Jacky Lai Chun-tak, a PhD student in the Department of Electronic Engineering (EE) at City University of Hong Kong (CityU), partnered with fellow PhD classmate Ryan Yeung Shun-cheung and Dr John Chan Yau-chung, a postdoctoral fellow in the Division of Building Science and Technology (BST), to found a start-up with the support of Professor Henry Chung Shu-hung from the EE and Dr Norman Tse Chung-fai from the BST. They have commercialised a new generation of smart thermostats that help boost energy efficiency for central air-conditioning systems in buildings. The ultimate goal is to save energy and reduce carbon emissions.
Unlike conventional air-conditioning systems, which maintain indoor temperatures through continuous temperature fluctuation, the smart thermostat uses a novel temperature control algorithm invented by the team to control the fan coil in the system, resulting in a more stable indoor temperature. This significantly reduces energy consumption for the air-conditioning system, including the fan coil, chilled water circuit and water pump. The installation of the new product is simple and cost effective, as users do not need to modify or replace of the existing air-conditioning system. With cloud technology and the Internet of Things, users can use smart phone apps and a cloud data platform to accurately monitor and control the temperature and effectively manage power consumption.
The smart thermostat uses a novel temperature control algorithm invented by the team to control the fan coil in the system, resulting in a more stable indoor temperature.
In 2015, the team established Jacky Instruments Limited, supported by ITC’s TSSSU funding for three consecutive years. Four years later, the start-up received financing, and sales and marketing support from an investor, allowing the team to focus on backend support and technology development. Currently known as Secodata Technologies Limited, the company offers energy efficient solutions to clients such as hotels, shopping malls, offices and property management.
“The temperature control technology in the market is the same as that used in the 80s and 90s,” said Jacky. “Conventional air-conditioning systems provide only high, medium and low fan speeds, and use the pre-scheduling technique to save energy. But the fan is an inductive device, so it uses the same amount of power even at low speed. Focusing on the fan, we developed a palm-sized variator, which has the feature of stepless airflow control, which helps reduce energy loss and prolongs the fan life. The smart thermostat can operate at ultra-low speed, providing fresh air to maintain good indoor ventilation, and dehumidification and deodorizing effects.”
“When doing various summer jobs, I realised that most of my supervisors just followed what had been done before. They were unwilling to accept new ideas and push the envelope. I wanted to break free from conformity and test my abilities by starting a business,” said Jacky.
The palm-sized variator developed by the team has the feature of stepless airflow control and helps reduce energy loss and prolongs the fan life.
(July 2021)
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