By including metering and a method to easily viewing this data, such as on a smartphone, as part of your KNX installation you will be able to review both live and historical water, electricity and gas consumption. Having this information easily at hand leads to increased awareness and has proven to be key to reducing energy usage. Visibility will encourage energy efficient use and behaviour by the whole family.

Tracking energy consumption as you make changes to your home reinforces and encourages further experimentation. For example by reducing the temperature throughout the house by 1 degree you may save around 30% on you gas/oil bill. But without being able to see this you won’t know if the changes you have made really have helped. Once you can see the consumption levels dropping before your eyes you can then fine-tune comfort vs. efficiency to find the compromise that’s suits you and your family. The same is true of other systems in the home, dimming the maximum level of lighting in your home by 10% will be hardly noticeable for the occupants but may lead to significant electricity savings, its worth trying. KNX metering and visualisation makes this easy.

Being able to compare data from different billing periods can quickly flag up problems in the home, for example a leaky toilet may lead to a spike in your water consumption. Normally this wouldn’t be picked up until the next billing period, if at all. With the ability to easily compare your past consumption with the live data you will be aware of problems much earlier and resolve them before it starts to cost you and the planet.

KNX is the perfect system for accurate metering as you can choose the best product for each application. You may end up using one manufacture for the electrical metering and a different one for the water metering. With KNX you know that all the devices will communicate seamlessly and you have the peace of mind that any new device will also be supported. KNX devices are manufactured to strict standards and are backward compatible with all previous KNX products

We suggest speaking to your local KNX integrator about the different options and decide what is best for your new home. Please find a list of integrators on our website at www.ivoryegg.co.uk

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The main design goals for the hotel lighting were to use decorative lighting to enhance the unique appearance of this boutique hotel, to use energy-efficient lighting where appropriate, and to use night time façade lighting sparingly. Ease of maintenance was another primary concern. In addition, the lighting designers were constrained by a strict and pre-agreed budget, plus time was limited.

Customer Expectations

Decorative incandescent lighting was needed in public spaces, combined with energy-efficient cove lighting for ambient illumination. Discreet night time exterior building lighting was required in order to draw attention to the architectural features instead of just using ugly floodlighting and illuminating large areas of the façade. Furthermore, glass and faux alabaster panels with back lighting were required to customize the reception desk, boardrooms, and corridor areas. Lighting controls are standard issue in hotels and they’re widely accepted/used for the flexibility that they lend to the lighting design. Four-scene dimming control panels were requested for the public areas, such as the reception desk, atrium lobby, ballroom, boardrooms, restaurant and lounge area.

Customer Comment

Decorative lighting integrated with the lighting controls helped set the mood and ambiance of the public spaces. It was exactly we were looking for. The lighting controls provide the flexibility to adapt the lighting to the time of day. I love the fact that the ambiance of the restaurant is now different for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and for the evening. The atrium lobby lighting can be changed in response to the amount of available daylight. The lighting controls lend flexibility to the lounge areas and boardrooms, so that they can be adapted to their several potential uses. The most enjoyable part of the building is our restaurant. It’s very eclectic, and it has a lot of modern bright colors, a lot of different types of lighting, and a lot of different types of light fixtures. It is a kind of multi-purpose room: it’s an open area that not only serves as a restaurant, but a bar, and a lounge. Throughout the day the lighting controls really set the whole mood of the entire area.

Top Features

• Achitectural dimming controls are used extensively in the lobbies, ballrooms, boardrooms, and restaurant where lighting flexibility is essential to decor and function in a stylish boutique hotel.
• Decorative lighting was a priority in the design of the public spaces and in public transition and sitting areas such as the reception area and lobby, where dimming controls were used to make these spaces appear unique and inviting.
• In the main lounge and restaurant, dimming is used for mood setting.
• In the boardrooms and conference facilities, dimming provides the flexibility needed to accommodate presentation media.
• Daylight is plentiful in the split level lobby and innovative light shelves with angled slats are used to control the angle of the light that enters the low glazing and to reflect more daylight up through the higher level glazing.
• Eelectron range of hotel automation products throughout the hotel for the programming, management and configuration of cards, transponder readers/cards, Din Rail IP PoE Router KNX interface, eSuite Software and the TM11A KNX thermostat for controlling room temperature.

OK, at Ivory Egg we could be viewed as a little KNX or DALI biased, so I promise to be as objective as possible and open to feedback here. At the end of the day we are independent, simply want to deliver the best solutions to our clients and I would hope this article, at the very least, will stimulate some form of debate. You can view the complete thread at AV Forums.

