Read it here
Ivory Egg Blog Archive
Archive for the ‘News’ Category
Electrics re:Designed 002 now published
January 31st, 2012Gira Videos on Youtube
November 12th, 2010Really good Gira Homeserver Advert showing some of the Possibilities-http://bit.ly/aNs9lf
iPad and iPhone Apps.
November 12th, 2010New update has been released for Gira iPhone and iPad Apps.
KNX Are Turning 20!
October 19th, 2010KNK are celebrating turning 20 this year with a Worldwide Web conference! More information is available at http://www.knx.org with the KNK UK event being hosted at Somfy Uk between 12.30 and 14.30 on 20/10/10.
A room controller to die for
May 27th, 2010Following on from the immense success of the Sentido range, Basalte announce a new room controller to match. The product features a full menu driven oled display and is essentially capable of controlling any function in a room via the touch sensitive surfaces. In common with all Basalte products the finish is without equal.
Who’s counting the cost of smart building ...
March 12th, 2010Slowly, the term ‘Smart Building’ is gaining acceptance in the UK as concern over climbing energy costs and interest in greener buildings grows. Its a no brainer really, Smart Buildings that feature cutting-edge intelligent technology improve operating efficiencies and expenses, boast happier tenants and lower energy bills than other properties without them. While it doesn’t take a high IQ to grasp the benefits, believe it or not many short-sighted UK developers have yet to jump on the already rolling Smart Building bandwagon.
With Smart Building Technology, a Facilities Manager can log in remotely to flip the switch on more than 500 lights. In toilets throughout a 7-acre development, the toilet paper, paper towels and hand-soap dispensers can automatically tell the Facilities Manager when a dispenser is empty. Toilets can even send signals when they’re blocked. And you do tend to find that the toilets are one of the top complaints in commercial buildings, while most other tenant gripes center on heating and cooling systems, which can all be built into the smart network. Why would you want to create more problems for yourself when a Smart Building can solve them for you?
You can offer telephone, data, Internet, security and music services through a single fiber-optic network. The Facilities Manager can monitor heating, cooling, lighting, and digital signage through that same network, which currently links all retail tenants, outdoor spaces and property management offices. However, its estimated that less than 10% of new and existing commercial buildings actually contain intelligent smart building technology. Most active in the intelligent Smart Building Technology field are data centers, hospitals and universities. A key driver of intelligent technology in the commercial real estate sector is escalating energy costs. If an intelligent lighting and energy management system is integrated into a building’s overall operating network, the owner can reap energy savings of 30% to 45% vs. a stand-alone lighting and energy management systems. A full-fledged intelligent technology system can deliver bottom-line rewards its as simple as that.
One reason Smart Buildings have yet to make it to the mainstream is that many commercial property developers in the UK have a bad habit of promoting a building’s short-term profitability rather than its long-term operating costs (although to fair they are slowly coming around to our way of thinking). They don’t usually worry to much about the buildings operating costs five years down the line because they’re not going to own it. If tenants demanded intelligent Smart Building Technology, then the developers have to deliver. But do the The tenants really understand it, do they give it much credence? As an industry I don’t think we have done enough in terms of teaching building developers, owners and designers about the value of intelligent Smart Building Technology. However, despite this slow adoption, we’ve got to be optimistic about the future of intelligent Smart Building Technology as we’ve started seeing some real growth in the last few years!
Light + Build 2010 Preview
March 12th, 2010
This is hands down the world’s leading trade fair for Architecture and Technology. Since making its debut in 2000, Light+Building has made a name for itself as the leading international trade fair for the sector. Light+Building is characterised by a range of products and services unparalleled in terms of depth and breadth, a high degree of internationality, growing visitor numbers and a reputation as an innovation forum where new products are launched onto the world market for the first time.
All market leaders from the fields of lighting, electrical engineering and building automation take part in the biennial trade fair for the sector. Within this unique framework, over 2,000 exhibitors present their latest products, innovations and trends at an almost fully booked-up Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre. The extensive spectrum of products and services to be seen makes Light+Building the ideal meeting place for trade visitors – over 167,000 architects, interior architects, designers, planners, engineers and artisans, as well as representatives of the trade and industry, find future-oriented solutions for their business success.
