Renovation of a modern Belgian villa

Residential project in Tervuren, Belgium

Project category Residential
Project type Renovation project
Year of completion 2019
Size of project(m2) 501 – 1.000
Number of KNX devices used 26 – 100
KNX brands Show/hide
KNX Transmission media
Twisted pair
IP
Man hours 101 – 250
Man power 1 – 5
Products that carry the KNX logo are a confirmation of high product quality, these products will communicate perfectly together and I didn't have to worry about working with inferior material.

Project characteristics

This diagram shows the level of energy efficiency, innovation and ease of use in the project. The main characteristic is displayed in the centre.

Applications used

The icons marked in green are the applications used in this project via KNX.

Lighting
Heating, Ventilation & Air conditioning (HVAC)
Blind and Shutter Control
Security and Safety
Operation and Visualisation
Automation and Remote Access
Energy Management/Smart Metering
Other

Detailed description

Energy Efficiency

The usage of automated functions already save energy in every installation. Especially the usage of KNX has a lot of potential for further energy savings, which can contribute to a better environmental footprint. Be extending KNX to more functions and applications, energy savings of up to 60% can be realised. Thanks to the flexibility of KNX, these functions can easily be implemented in this installation

Innovation

Smart homes and buildings are always an upgrade in comparison to a conventional installation. Not only automated functions and a higher level of comfort contribute to a higher living standard, but also the possibility to be ready for coming innovations. Thanks to the usage of KNX, the door has been opened to integrate new innovative solutions, using the worldwide STANDARD for home and building control.

Ease of Use

By integrating KNX, we automatically experience a higher energy efficiency and comfort. Furthermore, by the possibility to use further devices, in order to make the usage of the project easier, we can look at further opportunity to even make the whole installation easier in usage.

Applications used

  • Lighting: Switching , Dimming , Light Scenes , Timed Control , Lighting Colour Control
  • Heating, Ventilation & Air conditioning (HVAC): Central & Automatic Control , Timed Operation Modes , Weather Dependent Control , Individual Room Control / Zone Control , Valve Drive Control / Fan Coil Control , Boiler and burner Control
  • Blind and Shutter Control: Individual Control , Group & Central Control , Preset Positioning , Automatic Programs , Wind and Rain Protection
  • Security and Safety: Access Control , Intrusion Detection / Alarm Systems
  • Operation and Visualisation: Switches / Push Buttons , Tablets and smart phones
  • Automation and Remote Access: Timed Functions , Logical Functions , System Supervision , Internet Access , Remote Programming , Messaging (e.g. SMS)
  • Energy Management/Smart Metering: Metering , Visualisation

Customer's description

The purpose of this renovation project was to extend the existing functionality of this KNX installation with LED lighting, energy monitoring, a heat pump and pave the way for future expansion and integration. Given the fact that this is an existing installation, a wired solution was not straightforward. To get the most out of LED lighting, DALI was chosen and neatly integrated with KNX via GIRA and Zennio gateways. There was no easy way to add window contacts in a wired way, so the emerging LoRa protocol was chosen because of its secure communication and deep coverage. Because there were little LoRa to KNX solutions, we developed our own protocol gateway based on the Siemens IOT2020 gateway. NodeRED, available on the IOT2020, was used to further enhance the user experience. Examples are push notifications, access control and doorbell integration. KNX turned out to be a solid choice at the time of initial construction, and today still provides a solid foundation for the future.

Contact information

Company name Bram Roelandts
Company email bram@roelandts.cc
Company website https://roelandts.cc
Contact name Bram Roelandts
Contact function System Integrator