IoT-optimized energy consumption in smart facilities

Discover how we developed an IoT-based system for seamlessly managing data and optimizing energy consumption in smart buildings with the Yalantis IoT Accelerator.

  • Industry

    Smart buildings

  • Country

    Germany

  • Team size

    20

  • Collaboration

    January 2022 – present

About the client

Our client is a Germany-based company that constructs smart facilities across Europe, including homes and offices. Their services encompass construction work, IoT sensor deployment, and software integration for device and data management.

Business context

As part of their services, our client implements sensors throughout buildings they construct and establishes data management and analytics processes using the software preferred by their customers. However, such integration demanded a significant investment of time, financial resources, and effort due to the need to onboard and integrate with new systems, which posed technical challenges.

Moreover, our client’s recent strategy involves striving to construct eco-friendly buildings, which requires implementing data analytics to optimize energy use, reduce waste, and lower the carbon footprint. As a result, our client decided to develop their own software that could be easily deployed in new buildings.

Yalantis offered to use the Yalanits IoT Accelerator, a PoC system, which seamlessly integrates with various IoT devices used in different types of buildings. We needed to develop additional modules tailored to our client’s specific business processes.

Solution overview

  • Ensuring comprehensive data management with the Yalantis IoT data management system

    To enable seamless and accelerated development of IoT products, we ensured our PoC system has all the required components, including:

    • A customizable multi-tier and cloud-agnostic architecture that operates on cloud services, Docker, and Kubernetes and easily adjusts to the client’s business processes
    • Apache Druid, which serves as a core for scalable and seamless data processing 
    • A user management module from Yalantis that facilitates user accounts and access rights management within the solution 
    • A UI component library that accelerates development of user-facing functionality

  • Ensuring uninterrupted data collection and management 

    Our client used a range of sensors in their buildings, including for temperature, humidity, power, voltage, and current. Since they consistently worked with the same device vendor, our focus was to ensure proper data transmission to the data management system. For this purpose, we:

    • Implemented the MQTT communication protocol to ensure seamless data exchange between IoT sensors and the PoC system
    • Ensured robust security measures to protect data integrity and ensure privacy, which included data encryption, authentication, and access control mechanisms
    • Set up a data ingestion pipeline to collect data from IoT sensors through the API, receiving and securely storing that data in cloud storage
    • Configured Apache Kafka to enable real-time processing of large amounts of streaming data
    • Optimized the PoC for scalability and performance, considering potential increases in data volume and sensor connections as the IoT deployment expands

  • Customizing the PoC system according to the client’s business needs

    Considering their business needs, our client required additional modules for device management and monitoring tailored to various roles depending on the type of building. In light of this, our team developed the following modules:

    • User management module that enables the creation and management of user accounts with different roles and permissions
    • Device registration and provisioning module that facilitates device registration, authentication, and provisioning, making it easy for users to add new devices to the network
    • Device configuration management module to remotely configure IoT device settings, such as sampling rate, threshold, and calibration
    • Device monitoring and status tracking module to provide real-time monitoring of connected devices, including their status, health, and operational data 
    • Alert and notification module to inform users and administrators of critical events or abnormal conditions detected by IoT devices for proactive troubleshooting and maintenance

  • Developing a user-facing mobile application for end users and operators

    One of the client’s goals was to provide end users with a convenient tool for monitoring, managing, and maintaining a sustainable lifestyle. In pursuit of this objective, we developed a mobile application incorporating the following functionality: 

    • Help center to provide personalized recommendations and energy-saving tips based on consumption patterns, empowering homeowners and building administrators to make informed decisions
    • Notification center that enables real-time alerts and notifications related to critical events, anomalies, or important updates to take prompt actions and ensure the smooth functioning of IoT devices
    • Simplified dashboards that offer an easy-to-understand visual representation of IoT data, presenting key metrics and insights at a glance so users can quickly access relevant data without complex details, making it convenient for them to monitor utility consumption
    • Energy consumption forecasting that uses historical data and advanced analytics to predict energy consumption patterns for connected devices to plan and optimize energy use, potentially leading to cost savings and efficient resource management
    • Over-the-air firmware update (FOTA) technology that eliminates the need for physical intervention and reduces costs related to firmware maintenance    

Value delivered

We are currently in the final stages of refining the solution and integrating advanced functionality to accommodate various types of premises the client plans to serve in the future. Thus far, we have assisted the client in achieving the following objectives:

  • 30% faster software implementation. With the implementation of software built on the Yalantis PoC system, our client doesn’t need to spend a significant amount of time integrating with third-party services. The only task left is to configure the ready-to-use software for a new type of building and onboard building administrators.

  • Utility costs savings. The client detected that monthly energy bills were significantly reduced over the previous quarter, resulting in long-term cost savings.

  • Environmental sustainability. Due to the educational center inside the user-facing application, homeowners can follow eco-friendly practices and contribute to energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions and supporting sustainable living.

  • Improved convenience. Homeowners can optimize temperature and humidity levels, ensuring a comfortable living environment while saving energy.

  • Real-time monitoring and control. With a user-friendly dashboard inside the mobile app, homeowners and office managers have real-time visibility into their energy consumption and can control devices remotely throughout the whole house or office.

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