Design of an Occupancy Monitoring Unit: A Thermal Imaging Based People Counting Solution for Socio-Technical Energy Saving Systems in Hospitals

Abstract

Aside from their physical exterior/interior design, the energy demands of industrial buildings are strongly related to how they are used. It follows that the behaviour of the occupants contributes and is related to the energy consumption of a building. In a hospital, this could mean equipment usage, heating, water and so on. This implies that energy consumption in a specific area may be measured as a function of occupancy, making occupancy monitoring an important part of an organisation's energy management plan. This paper presents the design, implementation and testing of an Occupancy Monitoring Unit (OMU), based on thermal imaging technology, to provide occupancy data on individual selected wards/areas of Medway NHS Foundation Trust (MWNFT). The paper also presents successful tests performed to assess the functionality of the OMU in counting people and identifying the direction of motion. The results show the potential for the OMU to count individual people as well as groups.

Identifying the Lack of Energy-Conscious Behaviour in Clinical and Non-Clinical Settings: An NHS Case Study

“…The advantage of this was the easy and rapid access to anonymous occupancy figures crucial for the timely progression of the study. Other techniques of people counting involve using technologies such as radio frequency identification (RFID) [55], Wi-Fi [56], and thermal imaging [57]. Although, deploying such technologies in a hospital environment can face several challenges, due to privacy (such as with RFID) and compliance with the health code; those approaches can be considered for future research.…”

5G-enabled contactless multi-user presence and activity detection for independent assisted living

“…Presence and activity detection systems can play a vital role in this and can complement Internet of Things (IoT) use cases for smart cities, such as the wireless electricity data logger introduced in 5 , to control in-home energy consuming systems such as lights, appliances, and so on.Several studies in the literature have discussed and evidenced the relationship between building occupancy and energy consumption. For instance, a study was reported in 6 showing that forecasted energy consumption can be skewed by up to 300% if occupancy was not accounted for. Another study 7 confirmed this by showing that actual consumption could be up to three times greater than the simulation and one of the factors contributing to this big gap is occupants' behaviour and their numbers 8,9 .…”

“…Several studies in the literature have discussed and evidenced the relationship between building occupancy and energy consumption. For instance, a study was reported in 6 showing that forecasted energy consumption can be skewed by up to 300% if occupancy was not accounted for. Another study 7 confirmed this by showing that actual consumption could be up to three times greater than the simulation and one of the factors contributing to this big gap is occupants' behaviour and their numbers 8,9 .…”