The Energy Systems Catapult has reopened it’s Living Lab for trials after launching a new digital integration platform for the 100 connected homes.
It said the introduction of the new software means the lab is now “truly open, interoperable and scalable,” allowing all manner of smart products and services to be integrated and tested together.
The Living Lab consists of a representative group of 100 owner-occupied homes spread across Newcastle, Manchester, South and the West Midlands. Nearly all have smart meters and smart heating controls connected to the cloud-based integration platform. Some also have devices such as solar panels and heat pumps.
The Energy Systems Catapult already had an integration platform for the project but a spokesperson said it was clumsy and did not work with some technologies.
“During lockdown we have invested in a new digital integration platform that enables us to quickly and easily install both new innovations and off-the-shelf products,” said Living Lab business lead Rebecca Sweeney.
“The digital integration platform is like a universal adapter, offering interoperability – physically, digitally, and commercially – between the smart heating control systems and ‘internet of things’ devices being used by Living Lab homes.”
“Data from these in-home devices can be streamed and analysed by our data scientists, while our consumer insights team is available to provide a richer picture of how the people within the Living Lab are interacting with the innovative products and services.”
The organisation also announced that new zonal heating controls developed by Tado have been installed in a majority of the homes. The company’s co-founder and chief product officer Christian Deilmann said: “The impact of Covid-19 has further accelerated consumer demand for smart energy-efficient solutions at home.
“The Living Lab, supported by the prime minister’s Council for Science and Technology, is helping to demonstrate the real value that smart technology can bring to homes and the environment as a whole.”
The Energy Systems Catapult said it expects to announce further partnerships within weeks and is particularly interested in working with smart electric vehicle charging companies. It is eventually hoping the grow the Living Lab to include 1,000 homes.