Open Source

This page covers the governance of our open source project, a well as the goals.

The Bacon Method

Mission Statement

The project aims to provide open source industrial grade control and monitoring to HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) and plumbing in general, with a defined targets of

• saving carbon
• increasing efficiency
• reducing running costs
• increasing reliability

Method Statement

• Establish working systems, in the field, to prove the technology at all points in a heat network (the largest of all plumbing systems), running both services and equipment control [DONE]
• Create a general purpose industrial grade IO board to connect IoT control platforms to HVAC equipment, capable of working with both a Raspberry Pi and an ESP32 [Almost Done]
• Field trials to work out gremlins in the architecture, hardware and software. Debugging.
• Establish an initial community of users who are actively saving carbon and money using the system. [Field Trials]
• Grow the community to include others that with to replicate the savings made in field trials.
• Extend the community to include experts from the open software community who can help drive the project
• Create a central point of performance data sharing, where the results (and code) from energy saving projects can be shared, and where live performance dashboards can be seen. Show, tell, boast, embarrass,
• Create industry wide collaboration on standard control functions, that can then feed into official CIBSE guidance.

User A

Commercial energy provider with inefficiencies in the field that need addressing. On our project we are partnered with Equans (Engie) who are one of the world's largest heat network operators. They are interested in the systems because they offer a route to obtaining valuable performance data that helps optimise heat networks.

User B

Local authorities.

User C

Private individuals upgrading their own home to include renewables. Project may be of varying complexity, including devices such as wood burners or heat pumps, and they would like to understand more in order to ensure a positive outcome. Technically clued up, just not in plumbing. We have been designing systems like this for 30 years and there are thousands of people with renewables systems designed around thermal stores, for example Dick Strawbridge in Escape to the Chateau. With gas prices soaring, more and more people are looking to understand renewables better. From this group comes our most valued collaborators - people who are experts in IoT, Influx, Grafana, Embedded Controllers, Linux - who, with a little guidance come to understand the principles of designing renewables systems and can use our technologies to deliver their dream, and can contribute back.

User D

Experts in HVAC control. Generally work for an OEM. (Me) . Engineers who have been waiting a long time for a robust IoT controller they can use in equipment control. E.g. HIU manufacturers (like us).

User E

Ofgem & BEIS. Heat network and RHI oversight.