The “measure” of the behavior, its comparison with the criteria of design, its analysis and its dissemination will make it possible to improve future urban development actions.

Progress

The Remote Control Network implemented in Valdespartera makes it possible to know the real behaviour of the sector and the benefits obtained by the application of the energy efficiency measures, as its infrastructure makes it possible to capture all the data supplied by the public services networks. 

The basic components of the Remote Control Network are:

• A network for measuring and capturing information formed by elements distributed throughout the housing estate that capture a series of data from the different services networks (volume level consumption, quality of the water supply, control of rain water and storm tanks, consumption and programming of funding for irrigation, consumption of public lighting, electric power consumption, volume and classification of waste, meteorological parameters, temperature and relative humidity, electrical power and natural gas consumption in homes with monitoring) 

• An optical fibre data transmission network that runs throughout the housing estate and joins all the reading points. 

• The CUS, a “zero energy” building, where all these data are stored and managed in an integrated manner; they are presented in the building itself through a series of screens as part of a permanent display about sustainable urban development.

The Remote Control Network makes it possible to obtain the integral management of the following service networks:

• Drinking water supply network

• Network separating water for irrigation

• Rain water network

• Drainage network

• Public lighting network

• Pneumatic waste collection network

• Electric power and gas supply network

• Network of measures on energy efficiency and thermal comfort in homes.

The Remote Control Network is composed of a total of 196 remote stations, which manage 21,483 signals, 9,973 states that make it possible to carry out, from the Municipal Services, 530 maneuvers on 480 solenoid valves of the irrigation
network and 50 of the supply network.

Moreover, said network makes it possible to know the energy consumption of the buildings. Through the support of the University of Zaragoza and through a pilot programme, a series of probes have been installed in 140 homes selected throughout the entire housing estate that make it possible to continuously measure the thermal comfort of the same. Thanks to this constant monitoring, it is possible to effectively evaluate and control the real energy needs applied to each concrete case in a process of interaction with the users tending to create good habits in the use of energy.

In the year 2010 the works concluded on the CUS, the building containing all the aforementioned data exhaustively researched. In its approximately 1200 m2 of area, a permanent exhibition has been set up linked to urban development of the cities energy efficiency of buildings and environmental technological innovations that currently exist, as well as of the district itself.