KNX: making intelligent choices
While budgets are being squeezed in some areas, prestige office and residential buildings are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Giuliano Digilio explains how an integrated KNX system can bring greater functionality, better energy efficiency – and all-important wow factor – to any building services technology
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t is not just under test conditions that KNX installations have been proven to deliver energy savings; real-life installations have also demonstrated that KNX building controls can reduce energy consumption dramatically.
What’s more, as KNX is a truly open protocol with more than 200 manufacturers offering around 7,000 KNX products, the installation is not tied to a proprietary system and can be altered or updated quickly and simply.
KNX – the story so far In most areas of technical development, technology that was cutting edge 20 years ago is far from trailblazing today. In the case of KNX, however, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, specifiers are still bowled over by what the protocol can do and the possibilities it opens up both for current specification and future upgrades. KNX is an open protocol overseen by the KNX Association
that has now been ratified into a worldwide standard – ISO/ IEC 14543-3 – and proven across a wide range of residential and commercial installations. Based on a twisted pair bus cable within an insulated sheath and operating at 29V DC SELV voltage, it allows all building functions to be integrated to provide control, monitoring and visualisation on a single infrastructure system where each element can communicate with the others – and any new controls or functions that are subsequently added. Currently, more than 200 companies manufacture KNX products, enabling interoperability between different KNX components so the specifier can cherry pick devices from different manufacturers for a bespoke installation. The technology is complex but straightforward to install by
a trained and accredited KNX integrator. And its user interface is simple, ensuring that those who manage and occupy a KNX building not only benefit from its functionality, but also are able to adjust their environment to suit their needs.
50 ECA Today November 2011 ‘Despite the clear comfort, functionality, energy efficiency
and future flexibility benefits offered by KNX, the UK remains behind many other European nations in terms of both the number of KNX installations and the number of accredited KNX integrators,’ explains Gordon Fry, KNX technical specialist at ECA member, The Wandsworth Group. ‘What this means for the contractor is that there is a clear opportunity in finding out more and training as an integrator to benefit from a segment of the marketplace that is growing and requires specialist skills from the electrical industry.’
What it does Designed to provide enhanced building control functionality while offering ease of installation, maintenance and upgrade, KNX allows installation of the bus cable with the mains cable, and systems can be wired as a radial circuit or daisy-chained and branched, although loop circuits are not suitable. The KNX devices can then be installed next to the fitting – in the ceiling void, for example – or in distribution panels as DIN rail mounted units. System layout can be built around and into the building, and functional upgrades can be achieved
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