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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PLACTHERM (SMART MODULAR UNDERFLOOR HEATING SYSTEM FOR ENERGY AND THERMAL COMFORT OPTIMIZATION)

Teaser

Summary

Overall objective of PLACTHERM project is to accelerate the market uptake of PlacThermÂ®, a smart modular underfloor heating system based on Exploded View proprietary technology. PlacThermÂ® disruptive concept fully merges underfloor heating (UFH) and Internet of the Things (IoT) technologies in a stand-alone solution.
PlacThermÂ® enables buildings to achieve maximum energy savings and indoor comfort levels by untapping the benefits from having the rooms covered by over 200 temperature and pressure sensors and heating sources.
PLACTHERM project will generate a great impact at different levels:
i) On the society in general because lower environmental impact from the buildings, which currently accounts for almost 40% of the total energy consumption in the EU and USA.
ii) On the economic performance of the energy bill payers (building/Facility managers, property owners, tenants).
iii) On the health of building occupants from the increase in their thermal comfort/wellbeing at their workplaces and consequently increasing their productivity with a direct economic impact also in the companies.
iv) A the same time in Exploded Viewâ€™s competitiveness, turnover and staff headcount, becoming a worldwide reference in smart and energy efficient space heating solutions.
Exploded View has developed a preliminary business plan to exploit PLACTHERM project results. The objective of the Feasibility Study in Ph1 of the SME instrument is to validate the feasibility of PLACTHERM project (Phase2) objectives, and to design in detail the operational plan to execute the Project. As result of the Feasibility Study, a more detailed and reliable innovation project and business plan model aligned to Exploded Viewâ€™s corporate strategy and with the customer needs has been elaborated.

Work performed

The feasibility study has covered different strategic business areas:
A technical Feasibility Assessment, validate the new functionalities and performance objectives of PlacThermÂ®. The results of the technical feasibility assessment are: i) List of main standards and regulations; ii) Machine learning implementation plan defined; iii) Manufacturing providers and technology selected; iv) compatibility with BEMs validated
-A market study and commercialization plan assessment to validate the market potential and the commercialization plan at country level for of the office segment of underfloor heating market. The results: implementation of the first pilot installation, the signature of contracts with multinationals for new pilot installations, the selection of France, UK and Germany as the main European target countries, the definition of three different product categories for better customer segmentation and the confirmation of the market and sales growth forecasts.
An IPR assessment to guarantee the freedom to operate. The result of the assessment is the definition of the IPR strategy for 2017-2019, and the validation of the freedom to operate.
An organizational plan assessment to define the operational requirements along the different stages of the project. The result is the definition of operational map of key processes with outsourcing needs, the detailed budget broken down by the main cost categories, the design of the work plan and the organizational structure.
A financial feasibility assessment to validate the economic viability of the project and the business model. The result is a detailed financial model with a financial plan that validates the economic viability, and the funding needs for the 2017-2021 period.
A risk assessment and a contingency plan to validate the overall feasibility. The result of the assessment is a matrix of project risk and contingency actions, and the validation of the project overall feasibility.

Final results

Plactherm goes far beyond current underfloor heating systems, by introducing for the first time the Internet of the Things concept to the underfloor heating technology. A number of technological milestones regarding embedding sensors into construction materials, and enabling fast and safe assembling of tiles have been achieved.
PlacTherm project will generate a great impact in ExplodedView competitiveness by:
* Leveraging revenues growth: from just 3 million â‚¬ revenues by 2021 without project, to over 11 million â‚¬ with the project. Breakeven point will be achieved on Q2 of 2019.
* Boosting their staff numbers: 30 full time employees by 2021 with the project, instead of only 12 full time employees if the project is not executed. Moreover, it is expected that around 100 indirect jobs could be generated (distribution, installation, administration, legal).
* Supporting its internationalization: by 2021, Exploded View will have subsidiaries in France, Germany and UK, and over 1.000 european sales/customers. Without the project, internationalization will not be feasible, and Plactherm sales will remain from the Spanish market.