Up to 30% energy savings thanks to connected control in individual homes

A groundbreaking study by IGNES, conducted by the Scientific and Technical Center for Building (CSTB), shows that a connected control system can reduce energy consumption by up to 30% in single-family homes. It can also reduce the intensity of summer discomfort by up to 50%. These results should lead to the adoption of these solutions to achieve rapid gains in energy efficiency and summer comfort.

In 2014, a Carbone 4/CSTB study showed that a programmable thermostat could save up to 15% on heating costs. More than ten years later, with the rise of energy efficiency issues and technological advances, IGNES commissioned the CSTB to conduct an assessment to estimate these savings for comprehensive, connected control.

The results of this study entitled "Multi-criteria evaluation of connected control solutions for individual homes" demonstrate that global connected control allows a significant reduction in energy consumption of up to 30%. According to an IGNES projection, this represents a reduction in the annual bill estimated at between €470 and €770[1] for a non-insulated house, and between €250 and €320 for an insulated house (RT 2012).

The study also highlights a significant gain in thermal comfort, with a reduction in summer discomfort of up to 50%. This is a significant result in a context of increasing and intensifying heat waves.

The results of this CSTB study confirm the essential nature of these systems in housing to "consume less", and in the future "consume better" as they will make it possible to automatically shift or modulate the consumption of equipment, within the framework of electrical flexibility.

For Pascal PORTELLI, President of IGNES: "The CSTB study shows the very positive impact of a control system combining room-by-room thermostats, roller shutter management, and domestic hot water. It improves the purchasing power of French people and the comfort of their homes. Global, connected control deserves to be integrated into energy efficiency policies (DPE, RE2020, etc.)."

Link to the key figures of the study

Methodology and scope of the study

The study evaluates the annual impact of a global connected control system in a single-family home on the energy consumption of 5 uses (heating, air conditioning, DHW, lighting, ventilation and auxiliaries), winter and summer thermal comfort, greenhouse gas emissions and flexibility. 1500 numerical simulations were carried out, covering a house representative of the French stock, with a living area of 100 m2.