Central Electricals monitors energy consumption to improve the design of solar PV systems, optimising renewable energy solutions across East and Central Africa. David Lumatete, General Manager – Solar Division, shares his experience using Tinytag Energy Loggers to create daily load profiles for their clients.

Passive House is a voluntary standard for energy efficiency in buildings. Buildings designed in accordance with Passive House standards typically have an ultra-low rate of energy usage, making them more environmentally-friendly than buildings that rely on active heating and cooling. For a new, domestic ‘Passive House’ in County Mayo, West of Ireland, temperature and relative humidity monitoring with a Tinytag data logger was crucial to understanding how the building performed in real, lived-in conditions.

In the UK, architects and engineers optimise building design to ensure that buildings are kept warm during the cold months. When British architects Andy Simmonds and Adele Mills of Simmonds Mills Architects were asked to design new housing and educational facilities for the Tanzanian Children’s Eco Village (run by UK based NGO, Islamic Help), they, alongside energy consultant Alan Clarke, came across the new challenge of optimising buildings for cooling in the year-round warm climate of Tanzania.

With increasing pressure for electrical and heating appliances to meet energy efficiency ratings, it can be a challenge to find a solution that both works and is profitable for small businesses and enterprises.