Energy reduction and efficiency optimization in construction with RFID based humidity and temperature measurement

Important results from the project

The goal of the project was to develop sensors that can measure moisture levels and temperature at several points in screed and deliver the data to a cloud service. This has been achieved and the sensors can also communicate with connected drying equipment from El-Björn, and thus drying efforts can proactively be adapted. This has been tested in an actual construction project and made it possible to keep the energy consumption for the drying equipment to a minimum. The greatest savings in energy can be made during the cold winter months, when the load on the electricity grid is at its highest.

Expected long term effects

The drying process took place mainly during October, which was a warm month without freezing temperatures this year. Despite this, the energy consumption for the drying the screed was decreased with close to 20%. The goal was to reduce energy consumption by 40%, which we believe will be achieved if an average is taken over all months when drying efforts are needed. The construction project received valuable information that the drying of the screed was completed about 3 months before the surface layer was to be applied, and that a leak had occurred which interfered with the drying.

Approach and implementation

Requirements were created by the project parties in joint workshops, and was the basis for the technology used in the sensors. Simpler prototypes of different technologies were made for verification, leading to that different technologies were tested before a technology was finally chosen. The sensor development was done with consultants with great competence in the field of electronics, a success factor when navigating between different technologies. The sensors and method of controlling drying equipment were tested in a real construction project, which was good for usability.