FAQ

xWatts connects to your control systems (BMS/PLC/SCADA), energy metering equipment and IoT sensors via a combination of IoT gateways (using standard communication protocols such as BACnet, Modbus, OPC UA, MQTT) accessed via a REST API. This enables us to ingest historic and real-time facility data. Our approach is flexible and we can adapt our integration depending on the requirements of your IT and security teams.

xWatts evaluates an array of inputs such as usage patterns, energy market data, environmental conditions and demand forecasts to predict more efficient ways to manage consumption. Our software then provides day-ahead hour-by-hour recommendations (Intelligence / Industrial) or automates (Automation / Industrial) the operation of energy consumption and generation assets to maximise profitability, minimise consumption, maintain comfort and reduce carbon.

No. xWatts is a non-invasive solution meaning that our software only operates within the pre-configured parameters of your control system. We undertake rigorous checks during our commissioning process to ensure the functionality of your control system is never compromised. Optimisation scenarios provided are subject to constraints inputted by the user (e.g. minimum/maximum utilisation of each generator), and the platform remains as a human-in-the-loop solution, meaning the user maintains primary control. Should the solution lose connection with the Cloud, the system will revert to its pre-existing operating standard, so comfort and performance will not be negatively compromised.

Our solution is simply priced. For our Intelligence and Automation solutions, it is primarily a SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) solution with an annual subscription fee, paid annually in advance on a three year contract. This is determined by the size of the asset or the number of data points we are required to ingest. However, there may be the need to install additional sensors or hardware to fill data gaps, which will be charged as a one-off set-up fee - where we procure this hardware from external providers, we do so with no margin, on your behalf. For Industrial, our Bespoke Consultancy solution, our pricing will vary depending on the work required.

No. As long as you have at least an independent HVAC system, we can ingest data and either provide insights (Intelligence) or optimise your building (Automate). The more data points and controls your building has, the more impact we can have, but we do not need a BMS to deliver savings.

xWatts Automation provides you with a 'lightweight BMS' to centrally control your heating and cooling, without the need for a high-cost, invasive, hardware solution, such as a BMS.

No. Every building is different, with its own systems, operation, environment and usage, so it would be dishonest to provide a guaranteed savings potential before we connect to your building and understand how it is operating. Once we have onboarded a building, we will be able to give you a more accurate assessment using our Building Thermal Energy Model (Dynamic Thermal Simulation Model). We tend to see a low end of savings of ~15%, but typically savings (kWh, cost and carbon) are in the 20-40% range. Residential buildings (e.g. Purpose Built Student Accommodation) tend to be at the lower end of the range due to limited controls, while more complex estates with greater control tend to have higher savings opportunity. However, we are confident that the cost of our solution will always be significantly less than the savings we generate, and we offer to run our solution for free until we cover the cost if we do not meet the cost of our solution in the first 12 months.

xWatts validates savings using a robust, independently recognised measurement and verification approach aligned with IPMVP and ASHRAE Guideline 14. We build a calibrated, physics-based baseline model of each site using historical energy data, building characteristics, and system behaviour, then normalise performance for weather and operational conditions. Actual post-optimisation energy use is measured against this baseline, ensuring savings are real, attributable, and not the result of external factors such as mild weather or reduced occupancy.

No. It's not uncommon to have limited energy data; many sites we work with start with little more than the Main Incomer across multiple sites. As part of xWatts Intelligence, we provide Energy Monitoring (EM) sensor solutions to fill that data gap as part of our solution. We will provide these - with no margin - in our one-off set-up fee. This enables us to help you achieve your Sustainability Reporting goals as well, by gathering and providing you with the data and insights you need to report in a friendly format.

xWatts provides a solution that goes beyond what traditional energy consultants, BMS or energy monitoring platforms can deliver - but can integrate with all of these to enhance their offering.

Our clients work with xWatts because:

• xWatts goes beyond recommendations - we implement and optimise them live.

• xWatts goes beyond dashboards - we automate decisions and control systems.

• xWatts goes beyond traditional BMS - we operate seamlessly across systems and sites, not just individual buildings, integrating them all into one solution.

Compatible:
xWatts is compatible with all your existing infrastructure; we do not require you to replace or install expensive new infrastructure.

Speed to Value:
xWatts consistently demonstrates value quickly, with savings within months rather than years.

Engineering-Led:
xWatts DNA is building and systems engineering-led, with an academic pedigree underlining our solution. We operate live systems enabled by our technical credentials and unique AI and ML led data models, overseen by human engineers.

A Building Management System (BMS), is a computer-based system integrated within buildings to control and monitor various equipment, notably Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), and lighting. Studies have shown that the BMS is responsible for managing between 60-80% of the total energy consumption in a building, making its performance a vital consideration as part of carbon and cost reduction strategies. Some often associate the BMS with a single computer in a management office or control panel in a plant room, however the BMS is better described as a nervous system throughout the building. The computer sometimes seen in buildings is purely an interface known as the ‘head end’.

The BMS itself is typically concerned with the immediate operation of equipment, based on the feedback of the numerous ‘data points’, such as temperature sensors, at that precise point in time. This data is rarely logged, which means that the BMS is incapable of analysing its own performance. This is a task left to specialist engineers who will then rely on the ‘snapshot’ of information the BMS is giving them at that point in time only. As equipment has become more complex and widespread, analysing performance has become an even harder task. It is also rare to find the same manufacturer of BMS across a disparate estate, therefore speaking different 'languages', making it even harder to compare and contrast performance or manage all sites remotely.

The term HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning. HVAC systems are responsible for providing comfortable Indoor Air Quality (IAQ).

An HVAC system typically includes the major plant (equipment) which provides the source of heating/cooling e.g. chillers or boilers, as well as the associated pumps, fans, motors, valves which support and enable to transition of heating/cooling around the building whether this is through water, air or refrigerant