SMART BUILDINGS
Smart technology features in a residential complex in Düsseldorf- Lichtenbroich
variations and magnetic fields (or a combination of these) supply enough energy to power a sensor, operate a switch and transmit radio signals. The self-powered wireless devices are completely maintenance-free and require neither batteries nor mains power. They can be installed on any surface - even on glass - in a matter of minutes, without the need for wiring and installation work. No mess, no disruption, and virtually no installation costs. This unique combination of advantages is especially important when modernising older properties. In the Sonnenblumenfeld context, the Zuhause Plattform system can receive EnOcean signals as well as wireless M-Bus signals from the water, electricity and heating counters within the apartment in order to enable intelligent consumption analysis. The administrator can access mid-month and end-of-month consumption data as required.
Accelerating the benefits of smart technology
Buildings have the potential to save energy and improve quality of life through the adoption of smart technologies, says Graham Martin, who argues for legislation and collaboration to accelerate the transition towards smarter buildings.
Graham Martin
www.enocean-alliance.org
B
Chairman and CEO at EnOcean Alliance
uildings offer vast – and largely untapped – potential to save energy whilst leveraging new smart technologies. In doing
so, the quality of life for the people who live and work within these buildings can be dramatically improved. In recent years, many of the most high-profile smart building projects have been in commercial new builds in urban areas. Whilst these projects should rightly be celebrated, they represent a mere fraction of Britain’s stock of buildings. Most properties were built before 1980 and are now ripe for modernisation. However, recent developments have made smart functionality far more accessible, for new builds and older buildings alike. Crucially, technological innovations have also made these upgrades far more affordable. To accelerate the transition towards
smarter buildings, government needs to legislate so that buildings can make a significant difference on the journey towards a decarbonised society.
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Tech providers Another thing that needs to happen is on the vendor side. Technology providers must work together more closely. The EnOcean Alliance seeks to enable and promote interoperable, maintenance-free ecosystems based on the wireless EnOcean radio standard (ISO/IEC 14543-3-10/11). Keeping these ecosystems open is vital for encouraging rapid growth in the adoption of smart technologies. Moreover, it also makes these systems essentially future-proof, permitting easy upgrades as new solutions enter the market, whilst eliminating the risk of being locked into proprietary solutions. The ‘Sonnenblumenfeld’ project in Germany is an example of what can be achieved when you combine innovation, community, and political will. The residential complex of 96 energy-optimised apartments uses the Zuhause-Plattform smart building system featuring EnOcean self- powered wireless technology. As well as offering considerably more safety, security and comfort for the building’s residents, energy consumption can also be significantly reduced through building automation. This residential complex, located in
Düsseldorf-Lichtenbroich, consists of a U-shaped main building featuring 78 apartments and a roof garden
plus a second unit with 18 two-room apartments. Many apartments have been designed specifically to cater for elderly residents, which necessitated the prioritisation of practicality and ease of use in any smart functionality. Useful smart functions such as
climate control, light control, shading control, access control, intercom system, smoke and leakage alarms, administrator and facility management contact, energy consumption data and many more features can be intuitively governed via a simple central display and control unit within the apartment. The system also provides benefits
for property owners and operators, with features such as automatic meter readings, and automatic alerts in the event of, for example, a broken door or window pane. The automation of many of the climate control functions also has the potential to vastly improve the energy performance of the building. As a result of the savings, the apartments have comparatively lower rents compared to average apartments in the same area.
Sensor systems EnOcean technology was chosen for the sensor systems. The sensors and control units use energy harvesting to generate power from the environment: movement, sunlight, temperature
Showing the way The success of this project can in part be attributed to commitment from the German government to promoting smart and sustainable building technologies. For example, it has recently implemented the Building Energy Act, which was developed in response to the EU’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), and specifically its revisions in 2018 and 2023. The directive has the ultimate goal of making the building stock in the EU close to carbon neutral by 2050. Germany’s Building Energy Act means that from 2024 all new non- residential builds must have smart automation, while other buildings must be retrofitted with smart automation over the next 20 years, with the first milestones to be reached in 2024 and 2030. All new builds (residential or non- residential) must follow strict energy and sustainability laws, with new fossil- based fuel heating being effectively banned in the future. All EU Member States are committed to adopt the EPBD, whilst the UK is expected to announce similar legislation in the coming years. Projects like the Sonnenblumenfeld
complex show that ‘smart’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘complex’. It can be simple, affordable, and efficient. Building automation has been proven to deliver significant improvements in security, safety and comfort with greatly reduced energy consumption. Crucially, with technologies like EnOcean providing the building blocks for innovation, smart automation can be implemented with ease and at a relatively low cost within almost any building, old or new. ■
EIBI | MARCH 2024
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