Meet Builtwins

Builtwins uses intelligent algorithms to improve energy for sustainable buildings

An innovative solution for optimising heating, cooling and ventilation control, Opens in new windowBuiltwins has a clear objective, namely to generate significant energy savings of up to 15% to 40%, while guaranteeing optimum indoor comfort and maximising the building's durability. This intelligent approach is of crucial importance, as buildings are becoming ever more complex and standards ever more stringent. 

"Energy consumption for air conditioning buildings is a major challenge, accounting for 15% of global energy consumption. It was against this backdrop that Builtwins came into being in July 2022, capitalising on ten years of research and development at KU Leuven to offer a solution that has already been proven in a range of buildings," explains Damien Picard, CEO and co-founder of Builtwins, alongside Filip Jorissen and Prof. Lieve Helsen.

The solution developed by this startup is based on a predictive and optimised system, anticipating future actions to make the regulation of a building's heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment more efficient. In concrete terms, thanks to Model Predictive Control (MPC), a control algorithm for HVAC systems and equipment based on the mathematical modelling of a given system, it becomes possible to predict the impact of different control options on the system cost over a given period. All this while respecting various operational constraints, such as the comfort of the building's occupants, and integrating meteorological data. The algorithm calculates the best approach for heating or cooling the building three days in advance and adapts in real time according to the data collected in the building.

The solution developed by this startup is based on a predictive and optimised system, anticipating future actions to make the regulation of a building's heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment more efficient. In concrete terms, thanks to Model Predictive Control (MPC), a control algorithm for HVAC systems and equipment based on the mathematical and physical modelling of a given system, it becomes possible to predict the impact of different control options on the system cost over a given period. All this while respecting various operational constraints, such as the comfort of the building's occupants, and integrating meteorological data, such as the flexibility and variable prices of the electricity network. The algorithm calculates the best approach for heating or cooling the building three days in advance and adapts in real time according to the data collected in the building.

Builtwins' participation in Opens in new windowOrange Fab's Smart City programme, this year in partnership with Paradigm and IRISnet, is fully in line with its mission to make cities more sustainable by integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into buildings. This collaboration paves the way for exploring new opportunities for connecting this solution to public buildings in the Brussels Region.