Comfortica participant EU project sustainability INBLANC

Sustainability and home automation go hand in hand. In times of climate change and rising energy costs, this is no unnecessary luxury. That is why Comfortica is participating in the EU project INBLANC, with the aim of making buildings as energy-efficient and sustainable as possible. The project – with a budget of five million euros and a duration of 42 months – started in 2023 and brings together 22 partners from 10 countries. Currently, six demonstration projects are underway across Europe.

‘We were approached by our client Demo BV to collaborate on this project’, says Kariem Maklouf, owner of Comfortica. The decision was easy. ‘Home automation is the ideal tool when it comes to energy efficiency. What makes this project particularly interesting is that you work with different countries and cultures, all of which have their own ideas about the best solutions. In addition, universities are involved, which means that new techniques and insights are constantly emerging.’

INBLANC stands for INdustrialisation of Building Lifecycle data Accumulation, Numeracy and Capitalisation and aims to make buildings smarter by collecting data and converting it into useful information for owners, managers, and users. As a result, buildings become more energy-efficient, sustainable, healthier, and cheaper to operate. The goal of INBLANC is to bring all data together in one place and analyze it in a smart way. This enables owners, managers, and users to make better choices. Kariem: ‘While we do this, we focus on five indicators: energy efficiency, human well-being, environment, economy, and building resilience. With smart sensors and data, we gain a better understanding of how a building performs and how we can make it more energy-efficient, sustainable, and comfortable.’

INBLANC is being applied in six different demonstration projects: from heritage renovation and energy-flexible residential areas to public buildings, a university campus, healthcare facilities, and urban-scale applications. What is Comfortica’s role in this EU-wide project?

Kariem explains: ‘Comfortica assists in selecting, installing, and configuring various sensors, unlocking the associated data, and developing so-called SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture) tools and methods. These are specific software applications such as test and development tools, integration platforms, and modeling tools that can map data. With that data, we can help make buildings as energy-efficient and therefore as sustainable as possible.’

One of the selected projects is the innovation of the Hazemeijer industrial heritage complex in Hengelo — a project literally close to home for Comfortica. ‘For the demonstration project at this former machine factory, we are assisting with the selection, installation, and management of various sensors that collect data regarding energy efficiency, air quality, and comfort. We make this data accessible to the appropriate back-end systems’, says Kariem. ‘In addition, there is data traffic in the other direction as well: back-end systems can adjust settings or control systems where necessary.’

For the remaining five demonstration projects, spread across Europe, Comfortica is consulting intensively with the other project partners to develop a solution that is as generic as possible. Kariem: ‘Twice a year, all participants meet to present the progress of all projects, attend workshops, and coordinate important matters.’