OCEAN: Application for Optimising Energy Consumption in High-Power Electrical Devices

Electricity costs are an increasing concern for many consumers, especially in the context of highly volatile electricity prices. 86% of consumers consider their electricity bills excessively high, and energy consumption remains one of the main sources of global emissions. Moreover, the rise in global temperatures, up 1.8 °C in 2023, highlights the urgent need to reduce CO₂ emissions and implement more energy-efficient solutions. In this context, it is crucial to develop tools that help minimize these costs while contributing to energy sustainability.

OCEAN was developed in this framework: a smart system that automatically optimises and manages the electricity consumption of high-power devices such as water heaters, pool pumps, or electric vehicles across municipalities, industries, buildings, and households. The application allows users to tailor consumption to their preferences, maximizing savings while reducing CO₂ emissions. With a "Plug and Play" solution, the application easily integrates into existing systems and provides efficient energy management, whether the goal is to reduce costs, emissions, or both.

For example, when it comes to pool pumps, users can decide how long they want the pump to run, and OCEAN takes care of operating it during optimal hours. For electric water heaters, the user can set time windows when they plan to shower, and the system ensures hot water is ready at that time, heating it during the most cost-effective or lowest-emission hours, depending on the user’s selection. For electric vehicle chargers, the user can choose the desired charge level and completion time, and OCEAN optimises the process by charging the vehicle during the cheapest and cleanest hours.

OCEAN offers 3 service options:

• OCEAN Integration: Integration of OCEAN into the consumer’s existing IoT product platform.
  
• OCEAN Hardware: Customized hardware solutions for consumers who prefer not to modify their software.
  
• OCEAN Redesign: Hardware redesign to make it IoT-compatible.
  

Impact

OCEAN has a direct impact on reducing energy costs and CO₂ emissions. It targets end users, manufacturers of pool pumps and electric water heaters (EWH), municipalities with public pools, and industries with high water consumption. It also addresses electric vehicle (EV) charging points.

In the case of residential pool pumps, users have achieved a 67% cost reduction, along with an average 11% drop in emissions. Meanwhile, households with electric water heaters have seen an average 30% savings on their electricity bills, optimizing consumption and contributing to a more sustainable future.