Design of an Occupancy Monitoring Unit: A Thermal Imaging Based People Counting Solution for Socio-Technical Energy Saving Systems in Hospitals

Aside from their physical exterior/interior design, the energy demands of industrial buildings are strongly related to how they are used. It follows that the behaviour of the occupants contributes and is related to the energy consumption of a building. In a hospital, this could mean equipment usage, heating, water and so on. This implies that energy consumption in a specific area may be measured as a function of occupancy, making occupancy monitoring an important part of an organisation’s energy management plan. This paper presents the design, implementation and testing of an Occupancy Monitoring Unit (OMU), based on thermal imaging technology, to provide occupancy data on individual selected wards/areas of Medway NHS Foundation Trust (MWNFT). The paper also presents successful tests performed to assess the functionality of the OMU in counting people and identifying the direction of motion. The results show the potential for the OMU to count individual people as well as groups.