MOQA: A Low-Cost, Plug-and-Play, Wireless Smart Hub for Building Energy Performance and Indoor Comfort Monitoring and Optimization

Accurate building energy assessments are frequently hampered by incorrect assumptions about the building's properties and occupant behaviour. Many assessment methods rely on assumptions rather than actual measurements because collecting current data on-site can be difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. The introduction and adoption of smart home hubs have simplified energy consumption and indoor comfort monitoring, since it is quite simple to connect all smart home devices, such as thermostats and lighting, and collect meaningful information from them. Energy consumption and comfort levels can thus be monitored and adjusted in real time, interacting directly with the end user. However, the potential of commercial sensors and open-source technology in this field has not yet been widely investigated in the literature. This paper describes the monitoring and automation activities carried out at the University of Trento's FabLab, a small laboratory where students carry out workshops and hands-on education activities, using an open-source Home Automation Hub, called MOQA, developed by the authors. The capability and weaknesses of a low-cost, plug-and-play and non-invasive monitoring and automation system are investigated, describing its architecture, its components and functioning. The main differences with monitoring systems traditionally used for the same purposes are discussed. The results, although preliminary, show that home automation hubs, also those widespread on the market and that can nowadays be found in many homes, can be a highly valuable tool for collecting environmental and energy consumption data from buildings. In moderate environments, the accuracy of commercial sensors can be considered sufficient, and the data collected are reliable indicators for assessing building performance and for evaluating possible interventions to reduce energy consumption and waste. However, attention must be paid to the specifications of each device and sensor.