Data validation of building energy consumption

Challenge

Building operations contribute significantly to Denmark's energy consumption and CO2 emissions, in the form of heating, lighting, ventilation, and cooling. Due to the effects of the energy crisis and sharply rising energy prices, more people have become aware that energy savings in building operations make good sense. As a result, companies like Vitani and evenIoT have had great success in these areas, particularly by ensuring the validity—i.e., the accuracy—of IoT data and existing data for businesses. However, as the customer base and systems grow, it also becomes more resource-intensive to correct errors in the data.

Solution

The project will develop a structured and systematic approach to data validation, which is becoming increasingly essential with the growing use of IoT systems. Lack of validation has significant implications for the functionality that data is supposed to support, such as documenting customers' energy records. At the same time, accurate data is fundamental to working with the green transition, as decisions—or the lack thereof—about investments in energy renovations may otherwise be based on incorrect information.

Errors and incorrectly structured data either produce incorrect results or are completely lost because they do not match the database or the reality they represent. This is a problem for large IoT systems because it is difficult to spot errors in large data sets, especially if the errors are unknown.

The aim of the project is to develop a robust data validation process that can be used to ensure the validity of buildings' energy data, while also being easy to use—for both solution providers like Vitani and evenIoT and their customers. This involves structured data handling and filtering (identifying outliers or erroneous data), thus validating the data to ensure there is no doubt that the data represents the true condition.

The project is co-financed by the Ministry of Education and Research.

Impact

The solution will particularly support Vitani and evenIoT in their businesses, as more streamlined processes for their customers will also help them. It is crucial for the quality of service that the data is of high quality. Once the project has developed a robust solution, other companies that use IoT systems or large datasets will be able to benefit from the developed solution. Additionally, FORCE Technology will further develop the solution into more automated processes that can assist businesses in their pursuit of valid data.

Once the knowledge bridge project is complete, it will be natural to offer other companies training in the process, either by providing consulting services or training on the concepts and tools. Furthermore, FORCE Technology will establish a knowledge-sharing group where "best practices" in the industry can be shared with relevant stakeholders regarding processes and tools.