When discussing energy management in buildings, the focus often gravitates toward large retail, industrial, or corporate office spaces, while cultural buildings tend to remain in the periphery of the conversation.
In this article, we will delve into the case studies in the energy management industry of three cultural buildings from an energy efficiency standpoint.
Spacewell Energy has recently provided 3 different buildings with his energy management software in the cultural and art sector. Let’s have a look at them all in this article.
In the first part of the article, we talk about a well-known historical building, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. The Hospital exemplifies not only energy efficiency success but also the meticulous upkeep, renovation, and preservation efforts of a historically significant listed building. In the middle part of this article we focus on the emblematic art museum, Fundación Francisco Godia, in the city of Barcelona and how using our platform has helped meet their goal. The last part analyses the case of an education centre, the Escola Sant Gervasi (nursery school, primary school and high school). The school achieved 18% savings by involving the entire school community in efficient energy management of its facilities.
FundaciĂłn Privada Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau
Opened in 1930, the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau comprises various Art Nouveau-style buildings interconnected by lush garden spaces. Recognized as one of the most expansive modernist complex globally, it attained UNESCO World Heritage status in 1997. Europe hosts around 400 World Heritage Sites, with 47 situated in Spain.
At the onset of the project in 2014, the Foundation aimed to pinpoint surplus consumption and discern variations among buildings of comparable size and functions, starting with an annual usage of 2,307,705 kWh.
Managing 140 metres of electricity, gas, and light manually proved inefficient, demanding excessive time and resources. Despite suitable metre numbers and placements, diverse models and manufacturers complicated data standardisation and effective monitoring.
Hence, the primary aim of the energy efficiency project was to maximise energy consumption optimization across the site’s buildings.
The changes resulted in financial savings of €76,000 in just the first half of the year, equivalent to a decrease of 28% in energy costs.
What was the energy efficiency solution found?Â
The main solution was to have Spacewell Energy as a unique logging, visualization and analysis tool. This allowed for error avoidance and, above all, for instant and detailed data. The platform provided an agile tool for measuring electricity, thermal and water meters. A significant amount of work was done to measure data from 140 meters of various brands and models.
What were the results?
An immediate and tangible reduction in consumption and therefore to financial savings of €76,000 in just the first half of the year, equivalent to a decrease of 28% in energy costs in regard to the previous year.
Francisco Godia Foundation
Godia is a museum created in 1999 in Barcelona, in memory of the Catalan entrepreneur Francisco Godia with the aim of preserving his art. The museum houses an exceptional heritage of paintings, mediaeval sculptures, and ceramics. There are approximately 1.500 pieces on display and it is one of the largest private collections in Spain. The Foundation is headquartered in a prominent mansion in the Eixample neighbourhood in Barcelona, named Casa Garriga Nogués.
In terms of energy, the museum is really dependent on the power required to maintain optimal conditions for conserving its works of art, thus their annual consumption stood at 589.999 kWh, whereas the annual energy costs were about €85.000. They needed to reduce these numbers without altering the thermal conditions inside the museum. Therefore, they invested in energy efficiency.
What was the energy efficiency solution implemented?
Electricity meters were installed in the central supply connection, as well as in the HVAC and lighting subsystems. The Platform led to measuring and analysing the Foundation’s consumption. They began implementing improvements in their facilities that required no investment at all.
What were the results?
Engineers verified that energy dropped due to HVAC scheduling and set optimisation points. Godia reduced its energy consumption by 35%. This percentage was translated into €25.000 annual savings.
Prepare for an in-depth exploration of the Francisco Godia Foundation’s Case Study and discover how a cultural building transformed into an energy efficient building.
You can read the full article in our website.Â