So, in terms of the players (at least who I perceive to be the market ‘leaders’ in this field), and again you may disagree with my selection, I have decided to look at the following solutions. This selection is based purely on the names I come across on a weekly basis:

• KNX
  KNX is a standardised (EN 50090,ISO/IEC 14543), OSI-based network communications protocol for intelligent buildings. KNX is the successor to, and convergence of, three previous standards: the European Home Systems Protocol (EHS), BatiBUS, and the European Installation Bus (EIB or Instabus).
• Crestron
  Crestron is the world’s leading manufacturer of advanced control and automation systems. They offer integrated solutions to control audio, video, computer, IP and environmental systems, and streamline technology to improve the quality of life for people in corporate boardrooms, conference rooms, classrooms, auditoriums, and in their homes.
• Lutron
  Lutron Electronics Company, Inc. is a privately held corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells lighting control systems and a variety of other related products. Its probably fair to say that Lutron lead the way in lighting control systems.
• Rako
  Rako provide state of the art digital dimming technology. Their innovative solutions meet the needs of a diverse range of applications by offering lighting systems that are simple to use, creative, easily installed and cost effective.
• DALI
  The Digital Addressable Lighting Interface (DALI) is a digital protocol for the controlling of lighting in buildings, such as electrical ballasts and dimmers.
• INSTEON
  INSTEON technology is a dual-band mesh topology employing AC-power lines and a radio-frequency (RF) protocol to communicate with and automate home electronic devices and appliances, which normally work independently. It is a home automation networking technology invented by SmartLabs, Inc., and was developed based on the X10 model for control and sensing applications in the home.

Not everybody active in this field, but a good starting point? Unfortunatley though, we have a bit of a problem when trying to compare these so-called competitors, as basically what we’re dealing with is a mix of different standards, manufactures and solutions that are all competing against each other. I would love to be in position to just compare like for like and publish the pros and cons of each, answer the questions in places such as AV Forum, but that would not provide a true representation of each solution (I hope I’m not stating the obvious here)…

For example, it makes sense on some projects to have a mix of KNX and DALI. As DALI is an open protocol for lighting control mainly in commercial buildings, while the growth area in KNX is for residential and LED. Take Heathrow Terminal 5, which has a KNX backbone with switches/PIRs etc and a gateway to DALI for the lighting. KNX can’t compete with DALI, as the DALI is fitted to the ballasts that control the lighting and sit in the actual light fitting. They are complimentary systems and we approach it from that point of view as we sell KNX/EIB DALI gateways at Ivory Egg.

In terms of KNX vs. some of the other systems, well Lutron is bar far the market leader in terms of pure lighting control. Rako on the other hand sell purely wireless lighting controls and they are great for DIY/retro-fit. As for INSTEON, which is again a wireless control technology, they currently have no European devices so it doesn’t really complete with KNX and is more of a competitor to the likes of Z-wave and EnOcean (which is another blog altogether). And finally  we have Crestron, who supply more AV & generic device control solutions.

It is worth pointing out that Crestron do provide a complete AV, lighting and control solution. It does it by controlling different devices from multiple manufactures and a wide range of different protocols via a central controller. From a consumer point of view Crestron is “Interface Centric” via tablet and in wall touch screens. This hides the complexity of using Lutron for lighting, X manufacturer for heating and Z for multi room audio. It is an expensive route to take, but on the positive side it is highly configurable.

KNX is standard based and developed from a consumer point of view. It is switch centric, in other words it is a compact and stylish intelligent switch on the wall that can easily control the ‘functions’ in a room (HVAC, lighting, blinds etc). KNX has 1,000s of products that are certified to work together, but this is not the case with Creston. That said most consumers wouldn’t know the difference, as most simply go on look and feel, and that is where market leaders such as Basalte and Gira score highly. Their products are innovative, look fantastic on the wall and at Ivory Egg we can supply a whole host of fittings for 13amp sockets that will coordinate with the wall switches. And to be fair, this is what the architects are demanding!

