By Yasmin Hashmi
KNX Association’s newly elected board shares a strategic roadmap focused on IoT integration, AI-driven energy management, CRA compliance and simplification of the KNX experience.
At the recent KNX General Assembly, the new KNX Executive Board was elected, and expanded from 14 members to 17. The board now comprises President Mr J. C. Krieger of Schneider Electric, Vice-President Mr K. Waechter of Siemens Schweiz, and board members Mr L. Steiner of ABB Busch Jaeger, Ms L. Han of ABB Stotz, Mr M. Herms of Albrecht Jung, Mr D. Sala of Eelectron, Mr B. Elsner of Elsner, Mr C. Brunel of Feller, Mr C. Feltgen of GIRA, Mr S. Merkli of Hager, Mr A. Vrieling of INSTA, Mr M. Jäger of Merten, Mr R. Karner of MDT, Mr R. Zizlsperger of Siemens, Mr M. Essers of Theben, Mr M. Moeller of Voltus, and Dr T. Weinzierl of Weinzierl Engineering.
We asked each what opportunities and challenges face KNX in the coming years, and what they will be encouraging the board to focus on. Here are their replies:
Jean-Christophe Krieger, Schneider Electric and President of KNX Association
KNX has major opportunities to strengthen its global leadership in smart home and building automation by expanding interoperability, deepening integration with IoT and IP technologies, and supporting the transition toward more energy‑efficient, sustainable buildings. At the same time, we are addressing increasing cybersecurity expectations with our CRA- (Cyber Resilience Act) compliant KNX Secure and KNX IoT technologies.
Our main challenge is to attract and inspire new generations of professionals to make advanced automation simpler and efficient.
I will encourage the board to focus on simplifying the KNX experience for professionals and end users to design and operate installations, whilst ensuring that our open European-made standard continues to guide the smart home and buildings of tomorrow with trust, resilience and vision. By doing so, KNX will remain the trusted foundation for the smart, efficient and human‑centric buildings of the future – we deliver peace of mind for buildings efficiency!
Klaus Wächter, Siemens, and Vice President of KNX Associatio
I will remain fully committed to strengthening and further advancing both the KNX standard and the KNX Association. Energy management is a strong example of how KNX, even after more than 30 years, continues to evolve and stay closely aligned with market demands. The momentum in this field is clear, and the coming months are expected to bring significant developments.
Michael Möller, Voltus and KNX Executive Board member
KNX is the world’s leading standard for building automation and smart homes. In the past, we consistently succeeded in providing suitable products for the market’s needs. Based on our open standard, solutions from more than 500 manufacturers are now available, all of which are 100% compatible – making KNX unique.
But we cannot rest on our laurels. The rapid development of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) presents us with new challenges, but also opens up great opportunities: KNX can play a key role in sector coupling and the global energy transition using these technologies. Crucially, innovations must simplify planning and commissioning, rather than increasing complexity. Simplicity is therefore at the top of our agenda.
Furthermore, as the managing director of the KNX online retailer Voltus, I feel a particular commitment to the residential sector. As a member of the KNX Executive Board, I will work to ensure that the KNX standard continues to deliver the most convenient and economically-attractive solutions for residential properties in the future.
Alfred Vrieling, Insta GmbH and KNX Executive Board member
KNX has enormous growth potential – but we are not yet fully exploiting it across the market. Due to its structure and design, KNX is currently primarily a system for medium-sized and larger projects, supported by specialised systems integrators. If we want to fully participate in the dynamic growth of intelligent building technology, we must boldly discuss greater openness, while simultaneously strengthening what has proven to be successful.
From my perspective, in addition to the established, high-performance ETS for the aforementioned projects, KNX needs a significantly simpler commissioning process – especially for smaller projects. This isn’t about replacing professional project planning, but about creating additional access points. Many smaller installations are currently more difficult to implement economically because the investment hurdle for smaller companies is too high due to training, licensing, and engineering costs.
KNX components have excellent global representation thanks to the many affiliated companies and products, but if we want to broaden KNX’s reach, we must address these barriers strategically. The enormous future growth planned in building systems technology will only succeed in its implementation if we enable new user groups to also participate in KNX’s growth.
