In the rapidly evolving housing construction sector, sustainability and energy efficiency are not just trends but essential benchmarks for success. Van Wijnen, a forward-thinking construction company, embarked on an ambitious project to deliver zero-energy houses for cooperatives and municipalities. This case study explores how BACE IoT's innovative solutions enabled Van Wijnen to overcome significant challenges, ensuring their projects not only met but exceeded sustainability goals.

Challenge

Van Wijnen faced a multifaceted challenge in their quest to deliver zero-energy homes. The project's cornerstone was to monitor and compare the energy consumption of power-intensive units in each house against the energy generated by rooftop solar panels. The goal was to demonstrate annually that the energy generated surpassed the energy consumed. However, several hurdles stood in their way:

Diverse IoT Communication Protocols: The project involved integrating various equipment from different suppliers, each requiring distinct IoT communication protocols, including Modbus RTU, Zwave, and P1. Global supply chain issues further complicated this, necessitating last-minute equipment changes that introduced new protocols.
Scalability: The solution needed to scale efficiently to thousands of houses, each with multiple data points to monitor and manage.
Data Privacy: Ensuring the anonymization of data before ingestion by Van Wijnen’s enterprise application was paramount to protect homeowners' privacy.

Solution

BACE IoT stepped in with its BACE Plus Zwave gateway, a versatile and powerful solution tailored to meet Van Wijnen's specific needs. The gateway seamlessly connected to six different assets within each house, including energy consumption units and solar panels, to monitor various parameters such as consumption, temperature, and alarms in real-time. This integration provided a unified view of energy metrics across the development, feeding directly into Van Wijnen’s application for comprehensive analysis and reporting.

Benefits

The collaboration between Van Wijnen and BACE IoT yielded remarkable results, transforming the way energy efficiency is monitored and managed in real estate development:

Enhanced Monitoring: Continuous monitoring of energy consumption and generation across thousands of houses, ensuring every unit met the zero-energy goal.
Real-Time Insights: Immediate access to real-time events and alarms allowed for faster response times, minimizing downtime and enhancing resident satisfaction.
Data-Driven Decisions: The availability of historical data empowered Van Wijnen to make informed design decisions for future projects, optimizing energy efficiency and sustainability.
Scalability and Privacy: The solution's scalability ensured that expanding the project to include more houses was seamless and efficient, all while maintaining strict data privacy standards.
Sustainability Goals Achieved: By leveraging BACE IoT's technology, Van Wijnen not only achieved but showcased their commitment to sustainability and the vision of zero-energy homes.

Conclusion

The partnership between Van Wijnen and BACE IoT exemplifies the transformative power of IoT in achieving sustainability in real estate development. Through innovative solutions and a commitment to excellence, Van Wijnen has set a new standard for energy-efficient housing, paving the way for a greener, more sustainable future.