Research from TU Braunschweig as the basis for a new spin-off: enerbeat GmbH foundedA new spin-off has emerged from research conducted at the Institute of Operating Systems and Computer Networks (IBR) and the Institute of Machine Tools and Production Technology (IWF) at Technische Universität Braunschweig: enerbeat GmbH translates results from several research projects into a practical solution for the energy-efficient operation of ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. enerbeat develops technologies for monitoring, analysis, digital twins, and intelligent control of ventilation and air-conditioning systems. The goal is to operate industrial and commercial HVAC systems in a more transparent, efficient, and demand-driven way. The focus is on demanding environments where indoor air conditions are not merely a comfort factor but often part of production and quality requirements – for example in production halls, clean rooms, dry rooms, battery cell manufacturing, semiconductor production, or pharmaceutical facilities. The technological foundation was laid in the research projects 3DEMO and 6DEMO. These demonstrated how intelligent data acquisition, digital twins, and model-predictive control can help to significantly reduce the energy consumption of HVAC systems in industrial environments. The current Enerbeat project further develops this groundwork into a modular plug-and-play platform that maps the entire control loop – from data acquisition through analysis and modeling to automated control. To this end, the platform combines wireless sensor nodes and intelligent edge devices. Temperature, air quality, and airflow data can thus be captured, processed, and used in real time for optimized system control. The solution is intended not to replace existing ventilation and air-conditioning systems, but to complement them with additional transparency, digital models, and demand-driven control strategies. enerbeat does not only address systems in operation: using simulation and digital twins, it also supports the planning and design of new systems – so that energy-efficient operation is taken into account as early as the design stage. With enerbeat GmbH, the research results developed at IBR are now being deliberately transferred into industrial application. As part of the EXIST research transfer, the technology is being further developed from a scientific demonstrator into a market-ready solution. The project runs at IBR from April 2026 to September 2027. enerbeat currently consists of a multidisciplinary team comprising Dr.-Ing. Marcus Vogt, Dr.-Ing. Jan Schlichter, Clemens Baron, and Sebastian Sieloff. The team combines expertise in the energy-efficient operation and planning of industrial HVAC systems, sensor networks and edge devices, software and system architecture, automation, embedded systems, and business development. IBR is delighted about the successful spin-off and the transfer of scientific results into an application with high practical relevance. enerbeat demonstrates how research into cyber-physical systems, sensor networks, and intelligent control can make concrete contributions to energy efficiency, sustainability, and the economical operation of technical infrastructures. Further information & contactFor more information and to contact enerbeat GmbH, visit www.enerbeat.com. |