Thomas Weinzierl, Weinzierl Engineering GmbH and KNX Executive Board member
KNX has been providing a stable foundation for our business for the past 25 years. It is not only a technology, but a powerful ecosystem and strong community in which global players, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises, create and share one common market. Defending our open standard and international community against proprietary solutions is an important goal. Interoperability between all KNX manufacturers and different application domains remains a key factor here.
As a KNX Executive Board member, my main focus is on technology. Whilst today the CRA is one of the dominant topics, the future will require a transition to IP-based networks. In order to meet the requirements for new applications, our common system architecture has to evolve to reduce the effort and complexity during commissioning of installations.
Lucy Han, ABB Smart Buildings and KNX Executive Board member
As buildings become more connected and sustainability expectations intensify, KNX’s open standard is more relevant than ever. The challenge is ensuring we evolve fast enough – in education, integration with emerging technologies such as AI and IoT platforms, and expanding our global ecosystem. I’ll be encouraging the board to focus on making KNX the standard of choice for the next generation of building professionals.
Robert Zizlsperger, Siemens, and KNX Executive Board member, respectively
In the coming years, KNX will become key not only for meeting the European Green Deal, sustainable building systems, and the highest cybersecurity standards, but also for actively shaping them. The evolution from OT (Operational Technology) to IT (Information Technology) – with KNX IoT as a central architectural component, paves the way for fully-networked, intelligent building ecosystems. At the same time, intuitive access, simplified configuration, and accelerated commissioning must be consistently implemented for developers. Siemens recommends that the Executive Board prioritise this IT transformation as a catalyst for the future, in order to sustainably secure KNX’s innovation leadership, scalability, and global relevance.
Samuel Merkli, Hager and KNX Executive Board member
I see major opportunities for KNX to be further established as the backbone of smart, efficient, data-secure and grid-interactive buildings in Europe. For example, energy management, sector coupling, and AI-driven building intelligence are exciting development areas. Our challenge is speed – simplifying integration, strengthening cybersecurity, and attracting young talent.
I would encourage us to focus on interoperability, digital services, and bold partnerships that secure KNX’s leadership in a rapidly-evolving smart buildings ecosystem.
Bastian Elsner, Elsner and KNX Executive Board member
KNX is at a crucial juncture. Buildings are becoming more heavily regulated, digitally networked, and increasingly integrated into the energy infrastructure. This presents a significant opportunity for an open, interoperable standard such as KNX. At the same time, we must make KNX easier and more accessible to use, whilst preserving its greatest strengths: robustness, stability, and backward compatibility. Beyond technical development, I see communication as key. We need to explain more clearly what KNX stands for and make the standard even more accessible to the next generation of users, integrators, and manufacturers.
Max Essers, Theben AG and KNX Executive Board member
As energy efficiency, decarbonisation, and interoperable building solutions become increasingly important, KNX is ideally positioned as an open, vendor-neutral standard, particularly with regard to IP, IoT, and integration into energy management systems. At the same time, we face challenges such as perceived complexity, competition from proprietary platforms, and a shortage of skilled workers. In my role on the board, I will focus particularly on clearer market (customer) orientation, stronger communication of customer benefits, investment in training, and the strategic development of KNX as an enabler of sustainable buildings.
Charles Brunel, Schneider Electric and KNX Executive Board member
In the coming years, KNX will stand at the crossroads of two global megatrends that often seem in tension: the rapid digitalisation of buildings and the growing imperative for true sustainability. Over recent decades, customers have learned that proprietary systems cannot guarantee longevity, interoperability, or long‑term availability. KNX, by contrast, has become the ‘Linux of building automation’, offering an open, robust, and future‑proof foundation that ensures buildings remain efficient and operable across generations rather than short product cycles.
As raw‑material shortages and rising electronic costs reshape our industry, total cost of ownership will become a decisive factor. KNX’s inherent energy sobriety, long lifecycle, backward compatibility, and resilience give it a unique advantage at a time when many other solutions risk rapid obsolescence. Our greatest challenge will be to communicate this value clearly and at scale. With the new Executive Board, I am confident we will strengthen our collaborative spirit, amplify the voice of KNX worldwide, and inspire many more stakeholders to choose an open and truly sustainable path for smart buildings.
