Energy optimization of buildings? Zypho relies on INEGI to create new solution

Zypho, INEGI and INESC TEC are creating a new solution to rationalize energy consumption in service buildings and respond to the need to improve energy performance and reduce the environmental footprint of these infrastructures.

Zypho, which already sells waste heat recovery solutions, aims to create a new range of products leading to the rationalization of energy consumption for service buildings. To this end, it challenged INEGI to develop an innovative, modular and eco-efficient system for the recovery and storage of thermal energy.

As José Maria Cunha, responsible for the project at INEGI, explains, "this concept is innovative due to the combination of eco-efficient technologies and subsystems”.

"The integration of latent thermal energy storage solutions in conjunction with waste heat recovery systems increases the flexibility of energy management. This means that the system will adapt its operation to meet the specific requirements of each building, and to the profiles of consumption and production of thermal energy”, he emphasizes.

The initiative also counts with INESC TEC, who is responsible for the development of automation and control systems, as well as management tools, which enable the constant optimization of the process and facilitate the decision-making by the user.

This solution will respond to the need to optimize the heating and cooling of buildings, which is the biggest source of energy demand in Europe.

Taking into account that 75% of buildings have an energy performance below the minimum requirements defined in the European Directive (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive), the potential for rationalization is great and it is estimated that more than 50% of consumption can be reduced through measures of energy efficiency.

The development of solutions for the decarbonization of the built environment is, therefore, also "a priority for INEGI, who already has extensive experience in the development of products and technological solutions for industrial thermal, thermal storage, use of residual heat, and of renewable energies”, says José Maria Cunha.

This solution is being developed within the scope of the ZYPHO 4.0 project, a co-promotion between Zypho and INEGI, and is co-financed by Portugal 2020, within the scope of Compete 2020 - Operational Program for Competitiveness and Internationalization, through the European Fund of Regional Development.