Cloud-based energy monitoring platform receives merit accolade at 2012 National iAwards

A state-of-the art sustainable energy monitoring and home automation system, developed for Lend Lease’s Convesso Concavo apartments, has won a merit award in the Sustainability and Green IT category at the 2012 National iAwards.

Celebrating the ‘best of the best’ ICT products and services in Australia, the National iAwards were announced last Thursday at a gala event in Melbourne and presented by Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy; and the Hon Gordon Rich-Phillips MLC, Minister for Technology, State Government of Victoria.

Designed by Fujitsu and Switch Automation for Lend Lease, this technology platform has delivered the first cloud-based energy monitoring and home automation solution in the market. The system continuously monitors energy and hot and cold water usage and was designed to comply with the energy monitoring requirements of the Green Building Council of Australia’s ‘Green Star’ rating system for multiunit residential buildings.

Through its simple-to-use, web-based interface, this next-generation system provides residents with real-time and historical energy and water usage as well as providing an interface to other systems such as video intercom, building access control, lighting control and community information.

Deb Noller, CEO of Switch Automation, said at the awards: “It’s really satisfying to be recognised by the IT industry for our world-class Smart Hub platform, designed and developed here in Australia but with huge potential in a global property market challenged with achieving more sustainable outcomes.”

Iain McGregor, Fujitsu’s General Manager of Telecommunications & Networks, said: “We are proud to have contributed to the underlying sustainable networking technology behind this solution. The use of environmentally efficient, fibre-based GPON technology and Microsoft Azure cloud-based hosting in Fujitsu’s data centres has been a significant contributor to the outcomes.”

The Head of Lend Lease’s Apartments business, Paul Shaw, said this innovative platform has enabled Lend Lease to deliver industry best practice to achieve a 4 Star Green Star Multi-Unit Residential rating.

“The Convesso Concavo project is a tangible example of how Lend Lease continues to advocate for and deliver market-differentiating and sustainable outcomes for its purchasers,” said Shaw.