Dario Sala, Eelectron SpA and KNX Executive Board member
We will be promoting KNX as the standard for secure and connected solutions across the home and building value chains, from distributors to systems integrators via engineering firms, architects, real estate, ICT (Information and Communication Technology), general contractors and installers. This is a journey towards secure technology that drives energy efficiency and green innovation – specifically through smart building automation, IoT and AI.
We believe that ‘smart buildings are for people,’ which is why user experience (UX) must be the core focus for both occupants and system integrators. Simplicity, efficiency, and flexibility, combined with connected and secure technologies, are the essential pillars for today – and the foundation for tomorrow.
Lutz Steiner, ABB and KNX Executive Board member
KNX is in a great position to further strengthen its position as an open, manufacturer‑independent standard. Topics such as IP‑based buildings, digitalisation, energy efficiency and connectivity clearly play to KNX’s strengths. From my perspective, KNX IoT is a key driver in this context, as it connects KNX more closely with the IT world and opens up new application areas.
At the same time, it is crucial to further improve usability. This applies in particular to the commissioning tool ETS, which has always been the heart of KNX. ETS has continuously evolved, and it is essential that this path is consistently continued in the future to ensure the long‑term viability of KNX. Commissioning and project planning must become simpler, more intuitive and more efficient. Here, I see great potential in the use of artificial intelligence.
In addition, from my point of view, it remains important to focus on attracting the right partners for KNX. I am convinced that the future belongs to open systems and open protocols.
Thanks to its structure, with the KNX Association as a neutral body providing the commissioning tool, and its unique, fully standardised interworking, KNX is today the only truly open system in building automation – supported by more than 500 manufacturers worldwide.
Martin Jäger, Schneider Electric and KNX Executive Board member
KNX has great potential to manage the increasing complexity of modern buildings through interoperability and open standards. In the coming years, it will be crucial to better integrate energy efficiency, user comfort, and cybersecurity. At the same time, the market needs solutions that make energy flows more transparent and which simplify automation. My focus is on driving innovation and merging energy and building technology in such a way that smart buildings are easier to implement and more sustainable in the long term.
Roger Karner, MDT and KNX Executive Board member
I see significant opportunities for KNX in the coming years. The global demand for smart, energy-efficient, and sustainable buildings is accelerating, driven by regulation, decarbonisation goals, and increasing user expectations. As the world’s leading open standard for building automation, KNX is ideally positioned to benefit from this shift across residential, commercial, and large-scale infrastructure projects.
At the same time, there are important challenges. To remain competitive and expand into new segments, KNX must continue to evolve. One key challenge is reducing complexity in planning, commissioning, and daily operation. Simplification and improved user-friendliness, both for professionals and end users, will be essential to broaden adoption and lower barriers to entry.
Another challenge is keeping pace with rapid technological change. The continued development of KNX IoT and stronger integration with IP-based infrastructures will be critical to ensuring scalability, interoperability, and long-term relevance in increasingly digital and connected buildings. As a board member, I will encourage a strong focus on three priorities:
- 1. Simplification and usability.
- 2. Technological innovation, especially around IoT and IP integration.
- 3. Strengthening KNX’s global positioning as the open, future-proof standard.
My goal is clear: to help ensure that KNX not only maintains its leadership position, but becomes even more accessible, intelligent, and globally-integrated in the years ahead.
Summary
The key takeaways from the board include:
- Simplification: a collective push to make the ETS commissioning tool and general project planning more intuitive for professionals and accessible for smaller residential projects.
- The IoT & IP Shift: transitioning from traditional OT to IT-based networks to ensure KNX remains the go-to open standard of building automation.
- Sustainability & Energy: leveraging the open standard to meet the European Green Deal through smarter energy management and sector coupling.
- Cyber Resilience: prioritising CRA-compliant security to maintain KNX’s reputation as a trusted, robust ecosystem.
- Talent acquisition: attracting new generations of system integrators by lowering barriers to entry, such as training and licensing costs.
Yasmin Hashmi is the Editor of KNXtoday magazine.
