When discussing energy management in buildings, the focus often gravitates toward large retail, industrial, or corporate office spaces, while cultural buildings tend to remain in the periphery of the conversation.
In this article, we will delve into the case studies in the energy management industry of three cultural buildings from an energy efficiency standpoint.
Spacewell Energy has recently provided 3 different buildings with his energy management software in the cultural and art sector. Let’s have a look at them all in this article.
In the first part of the article, we talk about a well-known historical building, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. The Hospital exemplifies not only energy efficiency success but also the meticulous upkeep, renovation, and preservation efforts of a historically significant listed building. In the middle part of this article we focus on the emblematic art museum, Fundación Francisco Godia, in the city of Barcelona and how using our platform has helped meet their goal. The last part analyses the case of an education centre, the Escola Sant Gervasi (nursery school, primary school and high school). The school achieved 18% savings by involving the entire school community in efficient energy management of its facilities.
Fundación Privada Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau
Opened in 1930, the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau comprises various Art Nouveau-style buildings interconnected by lush garden spaces. Recognized as one of the most expansive modernist complex globally, it attained UNESCO World Heritage status in 1997. Europe hosts around 400 World Heritage Sites, with 47 situated in Spain.
At the onset of the project in 2014, the Foundation aimed to pinpoint surplus consumption and discern variations among buildings of comparable size and functions, starting with an annual usage of 2,307,705 kWh.
Managing 140 metres of electricity, gas, and light manually proved inefficient, demanding excessive time and resources. Despite suitable metre numbers and placements, diverse models and manufacturers complicated data standardisation and effective monitoring.
Hence, the primary aim of the energy efficiency project was to maximise energy consumption optimization across the site’s buildings.
The changes resulted in financial savings of €76,000 in just the first half of the year, equivalent to a decrease of 28% in energy costs.
What was the energy efficiency solution found?
The main solution was to have Spacewell Energy as a unique logging, visualization and analysis tool. This allowed for error avoidance and, above all, for instant and detailed data. Spacewell Energy platform provided an agile tool for measuring electricity, thermal and water meters. A significant amount of work was done to measure data from 140 meters of various brands and models.
What were the results?
An immediate and tangible reduction in consumption and therefore to financial savings of €76,000 in just the first half of the year, equivalent to a decrease of 28% in energy costs in regard to the previous year.
‘I believe that the Spacewell Energy platform more than meets the objectives and results expected for this type of application. It is simple to operate and very intuitive, while at the same time it has a very understandable and fast visualisation of the data.’
Agustí Grau i Franquesa, Engineering and Works Director
Explore further insights into the Fundación Privada Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau Case Study and discover the strategies behind their remarkable achievements.
Francisco Godia Foundation
Godia is a museum created in 1999 in Barcelona, in memory of the Catalan entrepreneur Francisco Godia with the aim of preserving his art. The museum houses an exceptional heritage of paintings, mediaeval sculptures, and ceramics. There are approximately 1.500 pieces on display and it is one of the largest private collections in Spain. The Foundation is headquartered in a prominent mansion in the Eixample neighbourhood in Barcelona, named Casa Garriga Nogués.
In terms of energy, the museum is really dependent on the power required to maintain optimal conditions for conserving its works of art, thus their annual consumption stood at 589.999 kWh, whereas the annual energy costs were about €85.000. They needed to reduce these numbers without altering the thermal conditions inside the museum. Therefore, they invested in energy efficiency.
‘Everything’s easier with Spacewell Energy. You just install, connect, analyse and start saving.’
Sergio Martín, Grupo BCN GODIA
What was the energy efficiency solution implemented?
Electricity meters were installed in the central supply connection, as well as in the HVAC and lighting subsystems. Spacewell Energy Platform led to measuring and analysing the Foundation’s consumption. They began implementing improvements in their facilities that required no investment at all.
What were the results?
Engineers verified that energy dropped due to HVAC scheduling and set optimisation points. Godia reduced its energy consumption by 35%. This percentage was translated into €25.000 annual savings.
‘The Spacewell Energy Platform has helped us to dramatically reduce our lighting, heating and cooling costs and to improve the energy efficiency of our museum.’
Sergio Martín, Grupo BCN GODIA
Prepare for an in-depth exploration of the Francisco Godia Foundation’s Case Study and discover how a cultural building transformed into an energy efficient building.
Sant Gervasi School
The Sant Gervasi School is a cooperative educational institution located in Mollet del Vallès, Spain. The centre consists of more than 1.500 people and 11.900 square meters. The facilities include several lecture halls for children and teenagers, as well as sports facilities and swimming pools. The school is known for its commitment to innovation, using education methods based on new technologies, projects focused on foreign languages, and the excellent model of cooperative education.
The mission of the project was to get the entire school community working toward energy efficiency as the ultimate goal. The school’s directors wanted to reduce consumption through better management of the current resources, with no investment in more efficient facilities. They also started to raise awareness among students, teachers, maintenance staff, and administrative teams.
‘We reduced our energy consumption by a full 18% during school hours by getting everyone involved. We’ve made energy awareness integral to our educational policy’
David Cos, President of Sant Gervasi Cooperative School
What energy efficiency solution was found?
The school carried out the initiative with the help of an energy management consultant called Tarpuna, while using Spacewell Energy software as a tool to monitor and measure the school’s central supply and main consumption. This initiative received the name ‘Project Unplug’, and clearly increased awareness and involvement among all members.
Which results did the institution achieve?
Hours of active consumption were optimised, maintenance team workloads were reorganised, energy consumption was reduced during hours of inactivity, and secondary school students participated in several sessions about sustainability, energy efficiency, and ways of reducing the use of electricity in their environment. The reduction stood at €12.200/year (18,6%).
‘Not only did Spacewell Energy prove to be an excellent platform for technical monitoring of energy consumption, it also served as a source of learning for the entire educational community’
David Maruny, Tarpuna
Discover how Spacewell Energy (Dexma) efficiently monitored and controlled energy usage at Escola Sant Gervasi, through successful actions optimising contracted power.
Energy Efficiency in Cultural Buildings made possible
These three intriguing case studies shine a light on energy efficiency within cultural buildings, demonstrating that while achieving energy efficiency in such structures can pose challenges, it’s indeed achievable with the right tools and knowledge. They exemplify how attainable our energy goals can be with the right approach
From Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau’s historical preservation to Francisco Godia Foundation’s art conservation and Escola Sant Gervasi’s proactive energy management, we’ve witness the transformative power of our solutions at Spacewell Energy.
Experience these success stories and explore our platform’s capabilities firsthand. Ready to witness the transformative power of Spacewell Energy? Check our demo today and step into the future of energy management.