You must see this unique assortment at the next Light+Building in Frankfurt am. We will be visiting as always…
Event Profile
Organizing by Messe Frankfurt GmbH, the Light + Building is a 6 day event for building materials. Held at Exhibition Centre Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany, the event is aimed towards providing a one stop platform for various wholesalers, retailers, contractors etc. from all over the world.
Visitor Profile
Trade Visitors only – Contractors, Industry Leaders, Planners, Investors, Property Managers, Authorities-public facilities, Architects, Engineers, Electrical engineers, electricians, Sanitary technicians, Ventilation and air-conditioning technicians, Interior designers etc.Visitor Registration
Exhibitor Profile
Manufacturers of Building materials, Technical products, IT products and services for the building industry, Maintenance related products & technology will be participating in the exhibition.Stall Booking
Details
Business Timing: 09:00am – 06:00pm
Public Timing: 09:00am – 06:00pm
Around 2,200 exhibitors, including all national and international market leaders, will exhibit at Light+Building. On an area of over 240,000 square metres at the fully booked-up exhibition centre, Light+Building presents innovations and energy-saving system solutions in the fields of lighting, electrical engineering and house and building automation under the motto, ‘energy efficiency’. But how can visitors find what they need from this huge range of products and services? The answer is easily thanks to logically arranged product groups, which enable visitors to find their way around quickly and without difficulty. Now, as the result of an optimised layout for building-services technology, this will be even easier at Light+Building 2010. Additionally, initial orientation is given by the three product sections: lighting, electrical engineering and house and building automation.
At the world’s biggest platform for the lighting market, over 1,500 companies present the complete range of lighting technology including technical luminaires and lamps of all kinds and for all applications, designer luminaires in all styles from classic to modern and a huge selection of lighting components and accessories. At Light+Building, visitors can be sure of finding all future-oriented lighting technologies, such as LED luminaires for commercial and public buildings, as well as for the home.
Technical luminaires and lamps occupy five exhibition halls – 3.0, 3.1, 4.0, 4.1 and 4.2 – as well as the ‘Forum’ and the ‘Festhalle’. The international companies making their presentations in Hall 3 include Artemide, Bega Gantenbrink-Leuchten, Erco Leuchten, Flos, Fontana Arte, iGuzzini illuminazione, Luceplan, Trilux and Targetti Sankey. In the ‘Festhalle’ and ‘Forum’, Osram, Philips, Siteco Beleuchtungstechnik and Zumtobel Lighting number among the companies represent¬ed. Many new exhibitors from the LED sector are taking part in the technical luminaires and lamps segment at Light+Building 2010, e.g., LG Innotek, Sharp Electronics and Toshiba. Together with other leading LED manufacturers, such as Nichia, Panasonic Lighting and Seoul Semiconductors, they can be found in Halls 4.0, 4.1 and 4.2.
Urban Lighting presents the multi-faceted spectrum of outdoor lighting
Located in Hall 5.0 and focusing primarily on outdoor luminaires for public areas, the multi-faceted spectrum of outdoor lighting will be presented by numerous companies, including Ewo, Hess AG Form + Licht, Schréder and Thorn Lighting, under the heading Urban Lighting. Additionally, outdoor luminaires will be exhibited in a realistic setting at the Outdoor Lighting Boulevard on the Agora, the outdoor exhibition area of the Fair and Exhibition Centre.
Decorative luminaires of all styles for the home and the contract market will be on show in Halls 5.1, 6.0 and 6.1. Decorative Light is split into three main styles – modern, classic-modern and classic traditional – to make it easier for visitors to find their way around this product segment. Among the exhibitors showing classic decorative luminaires in Hall 6.1 are, for example, Arte di Murano, Classic Light, Iris Cristal, Joachim Holländer, Novaresi, Pataviumart and Savoy House; modern decorative luminaires are located in Hall 5.1 and the exhibitors include Bankamp, Menzel lighting manufacture group and Neuhaus Licht. Additionally, companies such as Albert Leuchten and Royal Botania present outdoor luminaires for the private sector in this exhibition hall.
