The purpose is to achieve set climate and energy goals and counteract the effects of the recent sharp increase in the cost of district heating. The procurement has been simplified through the existing HBV agreement on AI optimization, an agreement that covers all of Sweden's public housing companies.
The deal, which covers MKB's portfolio of 200 buildings and about 20,000 apartments, has been made possible by the HBV agreement within Sveriges Allmännytta for "Property management with AI", which was procured in 2022, where Kiona's AI service Edge is now being connected to MKB's properties in Malmö. The project includes, in addition to the implementation of AI control via Kiona's future-proof Hub, also the integration of existing 3rd party indoor measurement where measurement data from over 20,000 temperature sensors are continuously 3D visualized.
Martin Eksberg, Head of Business, Sweden, explains more about the process and the driving forces behind this agreement.
– We are doing more and more of these larger projects, both in Sweden and across Europe, where many property owners need to deal with dramatic increases in the cost of heating their buildings. With 20 years of experience in the AI field, we are a trusted supplier and have gained a lot of confidence in helping to counteract the effect of these cost increases. For example, district heating costs in Malmö increased by 13% for 2023. Here, the AI control in Edge will contribute to a fast and cost-effective solution that will be of great benefit," he says.
The focus is naturally on managing the increasing costs, but the connection to the analytics platform in Edge will also bring great benefits to the daily operations and the work with continuous improvement measures in the buildings.
Rapid developments in technology, Proptech, and energy-saving AI are changing the industry
– Market demand shows a strong need for simplified installation procedures, and time and cost-efficient projects together with an increased use of standardized solutions, wireless technologies, and open systems. We are convinced that this development is necessary to counteract the otherwise growing complexity of the industry. Clients demand that projects can be implemented and integrated with existing installations quickly and cost-effectively. In this perspective, Kiona's open, flexible, and independent platforms are right on time as the integration of the AI solution Edge can also be done via the SCADA system Web Port or other 3rd party SCADA systems," he concludes.
A large project that was implemented quickly
The project involving the commissioning of 200 buildings is being carried out with the help of local installation partners and is being implemented in two phases. Phase one has already been completed and phase two is currently underway and is expected to be completed in September, in time for the upcoming heating season.