So difficult to draw conclusions really. I guess the big question I’ve not really answered is what are they main differences between Lutron and KNX? As Lutron is a central processor based with proprietary technology and KNX is a component/manufacturer open standard, does that mean the KNX open standard is the lowest common denominator (as claimed by Lutron) or does that mean you get vastly increased flexibility (as claimed by KNX)? Is Lutron only lighting control – on/off/dim or is it full integration. If KNX gives you full integration, then why would you even consider Lutron? All very valid questions…

Yes, KNX provides a holistic approach to efficient energy usage. It is not limited to lighting or heating or metering or appliances or AV or any other specific function for that matter. The KNX platform has been adopted by many highly respected major manufacturers with their vast choice of products covering all these product lines. In the longer term, this is also important to building owners, as any installation is future proofed for any changes/upgrades that could be needed. As KNX covers such a diversity of applications using one standard, it means cabling networks can be much more simplistic and single twisted pair cabling can often suffice, with multiple elements all operating together on a single network. As I’ve already mentioned briefly with DALI, a number of the KNX manufacturers have also developed ‘gateways’ to other control protocols. These simple devices are used to expand the capability of KNX control systems to provide the complete solution for a building.

KNX has also worked closely with management-level protocols such as BACnet to enable a close co-operation between these two standards when the project requires additional integration. Every KNX-compliant piece of equipment is fully tested and certified to this highly stringent standard by an independent regulatory body – It is only at this point that it can carry the KNX logo, as controlled by the international KNX Association of Brussels. Therefore there is total confidence in reliability and interoperability, whatever KNX devices are chosen. In the UK we have a growing network of integrators who have joined KNX UK to share their experiences and to help promote the standard. They can also assist consultants as well as building owners in achieving the optimum solution for their building and with KNX also accepted throughout the world (and with partnership agreements with more than 30.000 partners in more than 75 countries worldwide) from China to the United States as well as Australia and the Middle East, it truly is a worldwide standard.

Lutron on the other hand is recognised as the leading brand in terms of pure lighting control, and rightly so… It has many advantages and is easy to install, retrofitable and extremely reliable. Their systems are a proven, extensively implemented technology that offers 2-way communication, is scene capable and can dim any type of dimmable lighting. All this is backed by an industry leading company with a very long history and their systems are available in a large number of styles and finishes, all backed with a 7 year warrantee. Plus they too can integrate window/shade controls and offer relatively easy intregration with Crestron and other control systems. However, while I find it hard to criticize KNX (and again, I can hold my hands up and say yes we’re a little biased), to me there are some obvious disadvantages to Lutron. For one it only controls up to 32 lights (expandable to 64). Then there is the fact it has no dedicated processor, so it relies on an automation processor. In other words if this processor fails, then I’m afraid you have to manually override or you have no lights at all. However, the ‘biggie’  (in my experience anyway) is that expansion always seems more complicated than it needs to be and is certainly more expensive than with KNX products.

The choice of lighting control is a wide one one I’m afraid, the above is only our humble opinion.  To be honest, what you really need to do is decide what functionality you want and then see what systems can support your needs. Its important you select an installer that can advise you on the systems that you’re interested in. Price is always important, but do not make it the main point, and you need to always be thinking about upgrades/adding to the system in the future. Also think about who can you get to do changes and tweaks to the lighting control system (these things are never right first time and commercial clients and their staff especially can be very demanding)?Does the control system intergrate with other manurfacturers you may be using and don’t be afraid to ask for them to show you existing installations they’ve completed that are using the products you’re interested in. KNX is certainly the logical choice to me in terms of flexibility and meeting demand, especially if you need to integrate other systems such as heating, blinds, AV etc, but always keep an open mind and one eye on what each of these systems can deliver.

Their fully bi-directional script allows easy control of each individual zones or dynamic group control with up to five user programmable group scenarios. Each zone has individual sound control (Bass/Treble, Loudness On/Off, Start/Max. Volume and Balance) which is stored within the Adagio® system and remains stored even after a loss of power. Furthermore, iPhone/iPod touch integration is also already built in and works with the free Crestron App available in the Apple App-Store.

There’s no need to program the Crestron system in any way since a pre-programmed macro is installed on the Crestron Adagio® system and ALL of the programming can be done in real-time on any Pronto. Estimated set-up time for a standard 6-zone system is less than 1 hour, which is quite remarkable! A 36 zone system can be programmed within 2-3 hours! That’s why they call it Easy and Fast then! All of their communication is solely via Ethernet and allows multiple users to access the Adagio® system simultaneously, with full bi-directional feed-back on ALL devices (even the iPhone/iPod touch!).

Full KNX/EIB integration is also included (although additional hardware is needed)… All you need is the empure KNiX-Port or iKNiX-Port and you can control each zone bi-directionally with any KNX/EIB switch. Supported controls are: Zone On/Off, Volume Up/Down, Source Selection. If the KNX/EIB switch has a display, real-time messages can also be displayed.