The importance of design not only for decorative luminaires but also for technical lighting is clearly to be seen from the spectrum of technical design-oriented luminaires, which can be seen in Halls 1.1 and 1.2. The renowned companies exhibiting in this product segment include, for example, Axel Meise Licht, Brand van Egmond, DARK, Escale, Ingo Maurer, Metalarte, Nimbus, Oligo, Prandina, Quasar, Serien, Terzani and Tobias Grau. Rounding off this vast array of lighting products are full-range suppliers and decorative accessories in Halls 6.0 and 10.1. The exhibitors there include Brilliant, Eglo Leuchten, Massive Leuchten and Paulmann Licht. In Hall 10.1, national pavilions present more products from this segment. Technical components and accessories for lighting applications are located in Hall 4.0. Renowned exhibitors in this segment include, for example, Alanod, BAG Electronics, BJB, Helvar, Jordan Reflektoren, TCI, VLM SPA and Vossloh-Schwabe.
Electrical engineering now in the new Hall 11
As in previous years, the complete electrical-engineering spectrum will be represented at Light+Building 2010. With the integration of the new Hall 11, visitors will now find this broad spectrum of products in three themed groups. This year, around 450 companies from the electrical-engineering sector are showing innovations and trends in Halls 8 and 11. The range of exhibits for energy-efficient building-services systems, electrical installations and building infrastructure solutions in Hall 8.0 includes products for energy and data transmission, cable management, lighting protection and overload protection. Among the state-of-the-art technology to be seen are smart-metering system. The companies taking part in this segment include ABB / Busch Jaeger, Gustav Hensel, Hager Vertriebsgesellschaft, Mennekes, Niedax, OBO-Bettermann, Stiebel Eltron, Theben AG and Walther-Werke. More products from this segment are to be seen in Hall 9.0.
Everything in Hall 11.0 revolves around the subject of electrical installation and network technology with systems and components for energy distribution and control, low-voltage switching, control cabinets, network infrastructure and security systems. Also to be seen are switchgear and control systems, as well as tools and marking systems for electrical installations. The companies represented in this segment include Eaton / Moeller, Phoenix Contact, Rittal, Siemens AG, WAGO Kontakt and Weidmüller. Design-oriented electrical installations and building-services technology are located in Hall 11.1. The exhibitors include Albrecht Jung, Berker, Gira Giersiepen, Legrand-BTicino, Novar, Siedle and the Schneider Group with Merten, Ritto, Elso and Schneider Electric. The spectrum of exhibits embraces operating and control elements, as well as switches, sockets, building-communication products, security components and actuators for building-system technology.
House and building automation now in Hall 9.0
With the move from Hall 9.1 in 2008 to Hall 9.0, the house and building automation section is now closer together with electrical engineering in Hall 8.0 and, therefore, easier and quicker to reach. In Hall 9.0, around 150 exhibitors present future-oriented solutions for house and building automation, facility management, contracting and other building-services equipment, such as photovoltaic systems and sun-protection solutions. The well-known companies exhibiting in this seg¬ment include EnOcean, Honeywell, Kieback & Peter, Saia-Burgess Controls and WAREMA Renkhoff.
http://light-building.messefrankfurt.com/frankfurt/en/besucher/willkommen.html
Ivory Egg’s ISE 2010 Review
March 12th, 2010
By all accounts, ISE 2010 boasted record attendance levels, and I have to say it felt pretty busy to me. I must have walked miles, the place was absolutely massive! I’m informed that visitor numbers this year were up by over 14% and exhibitor rebooking was also at record levels. As other exhibitions appear to have struggled during the economic slump, ISE has gone from strength to strength, so I for one are expecting things to be even bigger in 2011. As for 2010, some of Ivory Egg’s highlights include:
Samsung H03 & SP-F10M
Samsung showcased two new excellent projectors… Weighing in at only 200 grams, the Samsung H03 is capable to run for about 2 hours on a single charge. It is LED-based and has a brightness of 30 ANSI lumens and a lifespan of up to 30,000 hours. Additionally, the H03 also supports various connectivity options like USB/PC/Composite, and features a handy MicroSD slot. On the other hand, the Samsung SP-F10M was touted as the industry’s first LED-based data projector with 1000 ANSI lumens of brightness and a lifespan of up to 30,000 hours, which means it could last for about 20 years with four hours of daily usage. The SP-F10M also features PC-free File Viewer allowing you to view or project the file directly from USB drive. Boh projectors support Office and PDF formats
Mitsubishi 149in OLED
What a beast… Mitsubishi Electric showcased a 149in prototype OLED screen. At 1920×3264mm OLED display or 6.2m or 149in, this is larger than any existing commercial product out there. It has a screen resolution of 1088×640 pixels at 3mm pixel pitch. They also had some nice LED-based projection engines for its Seventy Series display wall cubes (the L46XM), featuring a 46in diagonal WXGA (1366×768 pixel) LCD display with a total mullion width of 7.3mm, and a Multi-Touch interface option for its Seventy Series display wall systems that enables multiple users to interact with a display wall simultaneously.
