Glass fronted building

Jake was recognised for his work on building energy management systems for energy saving.

6 November 2020

2 min read

University of Portsmouth graduate Jake Piner has been selected as the Young Engineer of the Year by the Building Controls Industry Association.

Jake was recognised for his work on a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) in collaboration with InTandem Systems Ltd. The KTP has been rated as ‘Outstanding’ by funding body Innovate UK.

Jake worked with Professor David Sanders and Dr Giles Tewkesbury at the University, and with engineers at InTandem Systems Ltd, to optimise the modelling, design and control of building energy management systems (BEMS) for energy saving.

Despite being relatively young, Jake has already demonstrated a clear commitment to fostering professionalism in his own work and among colleagues.

David Sanders, Professor of Systems Engineering

Building on his first-class Honours Degree and first-class Honours Project at the University in the School of Mechanical and Design Engineering, Jake used sensors and environmental monitoring to design controllers and produce controller schematics to deliver significant improvements in building energy efficiency.

For example, the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems at Chichester Festival Theatre reduced their reliance on natural gas as a heat source, while maximising the use of renewable systems.

The collaborative project at the University has just ended and Jake is now employed by InTandem Systems Ltd.

Professor Sanders said: “Despite being relatively young, Jake has already demonstrated a clear commitment to fostering professionalism in his own work and among colleagues, and promoting knowledge and developing and applying good practice at InTandem Systems Ltd.

“Jake has demonstrated a clear commitment to the wider energy industry and to improving society. He also won the BEMS Best Project Presidents Award and is championing the industry among his younger engineering peers.”