“Hydronic system optimisation”,here better known as Hysopt. Founded in 2013 as a spin-off from the University of Antwerp, Roel Vandenbulcke (CEO and founder) wanted to change the status-quo when it came to carbon emissions. Now, the Antwerp based company is making an impact on tackling global warming. Their weapon of choice? Your HVAC installations!
HVAC-installations, I personally never gave it a thought in my life, yet Hysopt made it their core business…
Therefore, heating and cooling buildings more efficiently is our answer to global warming. By doing so, we could drastically reduce CO₂-emissions and cut energy costs enormously all at the same time. There is still a deep-rooted misconception that investing in sustainability is extremely expensive, but we learned from experience that we can help you save an average of 40% CO₂-emissions and 30% on energy bills. Few people are aware of just how drastically you can reduce your operational costs and/or CO₂ -emissions by optimising your HVAC system.
Not to mention that the thermal comfort of your building has a massive impact on the well-being and productivity of your people or the buying behaviour of your customers! Have I piqued your interest yet?
But if a suboptimal HVAC system can have such a big impact on a company’s operational cost, why is it not better-known? Especially so, since it can also reduce CO₂-emissions.
The truth of the matter is, seeing current practices, it is extremely hard to know for yourself whether it is working optimally or not. Let me give you an example: At the time the technical director of a hospital invested in a high performing heat pump, which he believes to be working optimally. The reality, on the other hand, tells us a different story.
What is important to realise is that the heat pump in itself is not the problem. The problem is how the whole system is built in the first place. This is where things go wrong… And you should not underestimate the complexity of these installations. It is an interaction of pumps, pipes, control valves, sensors, etc. All these components are part of the same hydraulic installation and thus influence each other. Even the smallest detail, can be detrimental for the performance of the installation. The new technology, the range, and the variety of components available make it a real head-scratcher, that can only be solved with mathematical and physical calculations to find the optimal set-up.
On top of that, HVAC systems must be agile for the weather conditions and the occupation of the building.Therefore, that dynamic behaviour is very difficult to fathom. Designers often have a ‘better safe than sorry’ attitude and “Let’s foresee a bigger pipe, incase of…”. The compilation of all these worst-case scenarios, make for installations twice as big as they must be, which inevitably means you are overpaying and over polluting.
So, you are saying that organisations lose a lot of control over a very big part of the budget when renovating or constructing a building?
Exactly! CO2 -emissions go through the roof and budgets spin out of control, and the worst part is they don’t even have a well-functioning installation. Building owners are losing across the board and they are fed up with it, rightfully so. Their installations are just one big jigsaw puzzle of components, opinions, etc. In the meantime, the bills just keep pouring in, only benefiting contractors, whilst clients are dissatisfied with a system that is eating away at their money.
Now, Hysopt, how can you change a narrative that seems so deeply entrenched in our minds?
Our technology allows us to help the client with what they need, and thus becoming a party they can trust.That’s it really, it is that simple. Our system’s KPI’s (carbon, cost, comfort, control, choice) are scientifically based and can be shown before the system is even built or renovated. This way the client always knows what he will get. But let’s be clear, we do not provide a one-stop-solution for all. No, we provide a whole range of scenarios, each individually optimised but with different KPI’s.This way the client can pick and choose what he wants and where his priorities lay. Because not every company is looking for the same thing. One client may want to reduce the energy bill, for the other it’s all about the investment cost of his new building project. Bearing in mind the climate objectives, we see that CO2 -emissions are now more than ever a focal point.
At the end of the day, we deliver what the customer wants. It is our mission to create transparency as we believe it contributes to a more sustainable world. Even if you don’t have any prior knowledge about the workings of your installation, the least we can do is give you a choice in what you want. This way, you can actually have a say in the matter.
And to achieve that, you use software?
Yes, we are another software company, but in our defence, we are the only ones in the sector that can calculate and simulate the performance of your current HVAC-installation against an optimised system. Think of it as a virtualised system that we can fully understand, optimise and detect errors in so that they do not have to appear once the installation is built. The entire energy concept up to the individual component selections and even their setpoints are calculated and delivered. Finally, the calculation model is delivered as a so-called ‘Digital Twin’, very useful for further maintenance work or for future extensions or modifications.
Okay, I am convinced, but… what kind of budget should I foresee for working with Hysopt?
That is a redundant question, because we promise a payback within three years, at most! More often than not we are actually talking about three months! It’s really a no brainer to be honest. We sell a result: an optimised design of your HVAC-installation. When using our software on new buildings it gets even better. Not only can we help you save money on the operational costs, but on the investment costs as well since we are no longer over dimensioning your installation in the first place, remember?!
Will that strategy constitute Hysopt’s business model for the foreseeable future, or do you have other ambitions?
Our technology, as of now, has a global impact and /or potential, but we are not going to pretend that we can doit all alone. We work together with international partners (engineering firms, installation companies, Building Facility Managers) who want to help make a difference in the energy transition. We train our partners in the use of the software and support them with all the necessary domain knowledge, etc. So, we can deliver clients with what they are entitled to, an optimised installation that meets all the necessary requirements. What we are doing is not some futuristic plan. It is happening, now, and you better get on board, because our planet is done waiting!
Making the problem more widely known is our number one priority. But beyond that, I dream of a world where clients take back power and help save the environment, along with thousands, if not millions, of Euros for their shareholders. I strongly believe that having an impact on global warming starts with acting now! Continuing to do research in this area, is great and I certainly do not want to discourage this, but I also want to reinforce the message that the technology and knowledge already exists today. We already can make a change, so let’s start doing it! I see a big role for Hysopt in the future, where we will not only advise organisations, but also help them run their HVAC-system in the most energy-efficient way, all while providing a comfort level of 95%. The possibilities in our software are endless and (a clear, healthy) sky is the limit.
We create transparency while contributing to a sustainable world. We can make this happen because of our unique computation method and simulation software that make us hit the jackpot every single time: the right advice to optimize yourHVAC-system, saving you thousands of Euros and countless CO₂-emissions.
Our promise? We take care of your comfort, carbon, costs, choice and control.
- 95% satisfied people in your building
- 40% less CO2 emissions
- 30% cost saving as a minimum
- Taking back control over your HVAC processes
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