Philips Dynalite Revolution Touch Screen
The Revolution colour touch screen and Revolution Series 2 user control panel were on display from Philips Dynalite. Also centre stage on their stand was an excellent demonstration room, which comprised a mock boardroom equipped with a remote-controlled integrated lighting and AV control system with additional curtain and blind control. The system incorporate Philips Dynalite controllers, serial port interfaces and user control interfaces, as well as third-party control systems. All components were linked via Philips Dynalite’s sophisticated peer-to-peer communications serial bus network, DyNet. In addition to this fully integrated lighting control system, Philips Dynalite showcased a number of individual integrated control system elements, such as the company’s modular multipurpose controller range. Ideal for home automation and hotel suite control applications, the controllers feature unique hardware-configurable design, where plug-in output cards accommodate specific loads assigned to the system.
Xantech’s Free Training Seminars
A leader in AV control, Xantech was running training seminars on its huge product line as well as discussing the current and future direction of the AV industry. We particularly enjoyed New 2010 Products that addressed the residential and commercial opportunities for custom integrators with multi-room audio, video and control installations. And also Digital Delivery Systems, which gave an excellent overview of the Xantech Digital Delivery System, a simple, elegant high-performance multi-room audio solution incorporating digital amplification, an all-digital signal path and multi-source keypads.
Other items etc that get a worthy Ivory Egg mention included:
- Gira exhibiting KNX with Revox on their stand
- Opus 2-way control of KNX from their touch panels
- sqhead.com
- Empure Pronto KNX/Crestron integrations
- Artsound Scalable Multiroom Solution that is KNX compatible.
- Prion from oehlbach AV connectors
- Stark architectural and interactive projectors
- Nuvo’s new Powerline product
- Lang Radar Touch Display
- Crestron Digital Media HD
Ivory Egg predictions for the future of Smart Building ...
March 12th, 2010Smart building technology is not only saving building owners and their tenants cold hard cash, it is also offering significant assistance in saving this little planet of ours. Thanks in part to internet protocol-based networks, these new digital technologies are ready to make dramatic contributions in how buildings function, particularly by helping to significantly reduce their energy consumption. At Ivory Egg, we like to think of ourselves at the forefront of this revolution, so we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite technological advancements that we know will have a big impact on smart building technology in the future:
- Facilities Management Tools will start to use Augmented Reality & 3D
Operating a high performance building will require high performance tools. Think 3D, augmented reality and BIM. Building Information Modeling is primarily used for design, construction and pre-fabrication of assemblies. Its benefits during this stage of building are improved design, design coordination and collusion detection. Its benefit for building operation has primarily been the extraction of data from the design and construction phases into a facility management system. In 2010 expect facility management systems to incorporate 3D BIM-like aspects to allow facility managers to visualize and understand the complex interactions within their buildings. In addition, we’ll start to see the use of augmented reality. If you watched a Premiership game with Andy Gray where the run of a player is highlighted on the pitch, or where the direction of the ball is outlined from a free kick, then you’ve seen the reality (the football pitch) augmented with the virtual, done in real-time and 3D. Imagine 3D models of mechanical and electrical systems augmented with real time data and you start to have tools to really manage high performance buildings. - Micro Energy Management Systems
We tend to think of energy management systems as large enterprise-wide systems. We can expect energy management systems to evolve for individuals or specific spaces or functions. Individuals will have an energy management system on their laptops and calculate their carbon footprint at their desk. By 2011 we can expect PC software manufacturers to start offering middleware applications to allow users to monitor and manage their localized energy systems, such as plugloads, lighting and thermal comfort. - The Smart Grid will redefine Home Automation & Media Centers
It is one thing to have a home automation system turn your lights off and on or a home media system which allows access to 200 high definition channels but the smart grid changes all that. The home automation system now has to communicate with the utility grid. The telecom service provider to the home is no longer the only utility supplying content and communication to the home. In fact, the media center is one of the larger energy users in the home and could possibly be managed by the smart grid. The smart grid forces the home automation market to re-think and re-invent residential systems, adding layers of new intelligence, communications and protocols not previously seen. - Facial Recognition will replace Swipe Cards & Credit Cards