Key Features

• Unlimited Crestron Adagio® Zones
• Unlimited Philips Pronto Panels (TSU9600 and/or TSU9800)
• Unlimited iPhone/iPod touch integration
• Fully bi-directional
• KNX/EIB integration – Zone Control
• Full featured Zone control
• Dynamic Group control for up to 5 Groups (user defined presets)
• NO CRESTRON PORGRAMMING NEEDED, everything programmed on any Pronto
• EASY and FAST integration guaranteed!

About Crestron Adagio®

Adagio® is a simple to use, easy to install and affordable home entertainment system. Imagine the entire family’s media – CDs, MP3s, satellite radio, DVDs – all brought together in a single system. Adagio is a stand-alone Crestron solution that can be set up in just minutes. Simply take Adagio out of the box, plug it in, and turn your living room into a state-of-the-art home theater-or listen to music throughout the house. Adagio is priced to fit every budget and can easily grow with any family. Need more rooms? Easy. Adagio automatically adds the new rooms for you. Remember when listening to music and watching TV was simple? It can be with Adagio. To find out more, please visit Crestron.com.

Project Type

The local council used a retro commissioning authority to complete an audit of the Centre to determine where there were inefficiencies in the buildings’ performances. They subsequently verified the design of the energy systems and found that a number of performance areas could be dramatically improved upon if the school updated its control system. Engineers are now using a remote online log-in to view the EnergyDatastream data in order verify that the new control system design is in fact providing the energy efficient results that it was planned to do.

The school is working on additional small steps to encourage efficiency, such as lowering the temperature in the building to save costs. About 100 children currently attend the nursery school and both children and staff are encouraged to help do their part by saving water and switching off lights when they are not in a room. Now that the usage can be viewed in real-time and for specific locations using the EnergyDatastream, they will be able to develop additional strategies to help reduce water, gas and power wastage.

Upgrading the building automation system with a newer KNX control system designed for energy efficiency will also allow the Nursery School control system to be synchronised with the new refurbished Children’s Drop In Centre that is currently under development. The Drop In Centre is being designed to feature fuly integrated facilities and is scheduled for completion in March 2010. The school had noticed a sharp rise in energy use first thing in the mornings and it was established that the Drop In Centre was the cause, due primarily to the older electric water heaters being turned on when the voluntary staff arrived.

Customer Expectations

As we work to a very tight budget and are conscious of the importance of installing environmental awareness into the children, we had to look at being at the forefront of building technology and management. The ability to collect, store and transmit all our data for energy management was critical in helping us to hit and continue to maintain our objectives.

Customer Comment

We had an idea where the spike was coming from, but now that the new KNX control system and the EnergyDatastream is in place, we’ve been able to verify that it was the old Drop In Centre. The increased energy use at this time of day is when people arrive and start getting ready for the parents and children. The performance of the refurbished Drop In Centre will be greatly improved in comparison to our old one.

Top Features of the Synetica EnergyDatastream

1. 8 x Pulse Inputs: 8 digital pulse inputs for energy meters or digital status monitoring (S0 class meter inputs)
2. 8 x Analogue CT Inputs: 8 analogue inputs for wired current transformers
3. Modbus RTU and TCP/IP Communications: Connects to serial Modbus enabled meters to retrieve, log and forward Modbus meter readings. Optional Modbus TCP slave to allow access via the network to internal registers including time clock, digital, analogue, EnOcean and Modbus RTU meter values.
4. EnOcean Wireless: Optional link to EnOcean wireless sensors and Synetica’s EnOcean wireless Current Transformers (CT) to rapidly install additional wireless meter points
5. Ethernet Interface: Built in high speed 10/100 Mbit Ethernet links to the Internet or corporate Intranet
6. GPRS/GSM: Optional GSM/GPRS communications for remote applications
7. Security: User ID/password security with optional guest web page access level
8. HTTP Web Server: Built in Web server for simple device configuration and data presentation (another sample)
9. File System: Protected file system maintains logged data when powered down
10. CSV Files: Logged data may be exported via email / FTP / Web browser as CSV file format for use in spreadsheets and aM&T systems
11. Email Server: Built in SMTP to send logged data via email
12. File Transfer: Built in file transfer (FTP) can send logged data to a host computer at configurable intervals
13. Time Synchronisation: Built in battery backed time clock with automatic synchronisation via the network (SNTP)
14. Energy Profiling: Built in Energy profiling presents interactive charts in a Web Browser to reveal energy wastage
15. Carbon Analysis: Built in calculation of carbon emissions included in CSV file
16. Remote Updates: The DataStream may be updated remotely over the Ethernet network to reduce maintenance costs