Summary of the project
The project represents an extension and completion of the first stage of the intelligent energy metering system, implemented within the General Miloš Vesel Hospital. The aim of this follow-up part was to extend the central monitoring to other buildings of the Central Military Hospital SNP in Ružomberok, thus creating a unified and interconnected data collection and management system for the entire hospital environment.
The system covers water, heat, gas and electricity metering, using a combination of Ethernet, LoRaWAN and fibre optic interfaces to transmit measurements from individual metering points. The collected data is processed in a central database with visualisation via a web interface, enabling on-line consumption monitoring, energy analysis and operational optimisation.
Number of measured points
Number of installed devices
Implementation
As part of the project, individual metering devices for electricity, water, gas and heat were integrated into a single communication system. The metering elements were chosen to meet the requirements for accuracy, reliability and long-term stability of operation in a hospital environment.
The Modbus RTU protocol, which is the industry standard for collecting data from measuring devices, is used at the basic communication layer. All devices are connected in parallel and addressed using unique Modbus IDs, enabling precise communication control and diagnostics.
At the data aggregation level, the protocol is converted from Modbus RTU to Modbus TCP, thus ensuring efficient integration of the entire system into the hospital’s existing IP network. Each measuring device is identified at this layer by a unique IP address, which simplifies the management, supervision and maintenance of the system.
For measuring points located in hard-to-reach or isolated locations, where it is not possible to implement a wired connection, wireless communication via LoRaWAN network has been implemented. This technology allows data to be transmitted over long distances with low power consumption and is connected to the higher-level system via LoRaWAN gateways, which then convert the data to the IP layer.
All measurements are collected in a local data aggregator (edge device), which provides:
- primary database for local data storage and archiving,
- encrypted transmission of processed data to the higher-level system.
- Aggregated data is then transferred to the cloud environment (Azure Cloud), where it is backed up, managed and archived for the long term. This approach enables high availability, scalability and centralized access to data through a visualization interface that provides hospital technical staff with an overview of current and historical energy consumption.
Results
The implementation of the smart energy metering project at the Central Military Hospital SNP Ružomberok has succeeded in creating a single and fully integrated system that ensures reliable and accurate real-time data collection on water, heat, gas and electricity consumption. The introduction of the system has enabled efficient monitoring and evaluation of energy flows, which has significantly improved control over the operation of technical equipment and distribution systems in the hospital area.
The project has brought significant operational and economic benefits, particularly in the areas of optimising energy consumption, identifying losses and better maintenance planning. Automated data collection and processing has eliminated the need for manual meter depreciation, thereby increasing the accuracy, reliability and availability of information for technical staff. By centralizing the data and visualizing it in a cloud environment, the hospital has a comprehensive view of individual utility consumption, enabling efficient energy management processes and long-term operational cost reductions.
Electricity – 40 power grid analysers
Heat – 12 calorimetric/ultrasonic gauges
Gas – 4 measuring points (main calculator + pulse sensors on gas meters)
Water – 8 measuring points (ultrasonic flow meters + optocouplers on mechanical water meters)