Video surveillance cameras have advanced the use of facial recognition. Admittedly, it’s difficult to pick out one face in a large crowd, such as people walking into a stadium (although it has been used to tackle hooliganism in Europe). However, on an individual basis, facial recognition is pretty good. With your face as your ID, gone will be the need for credit cards and access control cards/keys. The upside is better security. Credit cards can be stolen and access control cards can be passed from person to person, not so with your boat race. - Energy conservation measures will be given a value
In order to retrofit and upgrade existing buildings to high performance buildings, owners will need to borrow money to fund the upfront capital costs. For banks and financial institutions to provide such credit they need to clearly identify their risks. Specifically, they need to know with some certainty the energy savings and payback period for each energy conservation step that the building owner undertakes; such as lighting control retrofits, mechanical systems replacements, control system upgrades etc. - Developers need to generate new revenue streams specifically related to energy
Developers are always looking for ways to increase their net income and energy will become the newest opportunity. Expect developers to buy energy at wholesale rates and retail the energy to their tenants and building owners, embrace alternative energy sources and sell energy back to the grid, offer services to tenants such as energy information and management reports, generate revenues from recharging electric vehicles and provide similar services for the monitoring and management of gas and water. - The rise of the Green Eco Lawyer
There was a period when around 20% of new buildings that received certification did not meet their energy performance targets. In the future I think we can expect to find that when someone buys or leases a building or building space with an energy certification based on energy performance and the building or space does not perform, tenants and owners will then sue. Damages may be the projected increases in energy costs over the life of the building, lack of thermal comfort, inadequate lighting staining the eyes etc. Architects, MEP firms, developers, facility managers, facility technicians, building owners, contractors and property managers may all be potential targets. I give you the rise of the ‘Green Eco Lawyer”.
Energy Harvesting, Wireless and Next Generation Energy ...
March 9th, 2010
Bottomless power generation comes from ambient sources such as linear motion, light and temperature differentials. Wires run through buildings like veins run through our bodies. Wires are pervasive and vital to day-to-day operations; however, today’s brave new ‘green’ world warrants consideration for solutions that reach beyond the confines of wires. As one decade comes to a close, EnOcean asserts that the next decade will feature wireless and batteryless controls that will carry building energy initiatives where wires fall short.
Widespread Smart Building integration has been stalled by installation costs and ominous tasks such as pulling wires through walls and ceilings. Battery-dependent wireless solutions can overcome some installation barriers, but the market has indicated it will not tolerate the maintenance issues tied to them. If the goal is to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions, then integrators need non-invasive installation means and payback data that tips the scale in favor of spending the money to modernize existing buildings. Now that more than 100,000 buildings have been fitted with EnOcean-based products and energy reductions are in the books, a case is being made that wireless energy harvesting controls provide a radically easy form of Smart Building integration.
The Power of Unused Energy
The hallmark of the EnOcean wireless standard is batteryless and wireless communications. The technology stems from a simple observation – where sensors capture measured values, the energy state is constantly changing. For example, when a switch is pressed; temperatures and luminance levels change. These rudimentary operations generate enough energy to transmit radio signals that automate lighting and HVAC control. Instead of batteries or line power, EnOcean uses miniaturized energy converters and capacitors that power sensors and switches. EnOcean’s bottomless power generation comes from ambient sources such as linear motion, light and temperature differentials.
Energy harvesting enables the generation of radio signals from extremely small amounts of energy. Using just 50 micro watts of harvested power, an EnOcean-based control can transmit a radio signal 1,000 feet (150 feet is typically indoors – through walls and ceilings). An important part of the patented secret is using short signal durations – the entire radio transmission process starts, executes and completes in less than one thousandth of a second.
