The benefits of sustainability, cost efficiency and process optimization go hand in hand for D+H and its customers thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT). A smart, user-friendly box identifies energy losses in elevator shafts and helps reduce energy usage.

Increased energy usage in buildings is of both economic and ecological significance. Heating and air conditioning are frequently the cause of year-round CO₂ emissions with a negative impact on both the balance sheet and the environment. Elevator shafts often go unrecognized as weak points in the system. Openings into the open air cause the so-called chimney effect as heat rises and escapes through these vents. As conditioned air is sucked into the shaft from access levels, air conditioning in the building can also be affected. The problem is that these vents are absolutely necessary for safety reasons because they serve to extract smoke in case of fire. There must also be a constant supply of fresh air to the cabin should the elevator ever get stuck.

Together with Telekom, D+H Mechatronic AG has developed a solution that makes the problem visible. D+H, a specialist in ventilation systems and smoke outlets, supplies BlueKit Lift Vision, an IoT-assisted box that enables enterprises and facility managers to tell whether energy is escaping unnoticed from their elevator shafts, how high the energy loss is, and how soon retrofitting them with a BlueKit system will pay off by recovering the investment.

IS THE ELEVATOR SHAFT THE CAUSE OF SPIRALING ENERGY USAGE?

D+H used to check conditions in elevator shafts by means of an elaborate and costly system that was hardly future-proof. A D+H engineer visited the site and installed a box full of measurement technology in the shaft. That alone was a considerable cost factor because D+H provides its services internationally. Over a period of weeks or even several months the device measured the data required and texted it to D+H, where a tool evaluated the information received. The tool did not have a dashboard, just a complicated rudimentary user interface that made the process cumbersome and unwieldy. The system was hardly suitable to be demonstrated to the customer, so D+H sought assistance from Telekom to make the solution not only effective but also efficient and future-proof.

WELL-KNOWN FUNCTIONALITY IN A MODERN TECHNOLOGICAL GUISE

Together they developed the new BlueKit Lift Vision. Based fundamentally on the same principle as the old system, it is a box that measures climate conditions in the elevator shaft. The decisive difference is that it incorporates IoT technology. The box contains a SIM card and an LTE modem and connects with Telekom’s Cloud of Things platform flexibly by 2G, 4G or 5G, depending on the network technology available at the customer’s premises. Roaming agreements enable networks in other countries to be used without difficulties. 

Software in the Cloud of Things calculates the energy loss in the elevator shaft. On a see-at-a-glance dashboard that Telekom designed especially for D+H both the provider and its customers can see real-time information about indoor and outdoor temperature and airflow. The dashboard works on both a PC and a tablet. Customers can then calculate their energy loss automatically, using the price they pay for their energy.