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    The Smart Heat Shed, but different

    11 June 2024

    Hi, my name is Jamy de Lange. I am 21 years old, and I am currently finalizing my third year of my bachelor’s degree in Business Innovation.

    At the end 2023 I worked on an OpenCall project with TNO and Emergo called the Smart Heat Shed (SHS). The SHS is an innovative storage facility that houses an installation for heating and cooling buildings. My challenge was make the SHS suitable for the housing corporations, so that it could be installed for many houses.

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    Getting started

    The first step was to get a better understanding of de SHS by doing research. On the basis of these insights I was able to make questions for the housing corporations that were were already testing the SHS in practice (at a small scale), which is why I wanted to know about their experiences. The insight I gained from the interviews showed me that there was still some work to do to get de SHS suitable for the housing corporations.  

    After obtaining insights from my research I organized brainstorm sessions that were focused on the feedback from the housing corporations. I even wanted to try, if possible to use the SHS outside of the housing market (which is totally different than the purpose of which it is built). The results of this made me start to think about an interesting solution. Something that would bring music to everybody’s ears…

    New insight

    The concept I came up with is focused on applying the SHS to festivals. Further research revealed that some festivals use generators, consuming significant amounts of diesel. Lowlands, for example uses 120,000 liters of diesel to generate electricity. This is why I was certain I had to delve deeper in this direction. 

    “Some festivals use generators, consuming significant amounts of diesel. Lowlands for example uses 120,000 liters of diesel to generate electricity.”

    Smart Heat Shelter prototype

    First I came in contact with a stakeholder at Emergo, just to make sure that my concept would be interesting for them. An enthusiastic reaction prompted me to focus on this concept. Later, I send an email to Lowlands, which, to my surprise, was submitted to the director. He provided feedback that gave me insight on adapting the concept for general application to festivals. 

    The Smart Heat Shelter

    After the positive reactions I adjusted the concept based on the feedback given. After this step I tested it again until I had formed my final concept (see prototype picture). I am proud to present to you: The Smart Heat Shelter. This concept allows festivals to lease a certain number of sheds, which can be placed at an available spot. Once installed, the sheds use sunlight to produce heat, which can be used for showers or to heat the sheds when used as accommodation. . The sheds are in different varieties for guests to enjoy different types of stay.

    Recently, I engaged with numerous specialists across different sectors, seeking guidance from a business mentor and consulting professionals in eco-friendly (residential) building. Through these discussions, I’m refining my concept to make sure it’s ready for the marketplace.

    Should you have any inquiries or suggestions after perusing this article, don’t hesitate to email me at: j.d.lange2@tue.nl