An integrated system for buildings’ energy-efficient automation: Application in the tertiary sector Vangelis Marinakis ⇑ , Haris Doukas, Charikleia Karakosta, John Psarras National Technical University of Athens, School of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Management & Decision Support Systems Laboratory (EPU-NTUA), 9, Iroon Polytechniou Str., 157 80 Athens, Greece highlights " We developed an interactive software for building automation systems. " Monitoring of energy consumption in real time. " Optimization of energy consumption implementing appropriate control scenarios. " Pilot appraisal on remote control of active systems in the tertiary sector building. " Significant decrease in energy and operating cost of A/C system. article info Article history: Received 6 December 2011 Received in revised form 27 April 2012 Accepted 25 May 2012 Available online 22 June 2012 Keywords: Energy efficiency Green building Automation systems Building energy management systems abstract Although integrated building automation systems have become increasingly popular, an integrated sys- tem which includes remote control technology to enable real-time monitoring of the energy consump- tion by energy end-users, as well as optimization functions is required. To respond to this common interest, the main aim of the paper is to present an integrated system for buildings’ energy-efficient auto- mation. The proposed system is based on a prototype software tool for the simulation and optimization of energy consumption in the building sector, enhancing the interactivity of building automation systems. The system can incorporate energy-efficient automation functions for heating, cooling and/or lighting based on recent guidance and decisions of the National Law, energy efficiency requirements of EN 15232 and ISO 50001 Energy Management Standard among others. The presented system was applied to a supermarket building in Greece and focused on the remote control of active systems. Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The current financial and economic crisis as well as the wider environmental pressures, including climate change and security of energy supply put energy back at the ‘‘heart’’ of the European Union’s (EU) action. In this context, ambitious targets have been set for 2020 (‘‘20–20–20’’ energy policy package) aiming to foster European economy to more sustainable energy paths [1]. This pol- icy is a first resolute step towards achievement of the low-carbon economy ultimate goal, whilst making at the same time the con- sumed energy more secure, competitive and sustainable. Nowadays, buildings are responsible for about 40% of the EU’s total final energy consumption and greenhouses gas (GHG) emis- sions, putting them among the largest end-use sectors globally [2]. However, taking into consideration their untapped potential for cost-effective energy savings (estimated at 1509 Mtoe by 2050) the penetration of energy efficiency technologies in the building sector could play an active role among the EU’s efforts in development of a viable strategic framework towards a low- carbon economy [3]. In October 2006, the European Commission (EC) adopted an Action Plan for Energy Efficiency (2007–2012) following the Green Paper for Energy Efficiency aiming at 20% reduction on energy con- sumption by 2020 [4]. A comprehensive framework of directives supports this initiative, key of which are the Directive 2006/32/ EC on energy end-use efficiency and energy services and the Direc- tive 2002/91/EC on energy performance of buildings [5,6]. Further- more, the Directive 2003/66/EC on labelling of refrigerators [7], the Directive 2002/40/EC on labelling of electric ovens [8], the Direc- tive 2002/31/EC on labelling of air-conditioners [9], the Directive 2000/55/EC on energy efficiency requirements for ballasts for fluo- rescent lighting [10], as well as the Regulation 2422/2001/EC on Energy Star labelling for office equipment [11] foster an integrated European legislative framework for the promotion of energy effi- ciency and green buildings. Furthermore, the recent Directive 0306-2619/$ - see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2012.05.032 ⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +30 210 7723514; fax: +30 210 7723550. E-mail address: vmarinakis@epu.ntua.gr (V. Marinakis). Applied Energy 101 (2013) 6–14 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Applied Energy journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/apenergy