3rd Generation Wireless Energy Harvesting
EnOcean recently released its 3rd generation suite of energy harvesting wireless modules. The modules are based upon the Dolphin ASIC, the world’s first platform that supports self-powered two-way wireless communications, ultra low power sleep modes and the ability to self-power actuators such as water valves and air vents. Wireless building automation devices spend much of their time asleep; so EnOcean engineered the lowest sleep current in the industry (200 nA). Dolphin-based modules consume approximately 1/10th the power of common low power radio modules. The platform allows OEMs to create energy-autonomous controls that are able to draw power from multiple ambient sources, such as solar, linear motion and thermal energies.
EnOcean modules are often referred to as ‘application modules’ and these modules ship out-of-the-box with extensive firmware functionalities built-in – such as basic switching, dimming, measuring, etc. – and can go straight into an application without additional programming. EnOcean developed highly efficient methods of synchronizing sensors, supporting RF acknowledgments as well as integrated sensing/control functions. Application-specific functions reduce product development times and are embedded in each module; however, integrators can now also develop their own firmware using EnOcean’s new Dolphin Studio – support software for custom firmware development, RF packet monitoring and C-based code sampling.
The new Dolphin platform conforms to the open, interoperable EnOcean Alliance protocol and enables manufacturers to rapidly develop solutions to suit today’s ‘green’ economy. EnOcean’s Dolphin system architecture is also backward compatible with earlier EnOcean products and installations. In addition to the introduction of new platform, the company has also further enhanced wireless capabilities with remote commissioning and wireless routing creating new opportunities previously not possible with energy harvesting. Dolphin-based radio modules are now available direct from EnOcean or through and its distribution channels.
HVAC Energy Management
Radio waves are in the thick of the race to make buildings more energy efficient. Integrators can reduce installation costs and recoup those installations costs via energy usage reductions over time. Older buildings are often guilty of wasting giant sums of power. The Government estimates that 80% of buildings constructed prior to 1980 are energy-inefficient and do not house and Smart Building Technology. Additionally, older buildings often have little or inadequate insulation.
Speedy Implementation
Entire installation can be carried out with minimum interruption – Virtually impossible to achieve using a cabled solution because of the need to break open walls (duct work and cabling). Implementation of the system in even a large office complex can take just one week — including installation of the central control engineering to monitor and govern energy consumption. The biggest challenge is the right positioning of the room sensors because you’re dealing with thick walls made of concrete and steel. However, choosing EnOcean’s self-powered wireless technology can save up to 20 percent in installation costs alone and significant energy savings.
Lighting Energy Management
Buildings account for 38% of this country’s CO2 emission and lighting accounts for 40% of the energy consumed by buildings. Buildings therefore present an important place to start improving energy management via things like occupancy-based lighting control systems. Occupancy Sensors have been identified as the primary means for conserving energy.
Installation
Because the controls do not require wiring or batteries, installation can be completed in just three steps.
- Replace existing light switches with line-powered receiver light switches (wiring is the same as a standard switch).
- Program the light switch receiver to respond to occupancy sensor and self-powered light switch. The devices are factory set to manual-ON, auto-OFF (custom to suit California Title 24) – no extra setup was necessary; however, an “auto-ON, auto-OFF” mode is also supported.
- Mount sensors and light switch – anywhere! Since they are self-powered and wireless, the controls were mounted according to building owner preferences.
The EnOcean Alliance
More than 120 automation solution manufacturers formed the EnOcean Alliance to promote sustainable buildings via batteryless and wireless controls. The Alliance is committed to interoperability through 1 wireless standard. Collectively, Alliance members have manufactured 300+ building automation products that are on the shelf today – more than any other wireless standard.
Interoperability is an important key to the Alliance’s success:
- Between Products – All EnOcean-based sensors and switches are interoperable – regardless of the manufacturer. For example, an occupancy sensor manufactured by Vendor A can communicate to a controller manufactured by Vendor Z.
- Between Applications – EnOcean-based solutions support multiple applications (ie. a single wireless light switch can communicate to lighting systems as well as HVAC systems).
- As Gateways & Interfaces (LonMark, BACnet, DMX, 802.11, TCP/IP Ethernet, KNX, RS-232/485 Serial, etc.)
To find out more, please visit http://www.enocean-alliance.org.
Top of page
-
Find an installer
Complete our simple form to find a qualified local installer for your project
Sign up to our newsletters
Our trade counters
