Smart heating for offices: How E.ON cut energy use by 33% in just two months

Office energy use is often unpredictable—especially in buildings with hybrid work patterns or 24/7 operations. Many commercial spaces continue to heat empty rooms unnecessarily, leading to avoidable costs and carbon emissions.

E.ON, one of the world’s largest electric utility service providers, faced this challenge at its Glasgow offices. The solution needed to be flexible enough to support hybrid working, responsive enough for a 24/7 call centre, and robust enough to deliver measurable savings.

Addressing the heating challenge

The company knew it was heating unoccupied rooms and wanted a smarter way to manage heating across its office spaces. Traditional heating controls couldn’t keep up with the flexible nature of modern working patterns. What they needed was control—room by room, in real time.

They partnered with EcoSync to retrofit intelligent thermostatic radiator valve (TRV) devices across two floors. These devices collect 32 data points every 5 minutes, including air temperature, valve position, and hot water flow. All of this data feeds into a central dashboard, which uses machine learning to forecast heating needs for each space.

If a room is unoccupied, it isn’t heated—simple as that.

Real results, fast

Between October and December 2022, EcoSync’s system delivered:

4.2 MWh of energy saved
0.8 tonnes of carbon emissions avoided
The equivalent benefit of 33 trees absorbing carbon for a year
33% reduction in energy use overall

The deployment was quick—just 26 devices installed across 15 rooms on two floors. Despite the small footprint, the results were immediate and impactful.

Visibility that changes behaviour

Each room included a scannable QR code, giving staff insight into how the space was being heated. This transparency encouraged better everyday decisions—like shutting a window—by showing people how their actions could directly lower energy use and emissions.

This behavioural layer helped embed sustainability into daily routines, without needing to change the way people worked.

Timeline and technical setup

February 2023: 26 EcoSync devices installed in the EMC building
Coverage: Two floors, 15 rooms
Connectivity: Single ethernet gateway with 4G backup for reliability

The dashboard gave building managers full visibility and control, enabling them to schedule heating, track consumption, and monitor carbon savings—all from a central platform.

Why it worked

E.ON’s success came down to matching the solution to the way the building was actually used. EcoSync’s approach adapts to occupancy in real time, giving organisations the ability to reduce waste without compromising on comfort or operational flexibility.

This isn’t about switching everything off—it’s about heating only what’s needed, when it’s needed.