of data or real-time analyses. For many IoT applications, however, LoRaWAN is the most effortless and cost-effective solution.
Advantages of LoRaWAN:
- Long Range – depending on the topography, between 2 and 10 km.
- Data transfer rate – variable, less than 50 kilobits per second.
- Energy consumption – extremely low, therefore…
- Battery life – up to 10 years.
- Remote maintenance – bidirectional data transmission, devices can be turned on or off.
Additional Applications
The described use case “Facility Management” is just one of several possibilities. LoRaWAN is fundamentally well-suited for reporting measurement values and events when sensors are placed in the field with low maintenance and energy consumption.
More applications
Smart City & Industry
Smart Cities/Smart Country
- Heating and water meters
- Smoke detectors
- Fill levels of waste containers
- Fill levels of gas tanks
- Fill levels of vending machines
Land and Forestry
- Tracking of livestock and pets
- Environmental monitoring
- Condition tracking of forest, meadow, or field areas
Industry
- Monitoring water quality during the discharge of wastewater from industrial plants, cleaning facilities, and slaughterhouses
- Levels of H2 containers
- Tracking of assets (e.g., railway, hospitals, industrial facilities)
Interested?
We hope we could provide you with a glimpse. If you're interested in checking out demos or live applications, feel free to get in touch with us.
- E-mail: po[at]embedded.ai
- Phone: +49 351 6533 3808
Our project ...
… can start as soon as tomorrow. Roughly, the typical steps are listed as follows. We differentiate between the initial phase – where the facility is designed and built – and the operation of the facility.
Initial Phase
- Consultation
- Development of pilot plant
- Planning of complete plant
- Installation of sensor hardware
- Software commissioning
- Handover for operation
Operating Phase
- Automatic collection of consumption data
- Provision of billing interface
- Predictive maintenance (IoT device reports battery status)
- Cyclical maintenance (according to maintenance schedule)
- Potential troubleshooting in the system
This is how our project could start
E-mail: po[at]embedded.ai, phone: +49 351 6533 3808